CFF 2017 Rankings -- 60-56

       
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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.

Jordan Chunn (Troy Messenger)

56. Troy (10-3) -- The Trojans engineered one of the top turnaround stories in college football last year, going from four wins to 10. Now we'll see what happens when expectations are added. The offense should be good, with QB Brandon Silvers and RB Jordan Chunn, but the defense needs to find some replacements as six starters return, but they lose five of their top seven tacklers. Road contests with Boise State and LSU will play a big role in the type of season Troy has. FAST FACT -- Troy returns 98.7 percent of its total yards from last season, tops nationally.

57. Arkansas (7-6) -- Bret Bielema hopes history repeats as he heads into his fifth season in Fayetteville. Bielema broke through at Wisconsin by winning 11 games in his fifth season, but if he's going to do the same with Arkansas he'll have to navigate an October that features road games against South Carolina, Alabama and Ole Miss, and a home clash with Auburn. Moving to the 3-4 could make an athletic defense better, and Rawleigh Williams (1,360 yards, 12 TD) is one of the better backs in the SEC. QB Austin Allen has a big-time arm but needs to find dependable receivers. FAST FACT -- Razorbacks allowed 41.8 ppg in six losses last year, allowing six foes to score 35 points or more.

58. Iowa (8-5) -- Maybe the Hawkeyes do what they always do in years there is no expectation -- surprise. There isn't much punch in the Iowa passing attack, but that may not matter as it has RB Akrum Wadley (1,081 yards, 6.4 ypc) , one of the quietest best players in the country. End Anthony Nelson (6 sacks) and linebacker Josey Jewell (124 tackles) anchor a defense that was grudging against the run (140 ypg, 10 TDs). The schedule isn't exactly favorable, with a tricky opener against Wyoming and a final month of the Big Ten season that has the Hawkeyes going to Wisconsin and Nebraska and hosting Ohio State. FAST FACT -- The Hawkeyes have experience up front, with 99 starts from its offensive line (seventh best nationally).

Donnie Miles (Getty Images)

59. North Carolina (8-5) -- The Tar Heels had a potent offense last season, but might need to rely more on defense after losing its quarterback, top two rushers and top two pass catchers. We would feel better about QB if it wasn't Brandon Harris, who was largely ineffective in his time at LSU. Austin Proehl is back at receiver, and he's solid if unspectacular. Defensively, safety Donnie Miles netted 102 tackles, but the biggest loss could be coordinator Gene Chizik, who stepped away from coaching to devote more time to family. If North Carolina can't do better against the run (227.3 ypg) this year, fans will start counting the days until basketball season begins. FAST FACT -- The Tar Heels had just one interception all of last year, and none against FBS competition (The Citadel).

60.  Army West Point (8-5) -- After years of being a punching bag for Navy, the Cadets finally exorcised their demons, beating Navy for the first time since 2001. Army went from two wins to eight, and could be in line for another solid season as it returns the bulk of its squad. It all starts with QB Ahmad Bradshaw, who ran for 824 yards and passed for 703, with 12 total touchdowns. The squad's top nine rushers return, the defense is stout, and there's a vibe emanating that hasn't been there in ages. A road trip to Ohio State is the only contest in which the Cadets should be a decided underdog, so things are trending the right way for Jeff Monken and his crew. FAST FACT -- The Cadets' 46 rushing touchdowns broke by one a school record held by the 1945 national championship Army team.