The NFL Draft is over, now it’s time for college football to start back up again. As summer begins, teams prepare for camp and work their way towards having a good season for this upcoming year. As the countdown for college football begins, here are the top 10 teams that could make an impact in the 2018-2019 season.
1. Alabama
(sec country)
Coming off of winning a National Title, the Alabama Crimson Tide might be able to go back for a fourth time. They still have leading junior quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who is a talented playmaker. He also has sophomore Tua Tagovailoa right behind him; he is also a very talented quarterback who is able to make plays. Even tho Bo Scarborough has moved on to the NFL, the Tide still has Damien Harris to run the ball past defenders on offense. On the defensive side, the Tide has the two good linebackers in Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson. They also have one of the most dangerous defensive linemen in the SEC with Raekwon Davis leading the herd.
2. Georgia
(AI.com)
Georgia may have lost their starting linebackers and running backs, but this season still looks promising for the Bulldogs. During the spring game, there were some freshman that showed a lot of potential for the upcoming season. Sophomore, Monty Rice, was one of the linebackers in the spring game that showed out and could make an impact on the Bulldogs’ defense. Georgia still has a talented receiving core, including wide receivers Terry Godwin, Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman and tight end Isaac Nauta. Not only the Bulldogs have talented receivers, they have quarterback Jake Fromm, who finished his season out with 2,173 total passing yards and 21 touchdowns.
3. Clemson
Clemson is a young team that had an outstanding season last year. The question is, can they do it again? The Tigers have major key players on defense that are returning this season, including senior linebacker Kendall Joseph and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Clemson lost key receivers due to the NFL draft, and they are still predicting who is going to fill in these empty holes, and become a threat on offense.
4. Oklahoma
Without Heisman winner Baker Mayfield in the picture, the Sooners have questions about who will be the next quarterback. During the spring game, redshirt sophomore Austin Kendall proved that he is the man for the job. The Sooners are also waiting to see if redshirt junior Kyler Murray will play this year or play professional baseball.
5. Ohio State
(Ohio State athletics)
The Buckeyes have put in a lot of work during the offseason. Even though they’ve lost a handful of key players on the defensive line due to the draft, head coach Urban Myer still contains talented players and incoming freshman lined up ready to play. Sophomore defensive end, Chase Young, showed that he was ready to be placed on the line during the spring ball game. This season, he may start alongside Dre’Mont Jones and Nick Bosa. Not only will the Buckeyes have a good defense, but they also have promising key players on offense as well, including sophomore J.K Dobbins, who ran for 1,364 yards last season, and junior wide receiver Parris Campbell.
6. UCF
(the ringer.com)
The Knights had a perfect season last year, and they had one of their best linebackers, Shaquem Griffin, make it to the NFL draft. UCF also has an outstanding running back core led by Adrian Killins Jr. who rushed for 762 yards last season. That’s not all, the Knights have quarterback McKenzie Milton that can put the ball in any pocket to any receiver and can run the ball like a tailback. Last season, he threw for 4,037 yards and rushed for 497 yards. UCF may cause problems on offense with this duo next season.
7. Stanford
The Cardinals have had a pretty decent season in 2017, even though they lost in the Alamo Bowl to TCU. They also lost their star Heisman runner-up, Bryce Love due to a sprained ankle. He didn’t even participate in the spring, because he is still recovering. By this fall, Love should be able to return and take the Pac 12 by storm. Stanford’s defense will play a key factor for next season.
8. TCU
In replacement of Kenny Hill, sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson will lead the offense for next season. Their offensive line is fairly young, but the receivers are pretty talented including KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Reagor.
9. Miami
The Hurricanes had begun to rebuild a dynasty last season, until they were exposed to Pittsburgh. They can still have another shot in the College Football Playoff next season. They have key receivers, including sophomore Jeff Thomas, Ahmmon Richards and return running back Travis Homer. On the defensive side, safety Jaquan Johnson, and linebacker Shaquille Quarterman are returning and will lead the defense for next season.
10. Michigan State
The Spartans still have a majority of their starters coming back. Brian Lewerke will lead the offense; he is a gunslinger that threw for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. LJ Scott is in the backfield with him and he will cause a lot of damage in the Big Ten.
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