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Complete College Football Preview 2018

Full Top 25

1. Clemson Tigers -- A stacked defensive line and offense with loads of potential should help Clemson win their fourth straight ACC crown, and second National Title in three years.
2. Oklahoma Sooners -- Baker Mayfield may be in Cleveland, but the Sooners shouldn't miss a beat under the guidance of former five-star recruit Kyler Murray.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide -- The reigning National Champions should have their best offense in some time, particularly if Tua Tagovailoa can perform over an entire season what he did in the National Championship.
4. Wisconsin Badgers -- While the Big Ten East powers beat themselves the Badgers have a clear route out West, and have a clear Heisman threat in back Jonathan Taylor.
5. Georgia Bulldogs -- The Bulldogs will have to replace some key leadership from their 2017 squad, but Jake Fromm and the offense should still have some serious bite to it.
6. Washington Huskies -- The Pac-12 favorite Huskies have Jake Browning back to lead the offense, and the secondary could be one oft he best in the entire country.
7. Michigan Wolverines -- Even in the brutal Big Ten East, the Wolverines' stacked defense should help them come out on top.
8. Ohio State Buckeyes -- Buckeyes must overcome loss of starting QB and distractions resulting from Zack Smith scandal, but their talent keeps them in Playoff hunt.
9. Miami Hurricanes -- The clear favorite in the ACC Coastal, Hurricanes are loaded and experienced on both sides of the ball.
10. Auburn Tigers -- Despite having one of the toughest schedules in college football, a veteran QB and improving defense keeps Auburn a serious threat in the SEC West.
11. Penn State Nittany Lions -- Saquon Barkley may be gone, but QB Trace McSorley and the Nittany Lion offense should still pack plenty of punch in 2018.
12. Michigan State Spartans -- The Spartans continue to get overlooked in the Big Ten, but they return 17 total starters, including nine on a stingy defense.
13. West Virginia Mountaineers -- West Virginia's defense is still a work in progress, but the country's best QB-WR combo (Grier & Sills) makes them a Big 12 Title threat.
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs -- New head coach Joe Moorhead should keep the momentum rolling in Starkville, where talent returns at the most critical positions.
15. Stanford Cardinal -- The return of Heisman frontrunner Bryce Love and an improved passing attack keeps Stanford in the hunt for a Pac-12 Title.
16. Florida State Seminoles -- Budding superstar Cam Akers is primed for a breakout season, while new head coach Willie Taggart breaths new life into Tallahassee.
17. Boise State Broncos -- The always-dangerous Broncos have a three-year starter back at quarterback and most of their defense returning. A New Year's Six Bowl looks like a real possibility.
18. Virginia Tech Hokies -- Even though they must retool a defense losing a ton, the Virginia Tech offense should be the guiding force to another successful season in Blacksburg.
19. USC Trojans -- USC loses their top QB, rusher and receiver from 2017, but the young talent on this roster should still them in great position in the wide-open Pac-12 South.
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- There is a ton of experience back on both sides of the ball, but the offense needs more balance if ND has any hope at a Playoff run.
21. South Carolina Gamecocks -- UGA is the team to beat in the SEC East but don't overlook South Carolina, who is healthy and possesses a stout, hungry defense.
22. UCF Knights -- Another undefeated season would be incredibly difficult, but the return of gunslinging QB McKenzie Milton keeps UCF in the driver's seat in the AAC.
23. LSU Tigers -- The Tigers are hopeful Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow can help solve their quarterback woes and keep them alive in the never forgiving SEC.
24. Florida Atlantic Owls -- Lane Kiffin is always worth a watch, and his Florida Atlantic team has loads of talent for him to play around with in 2018.
25. Oregon Ducks -- Even on their third coach in as many seasons, Oregon seems ready to become a Pac-12 power once more, thanks in large part to the return of a healthy Justin Herbert at QB.

Conference Predictions
Full Power Five Conference Preview

ACC: Clemson over Miami
American Athletic: UCF over Navy
Big Ten: Wisconsin over Michigan
Big 12: Oklahoma over West Virginia
Conference USA: Florida Atlantic over North Texas
MAC: Ohio over Toledo
Mountain West: Boise State over Fresno State
Pac-12: Washington over USC
SEC: Alabama over Georgia
Sun Belt: Troy over Arkansas State

Award Projections (excluding Heisman)
Davey O'Brien (best QB): Will Grier, QB, West Virginia
Jim Thorpe (best DB): Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
Home Depot (Coach of the Year): Willie Taggart, Florida State
Doak Walker Award (best RB): A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
Biletnikoff Award (best WR): David Sills, WR, West Virginia
Butkus Award (best LB): Devin White, LB, LSU
Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year): Ed Oliver, DL, Houston
Mackey Award (best TE): Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
Lou Groza (best kicker): Austin Seibert, K, Oklahoma
A.J. Dillon, Boston College

Heisman Projections
Winner: A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
Finalists: Will Grier, QB, West Virginia
Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
Ed Oliver, DL, Houston

Playoff Predictions
1 Clemson Tigers over 4 Wisconsin Badgers
3 Oklahoma Sooners over 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
National Championship: 1 Clemson Tigers over 3 Oklahoma Sooners


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