We are one week into the 2014 offseason of college football. Right now, players are deciding their futures, whether it’s choosing to go to the NFL or which college they will be attending for the next four years. As all of the decisions heat up, let’s take a look into what an early Top-25 poll will potentially look like as we head into the 2014 season.
The Top 5
1. Florida State
The Seminoles are fresh off their National Championship victory, and will be losing a lot of talent, with players like Kelvin Benjamin, LaMarcus Joyner, Timmy Jernigan and Christian Jones all leaving for the NFL. However, Florida State will return Heisman winner Jameis Winston, as well as almost all of his weapons. Running backs Devonta Freeman and James Wilder have declared, but Karlos Williams, a converted safety, will take over, and many see him as a better back than the two leaving. On defense, the ‘Noles consistently reload and have plenty of guys on the roster who will step in and take over for departing players.
2. Oregon
With Marcus Mariota, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Hroniss Grasu all choosing one more season in Eugene over the NFL, the Ducks are primed for a title run in 2014. Though DeAnthony Thomas and Josh Huff are leaving on offense, Thomas Tyner, Byron Marshall and Bralon Addison are all back and will help provide the typical offensive explosiveness that Oregon is known for.
3. Auburn
Auburn was the biggest surprise of the college football season, going from last place in the SEC in 2012 to conference champions and a national championship appearance this past season. A lot of this can be attributed to the return of Gus Malzahn and the emergence of quarterback Nick Marshall. Despite losing players like Dee Ford and potentially Tre Mason to the NFL, the Tigers return nearly all of their major contributors. Plus, true freshman Carl Lawson and Montravious Adams will have one season under their belts and will likely be huge contributors along the defensive line in 2014.
4. Stanford
The Cardinal had a disappointing end to their season, losing in heartbreaking fashion to Michigan State on a 4th-down stop in the Rose Bowl. Now, they lose players like Trent Murphy, Shayne Skov, A.J. Tarpley and potentially Ed Reynolds and David Yankey to the NFL. However, Stanford returns almost all of their offense, including quarterback Kevin Hogen. And David Shaw has shown the ability to replace defensive players, starting an incredibly young secondary this season. He will have a lot of work to do filling in new talent on the front-seven, but Shaw has proven to be one of the top coaches in college football, constantly drawing interest from the NFL, so he will be able to find young talent to plug in.
5. Oklahoma
The Sooners had a very inconsistent season, but much of that was due to up-and-down quarterback play. However, as the season neared its end, Trevor Knight was put back in the starting role after Blake Bell suffered an injury, and Knight played incredible. He successfully helped lead Oklahoma past Oklahoma State in the Battle of Bedlam, costing the Cowboys the conference championship, then torched Alabama’s secondary in the Sugar Bowl for 348 yards and four touchdowns, leading to some claiming he was the more talented quarterback in the game, instead of the Crimson Tide’s A.J. McCarron. The Sooners, like many of the teams above them, return a lot of their key contributors, and assuming they’ve found their answer at quarterback, will be ranked highly entering next year and in the National Title hunt.
The Rest of the Pack
6. UCLA
7. Alabama
8. Baylor
9. Michigan State
10. Texas A&M
11. LSU
12. USC
13. Ohio State
14. South Carolina
15. Clemson
16. Notre Dame
17. Missouri
18. Oklahoma State
19. Wisconsin
20. Georgia
21. Washington
22. Duke
23. Ole Miss
24. Texas
25. Louisville