It’s been less than two months since Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide took their place atop the college football pyramid as national champions once again, but already we are looking ahead to next season. National signing day is behind us, the dust has settled on a slew of head coaching changes and spring practice is right around the corner. It won’t be long before the projections start rolling out in bunches, so let’s recap who has had the best offseason right now. We decided to beat the rest of the experts to the punch, so here is a look at the five best bets to make next year’s college football playoff.
Alabama Crimson Tide
It should be no surprise that the gold standard in college football is at the top of this list. The Crimson Tide has won four national championships in nine years and they just secured the top recruiting class in the nation again according to 247Sports. There is no denying that Alabama suffered significant losses to the NFL Draft and graduation, but they also return 12 starters with a ton of young talent ready and willing to do whatever it takes to carry on a legacy of winning. The combination of Saban’s recruiting, development under the guidance of an elite coaching staff and just enough returning starters should help ease the losses. The loss of defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will sting but the SEC just doesn’t seem very strong right now other than Alabama. The Tide will be in the picture as a national title contender once again in 2016.
Clemson Tigers
Clemson’s ascent to the top of the college football rankings this past season was no fluke and there is every reason to think the Tigers will be back in 2016. Quarterback Deshaun Watson returns with another year of experience after becoming the first collegiate player ever to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season and he won’t be alone. Clemson will return nearly every significant player on offense and will also benefit from the return of star wide receiver Mike Williams, who returns after suffering a broken bone in his neck in the first quarter of the 2015 season opener. The Tigers will have to address some important losses on a defense that returns only three starters, but they have plenty of incoming talent to help fill those key holes. The offense is more than capable of carrying the load while the defense comes together throughout the season.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes failed to reach the college football playoff as the defending national champions a year ago, but there are plenty of reasons to think they will be back in 2016. Quarterback J.T. Barrett is finally the unquestioned starter and he has the potential to play at a much higher level than he did last season. Ohio State lost some key starters, including running back Ezekiel Elliott and defensive end Joey Bosa, but Meyer has done a tremendous job on the recruiting trail. This is a team that just didn’t seem very hungry last season as the defending champs. Falling short will probably what lights the fire in their bellies and propels them to play much better in 2016. It’s hard to bet against him based on what he has accomplished there the past three seasons. The Buckeyes will be back in the college football playoff next year.
Stanford Cardinal
Oklahoma, USC and even Baylor will be talked about as legitimate college football playoff contenders heading into next season, but the final spot on this list goes to Stanford. The Cardinal have won three of the last four Pac-12 titles including last season, when they went 12-2 and then smashed Iowa in the Rose Bowl. Stanford will need to replace quarterback Kevin Hogan, but they return 11 starters including most importantly one of the nation’s top returning players in tailback Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey led the nation in all-purpose yardage a year ago and he should help carry the offense while the passing game comes together. David Shaw has done a tremendous job at Stanford over the years and that trend should continue with the Cardinal a strong bet to reach the college football playoff in 2016.
