2019-20 College Football Power Rankings

Clemson Tigers

Clemson has established themselves as the other powerhouse in college football, being the only real team to compete with Alabama over the last few years. Their recruiting classes continue to bring in world class talent, giving them excellent depth. The Tigers are loaded at skill positions, and will have a deep defensive roster as well. The ACC is theirs for the taking again, and they have the advantage over SEC teams in that department.

Alabama Crimson Tide

No surprise here to see Alabama follow Clemson in the rankings. They are bringing back the likely number one quarterback pick in next year’s NFL draft, and a roster that is consistently reloaded with talent. Alabama also has one of the best college football coaches of all-time in Nick Saban. Their staff has undergone some changes, but for the most part they will be loaded again.

Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is going to have a tough task in the SEC, but they have been one of the non Clemson and Alabama teams to make the jump. Defensively Georgia is going to bring a lot to the table, but the offense has gone missing at times. Jake Fromm will need to get the offense together. While there are a few defensive positions that will need replacing, Georgia has had strong recruiting classes over the last few years.

Oklahoma Sooners

Jalen Hurts transferred over to Oklahoma from Alabama, and will take the starting QB job. This was left open after Kyler Murray was drafted number one in the recent draft. Offensively, Oklahoma has been superb, but defensively they struggled. With the playmakers around Hurts, and a friendly schedule, Oklahoma has a chance to get back to the playoff this year.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ryan Day is the new head coach at Ohio State, after there was a lot of off the field issues with Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes continue to be the most athletic team in the Big 10, and their offense is most in line with the rest of the country. Justin Fields is going to be an interesting name to follow at the quarterback position. Ohio State will be one of the teams in playoff contention for most of the year, but can’t afford any slip-ups.

LSU Tigers

LSU has always had struggles offensively, and they are looking to change that this season. Defensively they will have to replace a couple of first round picks, but LSU continues to bring a strong defensive presence. The tough SEC will ultimately hold them back a tad this year, but the Tigers have a top ten roster if they can put it all together.

Oregon Ducks

Many of us predicted Justin Herbert to come out and go to the NFL Draft. That was not the case, as he opted to go back to Oregon. The Ducks have been trying to rebound for a while now, and they have the talent to make a run. Projected to win the Pac-12, Oregon will still need to run the table to be chose for the playoffs. Recruiting has been strong, and Oregon is a sneaky playoff team.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame has run into the powerhouses of the college football world over the last few seasons. They made the playoff, but struggled to score against Clemson. The Irish continue to be an above average team, yet they can’t get over the hump of the true elites. Bringing back Ian Book is a good start, and this team is pretty solidified heading into the new season. They have a tough schedule, but that hasn’t stopped them before.

Michigan Wolverines

John Harbaugh’s influence has been felt, but Michigan hasn’t gotten over some of the Big 10 talent. They will retain Shea Patterson at quarterback, but the offense struggled in the beginning half of last season. Defensively they will welcome back some top tier names, but lost a few in the draft. The Ohio State game will remain circled, but the Big 10 schedule is going to bring some tough tasks.

Texas Longhorns

Sam Ehlinger has Texas pumped up for the new season, and his potential to take this team to the promise land is there. They could flirt with being playoff contenders, but this is where we start to see those teams that might a bit more hopeful. Consistency has been an issue in Texas the last few years, but they have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.

Florida Gators

Florida hasn’t been what they were in the early 2000s, but those times could be returning. Dan Mullen’s Gators had a better season last year, and the skill position players flashed a lot of potential. Defensively they have a lot of playmakers, but consistency hurt them a bit. Watch out for the Gators who could come out of the SEC East.

Texas A&M Aggies

Jimbo Fisher is making his mark with Texas A&M. Their defense looks to have been bolstered with returning talent and a pretty good recruiting class. They had nine wins last season, but have a dreadful schedule this year. I mean they play Clemson and Alabama, but also two other teams within the first ten of these rankings. The roster is set up for success, but a grueling schedule might keep them back.

UCF Knights

UCF continues to churn out winning seasons, and the McKenzie Milton injury was a disappointing way to end last year. Their offensive line took a hit with three starters leaving, and that could be enough for a setback. The schedule remains a plus, but it holds them back at the end of the year when the committee looks at the playoff seeding.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State is coming off a nine win season, and struggled against the bigger colleges. They lost to both Michigan schools and Ohio State. James Franklin has revived this program, and this is a semi re-tooling year for them on offense. Their recruiting classes continue to on the strong side which keeps them in the middle of these rankings.

Auburn Tigers

The quarterback play has been suspect for Auburn, and it holds them back a bit. There is a battle to figure out, but the surrounding skill position players make Auburn a sneaky good offense. Defensively they also have a lot of playmakers, but will have to slow down some tough SEC offenses. I like the Tigers to make a run this season, even if it comes with two losses.

Washington Huskies

Getting into the Pac-12 there is always some bias, and I firmly believe that. They struggle to matchup physically against some conferences, but there is a lot of talent. Defensively Washington is going to struggle in a rebuild year, but offensively there is a lot to like. They should also get through a rather easy Pac-12 schedule. Jacob Eason was a top QB recruit and will step into a starting role.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

There are a lot of shoes to fill, as Mississippi State sent three defensive players to be drafted within the first round. This creates some questions on the defensive side, but they recruited well to fill those holes. Offensively they will need to figure it out, and Nick Fitzgerald needs to take a big step forward.

Army Black Knights

How do we look at a team like Army? They won 11 games, and were a fun run option team to follow. They are going to face a tough Michigan team on the road, and this will dictate how we view them in the long run. As usual they are returning a lot of starters, and that is the case at these schools. They don’t have the turnover as others.

Stanford Cardinals

Stanford isn’t quite built like the other Pac 12 schools, where they lean more on a power run and strong defense. It is not a flashy team, but the Stanford Cardinals continue to get the job done. Offensively they might look to pass more with K.J. Costello, who had just a shade over 3,500 passing yards last season. With the turnover on the offensive line and running back situation, Stanford has some questions to answer.

Iowa State Cyclones

The loss of David Montgomery to the NFL is going to be tough shoes to fill, but Breece Hall has a lot of people talking early. This team was sneaky good last year, and nearly made it to the Big 12 championship. They can compete in the Big 12, but will need to get wins against West Virginia and Oklahoma.

Washington State Cougars

The high flying pass offense of Mike Leach has brought Washington State to the table. The defense will have seven returning players back, and will hope to take a step forward. Transferring in from Eastern Washington, Gage Gubrud will have to click early if the Cougars want to make a run in the Pac 12.

Syracuse Orange

It was a surprising 2018 for the Syracuse Orange, but they are bringing Tommy DeVito to replace Eric Dungey at quarterback. Most of the offense is going to remain intact, and the defense was stout. Their pass rush could carry this defense, and the Orange will have some tough opponents, but could get to 9-10 wins again.

Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers ran the ball quite well last year, but that was about it. They had an underrated recruiting class, and while this year they will be good, next year might be the year they make a run at the playoff. Graham Mertz will likely start under center, who was a highly touted prospect. Jonathan Taylor is also a stud running back destined to be in the Heisman race.

Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern was the Big 10 West champion last year, and Hunter Johnson transferring from Clemson gives them a potential huge playmaker. Defesnively they are stout, and they are led by Paddy Fisher. The offense isn’t flashy, but they continue to upgrade their skill position players. Pat Fitzgerald has shown the ability to be consistent with this program the last few seasons.

Utah Utes

I might be a little bit lower on Utah, but they are a sneaky team to upset the favored Oregon Ducks as Pac-12 champions. The south division isn’t as strong as years past, and Zack Moss tore it up on the ground. Tyler Huntley will be under the center, and with a lot of returning pieces, do not sleep on the Utes.