CFF 2017 Rankings -- 30-26

  

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      2017 TOP 60 RANKINGS

   It isn’t always easy, determining (read that as guessing) who will have the best teams in college football. Last year we had two of the four playoff teams, but all four of the CFP teams were in our top six, including Washington at 4 – the only publication that had the Huskies making the playoffs. A number of factors go into these rankings – talent, experience, strength of schedule. It’s up to us to figure out which are the most important, and rank  the teams accordingly.

 One note – this is how we see the teams finishing up the end of the season, not who has the strongest bunch heading into the year. If we did it that way, Alabama or Ohio State would be 1-2 every single season.

26. Washington State (8-5) -- It should come as no surprise that the spotlight will be shining on quarterback Luke Falk -- this is a Mike Leach team, after all. The Cougars senior, who would have been a likely first round pick had he left for the NFL Draft, decided to return for one more year, which had to make Leach giddy (figuratively, because Leach doesn't really do giddy). Falk threw for 4,468 yards and 38 TD, and even though he loses his primary receiving weapons he should be fine -- this is, as we said, a Mike Leach offense. The protection force should be fine, led by All-America candidate Cody O'Donnell, and a committee approach will be taken with the ground attack. Defensively, LB Peyton Pelluer (93 stops, 6.5 TFL) is excellent, and the unit returns nine starters from a group that allowed just 26.4 ppg, its lowest total in the last 10 seasons. An experienced bunch will need to navigate trips to Utah and Washington, but Wazzu gets USC, Colorado and Stanford at home. FAST FACT: The Cougars had a punt return and kick return touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1968.

Justin Jackson (USAToday)

27. Northwestern (7-6) Sleep on Northwestern at your own peril, because the Wildcats are one of the most experienced teams in America (17 starters back) and have an all-world talent at running back in senior Justin Jackson (1,524 yards, 15 TD). NU also returns QB Clayton Thorsen, a solid game manager who can occasionally surprise with a big throw in clutch time. The offensive line is experienced and most of the receiving corps is back, and adds Oregon transfer Jalen Brown. Defensively, Northwestern allowed just 22.2 ppg, and were led by safety Godwin Igwebuike (108 tackles, 7 PBU, 6 TFL, 2 INT), a do-it-all force for a secondary that returns all four starters. The Wildcats started slowly last year, going 1-3 before getting it together and finishing with wins in five of their last eight contests. The non-league slate has three winnable games, and Big Ten play opens at Wisconsin and home against Penn State, which should be tone-setters. With Purdue and Illinois at the back end of the schedule, it will give NU some cushion if it can build a cushion with early victories. FAST FACT -- Despite finishing in the bottom 20 in passing yards allowed nationally, Northwestern was stingy in allowing touchdowns (13, tied for 12th).

28. Notre Dame (4-8) -- We've seen a few polls that have the Irish in the top 20, mainly because, well, they're the Irish. The Notre Dame brand does things to people. Well, we aren't buying because Brian Kelly is still on the sideline. And it's looking more and more like the 2014 appearance in the national championship was the outlier on his ND coaching career, not the disappointing finishes. Kelly has overhauled the coaching staff in hopes of breathing some new life into a stagnant operation, but we'll have to see it to believe it. There is some talent, especially on offense, in running back Josh Adams (993 yards, 5.9 ypc), and an experienced offensive line led by All-America candidate Mike McGlinchey, but quarterback Brandon Wimbush is untested. The defense was not at all disruptive last season, netting just 14 sacks in 12 games, and the secondary is a work in progress. Linebacker Nyles Morgan made 94 stops a year ago and is the face of the stop unit, which will undergo a change in philosophy under new coordinator Mike Elko (Wake Forest). To better utilize the athleticism on defense, Elko has implemented a rover spot, which could alternately be a linebacker or defensive back. It's an interesting way to get more playmakers on the field, but there is no guarantee it will work. The schedule is, as usual, grueling, with Georgia and USC visiting South Bend. The Irish travel to Miami (Fla.) and Stanford, so while an increased win total seems likely, Notre Dame is still not ready to contend for national honors. FAST FACT -- The Irish were horrendous defending punts in 2016, allowing four touchdowns and an average of 15.05 yards per return (123 out of 128 teams).

Philip Lindsay

29. Colorado (10-4) -- What's it like to be going under for the final time, only to have a life preserver reach you at the last moment? Ask Buffs coach Mike MacIntyre, who was thisclose to being shown the door after failing to win more than four games in a season in his first four campaigns. To say Colorado came out of nowhere would be an understatement -- it improved by six games, and now MacIntyre wants to keep the momentum going. It might be tough with only four starters back on a defense that ranked in the top 20 last season and also lost coordinator Jim Leavitt to Oregon. LB Rick Gamboa made 77 tackles a year ago and will be one of the veterans of the stop unit. The offense, which averaged 31.1 ppg, the most in the MacIntyre era, should be potent once again with RB Philip Lindsay (1,252 yards, 16 TD) and WR Shay Fields (56 catches, 15.8 ypc, 9 TD) back. QB Steven Montez played while starter Sefo Liufau was hurt, so he has experience. FAST FACT -- Montez became the first QB in school history to throw for 300 and rush for 100 yards in a single game, doing so against Oregon in week four.

30. San Diego State (11-3) -- Since the Mountain West went to divisional play in 2013, the Aztecs have finished first three times and second once. They like the view from the top, and that view won't be changing anytime soon. The defense last season was lethal, allowing just 20.2 ppg and finishing first or second in the league in most of the meaningful categories. Six starters return, the best linebacker Ronley Lakalaka (73 tackles) and Aztec Parker Baldwin (66 tackles, 7 PBU). San Diego State's 3-3-5 blitzes from everywhere and takes advantage of secondary depth, so that unit should be fine as it returns six starters. Losing a back like Donnel Pumphrey (the NCAA's all-time rushing leader after piling up 2,133 yards last year) would cripple a lot of teams, but a lot of teams don't have Rashaad Penny (1,018, 11 TD). A shifty, elusive runner, Penny can do just about everything, including returning kickoffs (2 TD). QB Christian Chapman makes good decisions but will have to hope a retooled offensive line can protect. The Aztecs face Arizona State and Stanford early, so we should know plenty about them by then. FAST FACT -- In Pumphrey and Penny, San Diego State became the first team in NCAA annals to have a 2,000-yard and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season.

Tomorrow we break into the top 25, showcasing teams 25-21.

35-31

40-36

45-41

50-46

55-51

60-56