This year, the NCAA has introduced the first College Football Playoff where the four top teams with compete for the national championship games. Here are my teams that I will believe will contend this year following Week 1:
Number 1 Seed: Florida State Seminoles 13-0 - The defending national champions are a force to be reckoned with once again. Reigning Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston returns hungry for a second title after a great first year. He showed incredible poise throughout his freshman year which should only get better this season. Winston looked good his first start against Oklahoma State. Though he did throw two early interceptions, he finished the night strong; 24-39, 367 yards and one touchdown to senior, Rashad Greene who should be his number one target this year. Greene does not have the size that Kelvin Benjamin had, but his speed and agility make him difficult to cover which was exposed last night as he finished with 11 catches for 203 yards. Another target on offense is tight end Nick O'leary who should catch plenty of balls over the middle this season , spreading the field for other targets. The Noles run game was lacking Week 1 vs an exceptional Oklahoma State front seven, but look for Karlos Williams to have some better games vs some upcoming opponents such as Citadel and Clemson, who gave up 328 yards to Georgia. The Seminoles defense was strong last year and returns seven starters including Mario Edwards, Terrance Smith and PJ Williams. With a fairly easy schedule (#47 toughest) look for Florida State to be in this years playoff.
Number 2 Seed: Oklahoma Sooners 12-0 - Last year, The Oklahoma Sooners shocked the world going 11-1 and winning the Sugar Bowl over heavily favored Alabama. Returning quarterback, Trevor Knight looks to improve on a promising freshman year. The knock on him was he only looked good because he played against Big 12 defenses, which are notoriously bad, but he silenced his critics by throwing for 348 yards and 4 TDs against the Crimson Tide defense. He looked as efficient as Sam Bradford in his Sooner days week 1 vs LA Tech throwing for 23 completions and a passer rating of 122.2. The defense looked very impressive despite an early ejection and being pulled out for the backups in the fourth quarter. Talented defenses like Oklahoma's a hard to come by especially in The Big 12. With the Sooners ability to run some clock thanks to a solid running game featuring Samaje Perine and Keith Ford, look for some solid game management against lesser opponents and some more speed and big plays against bigger opponents like Baylor and Kansas State. If Trevor Knight stays hot and the defense plays solid, Look for Oklahoma to be a top contender for the title.
Number 3 Seed: Alabama Crimson Tide 12-1- Though it is not you typical Nick Saban team, it is one that looks determined to redeem themselves from last years losing streak. The tide have a new quarterback, Blake Sims, who looked good despite being his first start against West Virginia. He threw 24-33 with 250 yards. The development of Sims will be key in the easier non conference games leading up to the bigger games such as #18 Ole Miss, #13 LSU, and #6 Auburn. He has pieces around him to work with such as running backs TJ Yeldon and Derrick Henry, both great combinations of speed and strength as well as Wide Receiver Amari Cooper, who will be heavily targeted throughout the year. The Tide once again have a top tier SEC defense who returns five talented starters as well as many fresh recruits like Dashawn Hand and Tony Brown. the tide have had the lowest points against totals the last two seasons and this year looks no different. With a schedule that isn't as challenging as usual. look for the tide to be right in the mix once again.
Number 4 Seed: Oregon Ducks 13-0- Each and every year, The Ducks seem to be in the mix for a national championship. This year, I like their chances. With an explosive offensive led by quarterback, Marcus Mariota and a stingy defense The Ducks are ready to blow out teams once again. This year, their schedule consists of a week 2 match up with #8 Michigan State, a week 6 match up with #7 UCLA and a week 9 match up vs #11 Stanford, all of which are very manageable. Michigan State has a strong defense, but they lost six experienced starters from last year, including two very talented defensive backs. Look for Mariota to exploit their younger secondary. UCLA did not look impressive in their opening game against UVA, Heisman contender Brent Hundley did not look sharp or in sync with his receivers which result in only one offensive touchdown all game. The defense did get three touchdowns, but against a team like Oregon who only had 18 turnovers all of last year, it will be tough to get a win. Stanford has won the last two games against Oregon and looked impressive week one. next week they play a tough USC team which will give Oregon a better idea of how they really are, but any team can have its troubles with Oregon, who uses a high tempo offense and shutdown defense to win games. Running backs Byron Marshall and Royce Freeman will do most of the work load for the Ducks this year. They combined for 165 yards on just 18 carries week one. With defenses having to zone in on them will guarding against the pass with Mariota being so efficient, look for Oregon to race through the PAC 12 and into the playoffs.
This is my top four. What's yours? Feel free to comments and follow on twitter @SherrySports
