CFF 2017 Rankings -- 45-41

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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 continue our countdown to the top spot, with teams 45-41.

41. Pittsburgh (8-5) Coach Pat Narduzzi has taken the Panthers to 8-5 records in each of his first two seasons, and now wants to make a real breakthrough. It might be difficult given the volume and quality of players lost, but former USC QB Max Browne will get a crack at making his final college season a good one. He'll have all-purpose dynamo Quadree Henderson (over 2,000 all-purpose yards last year) as a weapon, and that's a good start. A defense that allowed over 33 points per game and finished next to last nationally against the pass will need retooled, but all-conference safety Jordan Whitehead is back. A good recruiting class could provide some impact for Pitt, which faces Virginia Tech on the road and takes on Penn State and Oklahoma State in non-league play. FAST FACT -- The Panthers were the only Power 5 school to score 28 points or more in every regular season game in 2016.

QB Logan Woodside (Lexington Herald Leader)

42. Toledo (9-4) -- Last year it was running back Kareem Hunt in the spotlight for Toledo. This year, it's QB Logan Woodside, who led the nation with 45 touchdown passes and connected on over 69 percent of his passes. He'll look to Cody Thompson (64 catches, 11 TD) early and often, and the running game will still be solid. There's experience on defense, led by linebacker Ja'Wuan Woodley, who led the squad with 13 tackles for loss. A late September trip to Miami (Fla). is intriguing, but Toledo gets West Division contenders Northern Illinois and Western Michigan at home. FAST FACT -- QB Woodside threw at least three touchdown passes in every regular season contest last year.

43. Baylor (7-6) -- The Matt Rhule era begins in Waco, and if it's anything like it was at Temple, his previous coaching stop, the Bears will be contending for Big 12 titles sooner rather than later. Rhule made defense a calling card at Temple, and Baylor has been all offense in recent years under coach Art Briles. So it will be interesting to see how quickly Rhule's defensive tenets take hold. There's a lot of rebuilding on that side of the ball, though the defensive line is pretty good. Offensively, Arizona transfer Anu Solomon and Zack Smith will vie for the starting role at quarterback. Whoever wins would be wise to hand the ball to Terence Williams (1,048 yards, 11 TD) and JaMycal Hasty (5.2 ypc). Back to back road games with Kansas State and Oklahoma State will show how competitive the Bears are in 2017. FAST FACT -- Baylor is the only FBS team to open 6-0 in each of the last four seasons.

QB Nick Fitzgerald

44. Mississippi State (6-7) The Bulldogs may be young, and certainly are underdogs, but don't underestimate Dan Mullen, because he has something other SEC teams don't -- Nick Fitzgerald. The junior quarterback is a dark horse Heisman candidate after leading the conference in total offense, passing for 2,423 yards and rushing for 1,375, with 37 total touchdowns. His receiving corps isn't bad and his offensive line is talented if not experienced, and the defense has to improve after finishing 110th nationally a year ago. An infusion of JUCO talent on that side of the ball, including defensive end Chauncey Rivers, should help. Coordinator Todd Grantham, who spent the last three years running the Louisville D, takes over on that side of the football. MSU will see how well the new faces do in road trips to Georgia and Auburn in late September, but it wouldn't be a shock to see the Bulldogs reverse last year's mark, just the second losing season under Mullen in eight years. FAST FACT -- QB Fitzgerald set an SEC record by rushing over 100 yards in eight games last season.

45. West Virginia (10-3) The Mountaineers were near the top of the Big 12 in most defensive categories last season, but with just three starters returning the focus has understandably shifted to offense. WVU welcomes Florida transfer Will Grier at quarterback, leading the Gators to a 6-0 start in before an NCAA suspension in 2015. Grier will have a solid receiving corps at his disposal, as well as Justin Crawford, the leading returning rusher in the Big 12 (1,184 yards, 7.3 ypc). One big assist on defense should come from Dravon Askew-Henry at safety, who suffered a knee injury in fall camp last year after starting every game his first two seasons on campus. He can hit and plays the ball well, and could be a star for a Mountaineers defense sorely lacking in star power. WVU has a rough slate, with road tests against TCU, Kansas State and Oklahoma. FAST FACT -- The Mountaineers special teams were horrendous, specifically punt returns. WVU averaged 1.86 yards per return on 21 returns, 124th of 128 teams nationally.

Later today we will unveil teams 40-36.

50-46

55-51

60-56