Written by Dennis Dodd at CBS Sports.com
Sorry, but someone besides Clemson finally got to Alabama.
The NFL Draft, for one, claimed a record number of Crimson Tide players (see below). The coaching carousel cannot be ignored either as seven coaches have left Nick Saban’s staff in the last two seasons. The new Alabama offensive coordinator will be Saban’s sixth in 11 years.
It all adds up to a new No. 1 coming out of the spring. Before you reach for your keyboard, Crimson Tide fans, we offer this disclaimer: The games still have to be played, and they don’t award national championships in the spring.
Then again, sometimes they do .
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| 1 | Despite the loss of Dalvin Cook, the Noles have enough depth to make up for the backfield production. Cam Akers, anyone? Deondre Francois should make the natural progression in his second season becoming the ACC’s best quarterback. The defense is aching for the return of safety/leader Derwin James. This is the Noles turn in the annual battle with Clemson in what has become the nation’s best conference. | 2 | 10-3 | |
| 2 | The Tide have lost a staggering 41 players to the draft since 2013. Rebuild is not in the Saban vocabulary. That means there is little reason to doubt Bama can’t “rebound” after losing a school-record tying 10 draftees last week (most since 1945). The Tide were a second away last year. Does a new OC (Brian Daboll) mean a new Jalen Hurts? | 1 | 14-1 | |
| 3 | New offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was the best name on the board after the Doughnut in the Desert vs. Clemson. Wilson has always been one of the best play callers in ball. J.T. Barrett will benefit huge in his last season. | 1 | 11-2 | |
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The first instinct is to tamp down the USC hype, but this time it seems real — and it’s about time. It’s been eight years since the Trojans won the league. Another miss this year would be the longest drought ever between the Trojans winning at least a share of a conference title. Unless Lamar Jackson goes historic, Sam Darnold is the Heisman favorite going in. The defense and receiving corps will need some work but fun fact — no Washington on the schedule. | 1 | 10-3 |
| 5 | No one involved got enough credit for winning the Big Ten. The playoff letdown probably had something to do with it. According to this ranking, the Nits will be left out again. But what can’t be denied is the program has turned around under James Franklin. Saquon Barkley will chase a Heisman. Trace McSorley will win hearts and souls. Penn State will compete for another Big Ten title. | 1 | 11-3 | |
| 6 | Chris Petersen is very bad news for everyone around him. That would be Oregon, Washington State and Stanford in the Pac-12 North. Dare I say, Peterson has it going at a Don James level again in Montlake? Jake Browning returns after a late-season slump cost the Huskies. The secondary has to be retooled after a magnificent draft took three of its starters. | 1 | 12-2 | |
| 7 | The quarterback situation remains up in the air. That’s reason enough to make Florida State the ACC favorite. The Tigers were the first non-Alabama team to play for back-to-back national championships since Ohio State. They’ll take a step back this year, though not a big one. The defense will sustain them, maybe even lead the way to an FSU win, but this isn’t a playoff team or ACC champion. | 6 | 14-1 | |
| 8 | Death, taxes and Stanford winning at least 10 games. Book it because the Cardinal have won at least that many six of the last seven years. Quarterback Keller Chryst rested a surgically repaired knee in the spring. Meanwhile, fifth-year senior Ryan Burns and redshirt freshman KJ Costello split reps. Watch for Bryce Love, who carved out 783 rushing yards playing with some guy named McCaffrey. | 3 | 10-3 | |
| 9 | It’s a coin flip in the Big 12. Sooners or Cowboys. Bob Stoops has replace his top two tailbacks and retool the receivers, but OU always seems to have plenty of both. Oklahoma has the nation’s longest active winning streak (10 games) and Baker Mayfield. That’s reason enough to consider it Big 12 champs (again) and a possible playoff team. | 5 | 11-2 | |
