With the 2015-16 College Football regular season start-up just days away it’s time we take a look at the Week # 1 Power Rankings that the Associated Press published on Sunday the 23rd of August and without too many surprises intact. The big teams that fans expected to be in the top ten like the Buckeyes of Ohio State, Horned Frogs of TCU , Crimson Tide of Alabama and the Trojans of USC sure enough all were there in the rankings. However we thing it, the AP overlooked a couple teams that deserve to be listed in the top ten according to my thinking. Having stated that lets take a look at my 2015-16 college football preseason power rankings for the top 10 that differ a bit from that of the AP.
My NCAA FB Week # 1 Power Rankings as of the 26th of August 2015.
My No. 1 pick is the Buckeyes of Ohio State with their 1st game of the season with unranked Virginia Tech, and they appear to be the No. 1 undisputed candidate in this preseason poll, and it’s fairly easy to understand why, with all the offensive talent their college football roster possesses. They have a powerful offensive line with the Heisman candidates in QB Barrett and RB Elliott, but need some improvement for their running defense that in 2014 allowed 142.3 yards per game to opponents, that ranked 34th in the USA, but then again they have so much talent on their defensive roster, that it may not make a difference.
Our No. 2 pick is the Crimson Tide of Alabama whose 1st game is with the AP No. 20 Badgers of Wisconsin who will have a new starting QB this season, thus it’s easy to debate the No. 2 ranking for the Tide. But we cannot overlook the abundance of talent on their roster for 2014, especially on both offense and defense. Having said that, we still think they are a team to beat in a very talented South Eastern Conference. In 2014 they defensively were No. 7 in the USA, with a strong front 7, allowing opponents to score only an average of 18.4 points per game, and they will have a chance to display that college football talent in their 1st game with the Badgers.
The No. 3 pick is the Horned Frogs of TCU with the Heisman candidate QB Boykin, but they also have an offense that returns 10 of its 11 starters which allowed them to average 47.5 points in 2014 and that was 2nd in USA NCAA FB. Their 1st game with the unranked Gophers of Minnesota, will determine if they have filled their vacancies on defense with talented performers or not!
Next pick is No. 4 with the Bears of Baylor who play their 1st game with the Mustangs of SMU, and their roster has some 18 starters returning and a new QB S. Russell. The strength of the returning roster should make it easier in transition for a new QB. They however need to improve their scoring defense which is ranked 49th, and if they can achieve that, we are bullish on the Bears of Baylor in 2015.
My 5th pick is the Bulldogs of Georgia whose coach Richt still must name a QB starter for 2015 as they play their 1st game against the unranked Warhawks of Louisiana Monroe. Other than the question of QB the Bulldogs have the talent to be ranked at No. 5. They have RB N. Chubb who in his freshman 2014 season scored 14 TD’s and rushed for 1,550 yards, and could be a 2015 Heisman candidate, since their entire offensive line returns for 2015. Plus on defense they had the talent, and should be even stronger this season.
The 6th pick is the Ducks of Oregon who play their first game of this season with the Eagles of Eastern Washington and whoever they start at QB the Ducks have the talent at skill positions to warrant a top 10 ranking, and their offense should continue to score up to 40 plus points per game, and 40 points plus has been their average over their ultimate 7 seasons for football.
Next is my 7th pick which is the Tigers of Auburn who play against the unranked Cardinals of Louisville, and the Tigers this season have a lot of talent starting with the Coach G. Malzahn. Then there is a strong defense that should be improved with the addition of defensive coordinator W. Muschamp in 2015.
The 8th we pick the Rebels of Ole Miss who much like the Bulldogs of Georgia, they still have not named a starting QB for 2015, but regardless they are loaded with talent both offensively and defensively. They also have candidates for the All-American team in TE E. Engram, DT R. Nikemdiche, LT L. Tunsil, and WR L. Treadwell and that’s just a few of their offensive starters.
On defense they also have a lot of talent, even after losing some secondary talent. They play the unranked Skyhawks of Tennessee Martin in the 1st game and we expect to see the Rebels stay with only allowing their opponents 16 points per game which was best in the nation in 2014.
Our 9th pick is the Spartans of Michigan State who will play the unranked Broncos of Western Michigan, as in the AP Poll they likely were at No. 5 since they have a senior QB C. Cook who passed for 24 TD’s last season, and a good offense and defensive line this season. But they lost their defensive coordinator and 2 top game performers, thus there are unanswered questions regarding their defense in 2015.
My 10th and final pick for this top ten is for the Bruins of UCLA who return some 17 starters and that include the complete line for the offense, plus RB P. Perkins who scored 9 TD’s and rushed for 1,578 yards in 2014 and at QB J. Rosen a 5 star freshman who they claim can play with the best, and that’s the reason the Bruins made my Top 10. The Bruins in their 1st game play the Cavaliers of Virginia which gives them an easy beginning.
If you’re a football fan and Bet on College at an Offshore sportsbook the prediction is that all ten of the team picked will win their opening games.