Pat Sullivan
With the fall season approaching, College Football Impact's Pat Sullivan has released his pre-season Top-25. Ohio State, ranked as his #1 team for 2020, returns the most balanced team in the nation, while Clemson is right on their heels with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne being the country's top 1-2 punch. Alabama, Penn State and Florida fill out the remainder of the top 5. While the conferences have all changed their schedules for the fall, the Top-25 for Sullivan has not.
With the fall season approaching, College Football Impact's Pat Sullivan has released his pre-season Top-25. Ohio State, ranked as his #1 team for 2020, returns the most balanced team in the nation, while Clemson is right on their heels with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne being the country's top 1-2 punch. Alabama, Penn State and Florida fill out the remainder of the top 5. While the conferences have all changed their schedules for the fall, the Top-25 for Sullivan has not.
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Top 10
- #10 Oregon – This was a toss-up with USC, but I will take the team with a little easier schedule. Oregon returns 8 starters from last year’s 22nd ranked defense but have plenty of holes on offense with the departure of Justin Herbert and almost the entire line. Sophomore Tyler Shough will take over the reins at quarterback and likely rely heavily on running back CJ Verdell to set the pace.
#9 Notre Dame – This seeding all depends on where they play. If they play an ACC only schedule in 2020, they could run the table with the exception of Clemson. Ian Book returns for his South Bend farewell tour and has plenty of talent around him to make it a hit
- #8 LSU – 13 players left and were drafted while a handful more signed post-draft, so this LSU team will look a lot different. Defensive coordinator Dave Arranda is gone to Baylor, passing game guru Joe Brady to the NFL, so who exactly is still there in Baton Rouge? Head coach Ed Orgeron has been quietly stacking up elite recruiting classes and has a depth chart that would make most coaches drool. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Terrance Marshall Jr will be the main targets for redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan.
- #7 Oklahoma – Spencer Rattler will become the 4th quarterback to start for Lincoln Riley in the last 4 years, but the Sooners won’t miss a beat on offense. 4 of 5 offensive linemen return, Kennedy Brooks is still running the rock and Charleston Rambo could be the breakout star of the year. But that defense? Coordinator Alex Grinch did some good things last year on this side of the ball, but to get into my top 5 you need to be a lot better.
- #6 Georgia – They are so close to getting back into the top 4, but there are just too many questions on offense. Jamie Newman and Zamir White replace Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift, but that’s not all. Only 2 starting linemen return and Georgia is bringing in a new offensive coordinator. Defensively, we know the Dawgs will bring it. They won’t surrender much on this side of the ball, but can they keep the score low enough for their offense to outscore Alabama and Florida?
- #5 Florida – Is this the year they beat Georgia? I think it is, and it all starts with a strong passing attach from Kyle Trask. Look for Florida to play a physical defense that uses speed and plenty of blitzing packages to throw off opposing coordinators. Dan Mullen is 21-5 in just 2 years in Gainesville, and now has his most promising team yet. The depth chart at UF rivals that of any school in the SEC.
- #4 Penn State – The sky could be the limit for James Franklin’s group… If they didn’t have to play Ohio State every season. This 2020 Nittany Lions team is the most talented group of players we have seen in a decade at University Park. With 8 starters on offense (including 4 offensive lineman and the best tight end in football Pat Freiermuth), expect the scoreboard to be ringing on Saturdays at Beaver Stadium. Micah Parsons has a chance to be the best linebacker in college and will have a strong supporting cast to play with.
- #3 Alabama – Tua Tagavoila is playing in the NFL now, but 4 of his starting offensive linemen still call Tuscaloosa home. With receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle returning alongside star running back Najee Harris, expect points to be pile up for the Tide. Mac Jones threw for 14 touchdowns to just 3 picks in 4 starts last season and will command this offense in the fall. The defense gets a huge boost in leadership and ability in middle linebacker Dillon Moses who returns for a final run after an injury caused him to miss 2019.
- #2 Clemson – With the return of the big 3 (Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and…. Brent Venables) this team picks right up where they left off, eyeing the national championship. Do they make it 3 runs in a row to the title game? They should be double digit favorites in every game on their schedule, and if this is Lawrence’s last season in college, expect his best one yet.
- #1 Ohio State – Yes, they lost to Clemson last season, but I still think this 2020 team is the best in the country. Not only do I think they win the Big-10 and then the national championship, but Justin Fields takes home the Heisman hardware in December too. They have some holes to fill on defense and a new coordinator to plug them, but the Buckeyes are so deep with talent that it should not be a problem. Adding Trey Sermon as a transfer running back from Oklahoma seals the deal as the best offense in the nation.
