50. Maryland Terrapins
Can the quarterback stay healthy? All five starters are back up front to potentially keep someone under center from suffering a knee injury, and that’s a must. The offense is going to have to carry a rebuilding defense.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
49. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Is this the year Texas Tech finally starts playing some D under Kliff Kingsbury? Nine starters return to give it a try. The skill guys have to show up with a wholesale change across the board, but at least the offensive line is there to give everyone time to work.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
48. Kentucky Wildcats
As long as the quarterback play turns out to be okay, UK should be able to rely on everything else to win. Benny Snell running behind a veteran offensive line will work, but it’s the defense that will carry things with ten starters back.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
47. Missouri Tigers
This coaching staff full of great defensive minds has to do something more after a few down years. The experience is there, but now it all has to translate into production. Just come up with a few stops, and let QB Drew Lock and the high-powered offense do the rest.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
46. North Carolina Tar Heels
This is a major, major projection, because the pieces aren’t quite there to expect a massive leap up from last year’s 3-9 disaster. After a rough season, the defense should come up with enough production to get by as long as the offense is far, far better.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
45. Pitt Panthers
Alright, Pitt. Let’s just call last season an aberration, and let’s just assume the win over Miami at the end of the regular season was the real Panther team. As long as Ben DiNucci is every bit the quarterback the coaches are saying he is, this should all work. Finally, the defense should be a plus under head coach Pat Narduzzi.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
44. Nebraska Cornhuskers
It’s not going to happen overnight. Scott Frost might be hailed as a miracle worker, but does he have the team speed in place to do what he pulled off at UCF? Not quite, but the Huskers will be a whole lot more fun once the skill guys are in place.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
43. UCF Knights
Scott Frost is gone. Shaquem Griffin is gone. A whole slew of the stars from last year are gone, but QB McKenzie Milton is back with more than enough good players returning to keep the fun going – just not like that. Good luck, Josh Heupel. (Heads up on the troll alert) Just win another national championship.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
42. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Give head coach Dave Clawson for somewhat quietly building up Wake Forest into a consistent winner. With all five starters back on the O line, and just enough pieces back on a defense that struggled, but got into the backfield, the wins will keep on coming.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
41. Arkansas Razorbacks
Alright, Chad Morris. Let’s get this thing humming. Arkansas seems to work better when it’s throwing the ball, and now it’s going to do it a whole lot more. Fortunately, the receiving corps is there for the new head coach, and everyone is back up front to keep the quarterback – likely Cole Kelly – in one piece. The defense will be … uh … the offense will be fun.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
40. Purdue Boilermakers
This will be interesting. While everyone liked the offense under Jeff Brohm in his first season, it was the defense that made the season a success. Now, most of the top linebackers from a vastly improved front seven are gone. But with a good offensive line, and a nice quarterback situation, Purdue shouldn’t take any step back.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
39. Tennessee Volunteers
Oh come on, Tennessee. The offense can’t be that bad again even if you try. New head coach Jeremy Pruitt won’t work wonders right away, but first and foremost, he needs to build up and improve his lines. The defense should be okay, but the offense has to figure out how to start scoring again.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
38. Louisville Cardinals
This should be an interesting situation. No, you don’t get better by losing Lamar Jackson, but the Cardinals relied on Superman to bail them out last season time and again. There are receivers, everyone is back on a line that was too shaky last year, and there’s hope for more consistency. However, the defense is going to need the entire offseason to get everything back together.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
37. Boise State Broncos
Call it a massive disappointment if the Broncos aren’t in a New Year’s Six bowl. There are a few big losses – like LB Leighton Vander Esch and WR Cedrick Wilson – but QB Brett Rypien leads a fantastic offense that has no excuse not to be more consistent. The D will be wonderful after allowing fewer than 20 points in nine games.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
36. Iowa State Cyclones
This might be a wee bit generous for a team missing some of the key receivers who made it all happen. But there’s hope for an improved running game, the quarterback situation is even better, and the defense should be just good enough to be fine. And keeping head coach Matt Campbell around is pretty nice, too.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
35. Northwestern Wildcats
How quickly can QB Clayton Thorson come back after getting hurt in the bowl win? The offense won’t have him for a while, and RB Justin Jackson is gone, but the line is good and the defensive front seven will be great.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
34. Utah Utes
After a year of warming up, now the offense should start to hum with even more pace, tempo, and downfield passing – even if top WR Darren Carrington is gone. The D has a whole lot of retooling to do, but the secondary will be great. As long as QB Tyler Huntley is a little bit better, Utah will be a sneaky-good team in the Pac-12 South.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
33. Kansas State Wildcats
Can Kansas State be just good enough to be in the Big 12 top two and get into the championship game? The offense is full of experience – with everyone returning up front for a great-looking backfield – and the secondary is built to be a plus in the pass-happy conference. No one will pick the Wildcats to win the Big 12, but …
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
32. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Ha ha … that was fun coming up with a losing season and not going bowling and all, but that can’t and won’t happen again. The running game will be back to its normal unstoppable self, but there has to be just a bit more production from the passing attack. That should be enough to overcome a D that needs work.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
31. Arizona Wildcats
A head coach who knows how to crank up tremendous offenses, the most dynamic quarterback in college football … this should be interesting. Getting Kevin Sumlin was fantastic, and having Khalil Tate around with a loaded backfield should make the Wildcats a thing. There’s experience on defense, but don’t expect anything special.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
30. Iowa Hawkeyes
Replacing another outstanding Hawkeye linebacking corps is going to be tough, and CB Josh Jackson and RB Akrum Wadley are gone. But Nate Stanley has excellent upside as a pro-style quarterback working behind another good line. But that linebacking corps … that will take the whole offseason.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
29. Texas A&M Aggies
How quickly can Jimbo Fisher make this whole thing go? The offensive line and running backs are in place to do big things fast, and there are options to play around with at quarterback. But the season isn’t going anywhere without more from a defense that fell off the map over the second half of last year.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
28. UCLA Bruins
Give Chip Kelly a little bit before he can start doing everything he wants. UCLA is sort of a square peg in a round hole in terms of personnel to make the O go – this was among the least physical Power Five teams. The defense couldn’t stop the run, the offense was all Josh Rosen and his great receivers, and now both things have to change.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
27. NC State Wolfpack
Getting QB Ryan Finley back might just make all the difference – the offense needed a veteran to make everyone else better. No, the defense won’t fall off the map without Bradley Chubb and all the starters off the front seven, but it won’t be nearly as strong.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
26. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Don’t be shocked if new head man Joe Moorhead takes what Dan Mullen put in place to a whole other level. The offense should be even more dynamic with great quarterback options and nice receivers working around a veteran O line. Just enough experience returns.
– Spring Analysis & Breakdown
Spring Rankings By Conference
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
AAC | C-USA | IND | MAC | MW | Sun Belt
