| #2 Oklahoma Sooners |
| #1 in Big XII |
Since winning the national title in 2000, Oklahoma has lost seven consecutive postseason games when the national championship was in play, a number by not close margins, including last year’s Peach Bowl, which was 56-14 five minutes into the second half. The defense, which overall looked better in 2019 than 2018, improving from #84 to #48 in SP+, still failed at the most critical times. They surrendered 63 points in the Sooners’ aforementioned semifinal loss; 48 points in a loss to Kansas State, arguably the worst offense in the Big XII; 41 points to Iowa State, needing a two point conversion stop with 24 seconds left to win; and 31 points in a half to Baylor, necessitating a furious second half comeback. Thanks to the return of 9 starters, the Sooners move up again, to #36 in preseason SP+, which would be their best defense in four years. Kenneth Murray was the star of the defense last year, so his departure will hurt, but the line, depending on the status of Ronnie Perkins, has a chance to be outstanding. Perkins, who was suspended for the Peach Bowl, has not yet had his status clarified. Oklahoma did add the top two JUCO interior defensive linemen in the nation, including Perrion Winfrey, the #1 overall rated JUCO recruit, to add some instant impact. That’s a lot of question marks, but a super high ceiling if it all pans out. Offensively, Spencer Rattler seems poised to be the first Sooners starting quarterback to start his college career at the school since Trevor Knight in 2014, the year after Bob Stoops hired Lincoln Riley away from East Carolina as offensive coordinator, following Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. So while we haven’t seen Riley groom a kid from high school, you can’t argue the fact that all of those guys took their games to the next level in Norman. It wasn’t just the fact that Oklahoma didn’t land another quarterback transfer, it was the fact that they didn’t even pursue one, even after having so much luck doing so. I think that alone should tell you all you need to know about how much confidence Riley has in his redshirt freshman. Oklahoma could have the best offensive line in the country, built around center Creed Humphrey, who won Big XII Lineman of the Year as only a sophomore, and enters 2020 as the top NFL prospect at the center position according to Mel Kiper, a chance to be the first center taken in the top 15 since Mike Pouncey by the Dolphins in 2011. He has all 4 line mates returning with him, from a line that already ranked #4 in the nation in line yards last year, #1 in short yardage situations. On paper this looks like the best line in the nation. Kennedy Brooks was good enough at running back, that he sent Trey Sermon into the transfer portal, but without his home run backfield mate, Rhamondre Stevenson, who is facing a suspension to start the season, but averaged 8 ypc last year, Oklahoma will be looking for someone to split the carries. While Charleston Rambo or UCLA transfer Theo Howard are more proven, on the outside, I think H-Back Jeremiah Hall is the breakout pass catcher, although he has a less conventional frame. Oklahoma has won five consecutive Big XII championships, joining 1991-95 Nebraska as the only school to do that since the Sooners won 13 Big Six/Seven/Eight championships from 1947-1959. But it has now been 20 years since the program’s last national title. Even though they didn’t wander through the Gibbs/Schnellenberger/Blake wilderness, it’s a longer drought than they went through from 1985-2000, and the longest in school history since Bud Wilkinson won their first. It's the national title or bust for this program right now.
| KEY PLAYERS |
| RB | Kennedy Brooks, Junior |
| HB | Jeremiah Hall, Junior |
| C | Creed Humphrey, Junior |
| . |
| DE | LaRon Stokes, Senior |
| DE | Ronnie Perkins, Junior |
| S | Delarrin Turner-Yell, Junior |
| #1 Clemson Tigers |
| #1 in ACC |
We’ve been Trevor Lawrenced to death. From the recruiting coverage, to his supplanting Kelly Bryant as a freshman en route to a national title, to girls impersonating him on Twitter. I want to take a minute to discuss just how much we’ve all under appreciated Travis Etienne. Him inexplicably returning for his senior year means maybe that comes to an end, when we take a look at the all time record books, and see he might be the greatest running back in college football history. If he merely repeats his junior year, which was actually a tick worse than his sophomore season, he’ll wind up with 5,652 career rushing yards, good for 8th all time. But he’ll have done it on 7.8 ypc, all full yard per carry more than anyone ahead of him. Jonathan Taylor, at 6.7 is the only other back on this list even above 6.2. He would also finish with 1,000 receiving yards, Donnell Pumphrey being the only other back in that group with as many. He was the beneficiary of running behind an offensive line comprised of five guys who all made All-ACC in 2019...four of whom have now graduated. So, he might have a little less room to operate this year. Even with Tee Higgins leaving early for the NFL, the Tigers still appeared to be just fine at receiver with Justyn Ross, who actually led the team in receptions, even if he never completely fulfilled the lofty expectations following his 12 reception, 301 yard, 3 touchdown performance in the 2018 playoffs. But with the recent news that he is going to miss the entire season with a spinal issue, receiver is suddenly a little more in flux. Amari Rodgers is the only returning receiver or tight end with more than 17 receptions last year. Clemson brought in a pair of highly rated receivers in their 2019 class, who simply couldn’t break into the deep group, in Frank Ladson Jr. and Joe Ngata, but who could explode with the opportunity in front of them as sophomores. After ranking as the #1 overall defensive line in 2018, in terms of line yards, the Clemson front took a half step back last year, and was very good, particularly at still getting after the quarterback, but dropped back against the run, ranking outside the top 30 nationally in terms of stuff rate. Granted, that meant they were merely the second best run defense in the ACC. But their one year dip from elite to great should end right there, at one year. The emergence of Tyler Davis in the middle as a freshman allowed this group to improve greatly over the second half of the season, and with a full offseason on campus(ish), he should be one of the best interior linemen in the country, at a position that favors upperclassmen, as only a sophomore. That should allow Xavier Thomas to really shine as one of the nation’s premier pass rushing linemen, the trajectory he appeared to be on, prior to a disappointing sophomore campaign. More will be expected of that front to generate the quarterback pressure with Isaiah Simmons leaving early, and Chad Smith graduating, leaving the linebacker position relatively thin. The secondary is in a similar predicament outside of returning cornerback Derion Kendrick, who now becomes the lockdown corner, with A.J. Terrell off to the NFL. Oh, and both safeties graduated. The Tigers have the best quarterback and best running back in the nation. When I completed these rankings, I also thought they had the best receiver, at least the one with the highest ceiling. The pieces around them, aside from the defensive line, I thought were a tick down from where Clemson had been the past couple years. With Ross now out, is simply having the best quarterback, the best running back, and an elite defensive line enough? The schedule is still such that I’d be shocked if Clemson isn’t playing the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl on January 1, their sixth consecutive playoff appearance.
| KEY PLAYERS |
| QB | Trevor Lawrence, Junior |
| RB | Travis Etienne, Senior |
| T | Jackson Carman, Junior |
| . |
| DE | Xavier Thomas, Junior |
| DT | Tyler Davis, Sophomore |
| CB | Derion Kendrick, Junior |
