Jul. 24—***
Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,
The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.
Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.
And away we go …
Offensive tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones are All-SEC candidates and joined on the line by two other 2023 starters. Remember, the LSU offense was prolific in 2023 with Heisman winner Jalen Daniels at quarterback. … Garrett Nussmeier stepped in for Daniels against Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl and had a monster game in leading the Tigers to a victory. … Harold Perkins returns at linebacker, which should be the strength of the defense. … CFP contenders Georgia, Texas and Missouri aren’t on the schedule.
The defense was dreadful last year. So bad that coach Brian Kelly fired his coordinator. … Nussmeier is not Daniels. Of course that is most quarterbacks. Imporant that he not try to duplicate the work done before him. … Top receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas need to e replacded. … The Tigers open with a tester against Southern California in Las Vegas. They also host Alabama and Mississippi.
50. Maryland Big Ten
49. Colorado Big 12
48. Georgia Tech ACC
47. Tulane American
46. UCF Big 12
45. South Florida American
44. Appalachian State Sun Belt
43. Rutgers Big Ten
42. Virginia Tech ACC
41. Texas Tech Big 12
40. Liberty Conference USA
39. South Carolina SEC
38. Washington Big Ten
37. North Carolina ACC
36. Boise State Mountain West
35. Memphis American
34. Kentucky SEC
33. Nebraska Big Ten
32. Florida SEC
31. Auburn SEC
30. SMU ACC
29. Wisconsin Big Ten
28. West Virginia Big 12
27. Iowa State Big 12
26. NC State ACC
25. Iowa Big Ten
24. Arizona Big 12
23. Louisville ACC—July 13
22. Southern California Big Ten
21. Kansas State Big 12
20. Texas A&M SEC
19. Kansas Big 12
18. Miami ACC
17. Oklahoma SEC
16. Clemson ACC
15. Oklahoma State Big 12
14. Tennessee SEC
13. Utah Big 12
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
