CFF 2017 Rankings -- 50-46

  
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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.

 We will unveil five teams per day, until we reach the top 10, at which point we will release 10-5 on one day and the College Football Playoff participants the final day. Today we bring you teams 50-46.

WKU QB Mike White

46. Western Kentucky (11-3) -- The Mike Sanford era begins in Bowling Green, and even though he's a first-time head coach he has ties to WKU, serving as passing game coordinator in 2010 under Willie Taggart. He knows offense, which means there shouldn't be a dropoff for the Hilltoppers from last season (45.5 ppg). Senior QB Mike White is back, and he threw for 4,363 yards and 37 TDs a year ago. WKU does need to break in some new skill position players, but White is savvy enough to make it work. The loss of Anthony Wales at running back is a blow, but his backup, Quinton Baker, rushed for over 500 yards last year as a freshman. If the Toppers can regain the services of Leon Allen (knee injury), who was among the nation's top 10 in yards from scrimmage in 2015. Road contests with Illinois and Vanderbilt will test, but are both winnable. FAST FACT -- Part of WKU's nation's-best scoring average was scsoring 44 points or more in the final nine games of the season. It also kept foes under 10 points four times.

47. Georgia Tech (9-4) -- The Yellow Jackets have been a real wild card the last few seasons, winning 7, 11, 3, and 9 games. Tech seems to have regained its footing after an injury-plagued 2015, and heads into 2017 full of optimism. A quarterback will need to be found, but whomever it is will no doubt execute Paul Johnson's triple-option scheme in workmanlike fashion. RB Dedrick Mills was the linchpin last season, amassing 771 yards and 12 touchdowns, while slotback Clinton Lynch was the big-play component, averaging 11.2 yards per carry and 30.6 yards per catch on 16 grabs. The defense will need to improve from average to good if it wants to continue to ascend in the ACC and national race. Safety Corey Griffin led the team with 82 tackles. Tech faces Tennessee at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, takes on an improving Central Florida squad and ends the season with its annual showdown against Georgia. FAST FACT -- Tech's defense was 126th nationally in third-down conversion percentage, leaving a ball-control offense with just over 30 minutes possession time per contest.

48. Utah (9-4) -- The Utes have been steady Eddies the last three seasons, winning 9, 10, and 9 games, doing much of their damage on the ground and with a physical defense. This year could be different, though, as there's been talk of new offensive coordinator Troy Taylor wanting the Utes to be more dynamic on offense, throwing the ball more often. That would seem to be a square peg, round hole approach with Troy Williams, who completed just 53.1 percent of his passes a year ago, and a pretty non-descript receiving corps. The defense has intimidating Lowell Lotulelei inside, and a healthy Kylie Fitts (41 stops, 8 TFL in 2015, redshirted last year) at rush end will make the front line even better. Kyle Whittingham is a knockout of a coach, but with the least experienced team in the Pac-12, and one of the greenest in the nation, getting back to the nine-win plateau might be asking too much. Road trips to BYU, USC and Washington don't make it any easier. FAST FACT -- The Utes eclipsed 200 yards per game rushing (214) for the first time since 2004, when Urban Meyer was head coach.

Maryland RB Ty Johnson (Washington Post)

49. Maryland (6-7) -- The Terrapins six victories doubled their output from a year earlier, and gave first-year coach D.J. Durkin (former Michigan DC) something to build on. While Maryland won't double its win total again, signs are pointing up in College Park. A top 20 recruiting class brought touted RB Anthony McFarland, who should see the field immediately, most likely in a committee with Ty Johnson, who averaged 9.1 ypc on 110 totes. The defense was on the field way too long last year, and was last in the conference in forced turnovers. Maryland will know where it stands right out of the chute as it travels to Texas to take on the Longhorns and new coach Tom Herman (former Ohio State OC). FAST FACT -- The Terrapins allowed 49 sacks last season, 127th out of 128 teams nationally.

50. Tennessee (9-4) -- Yes, the Volunteers won nine games last year, yes, they went to a third straight bowl game, and yes, they've contended for the SEC East the past two seasons. That's good, but not up to expectations of Rocky Top fans, and a huge drain of talent means it could be a step back for Butch Jones and crew -- which would turn up the heat in Knoxville. There is experience on both sides of the ball (15 starters return), but quarterback and receiver will be unproven, meaning that RB John Kelly (6.4 ypc, leading returning rusher) might need to shoulder more of the load. Injuries hampered the stop troops, which returns leading tackler, safety Todd Kelly (71 stops, 2 INT). The opener with Georgia Tech isn't a gimme, and trips to Florida and Alabama, as well as hosting LSU, could mean relegation to also-ran in the division and afterthought in the SEC. FAST FACT -- Tennessee is 5-30 vs ranked teams the last seven seasons, though has gone 4-4 the last two years.

Tomorrow will have rankings for teams 45-41.

55-51
60-56