My 2016 College Football Playoffs Final Four picks
There may be some people out there who read this column today and think it is a few days late after the college football season kicked off last Friday night but I don’t think anyone is picking Cal or Hawaii be in the national title picture in 2016 so I am going to go ahead and say I am safe with giving my predictions for the College Football Playoff Final Four to play for the top prize in college football at season’s end.
First up and really how could your’s truly not put them in …. Alabama (admit it to yourself … you college football fans read the name in Brent Musburger’s voice), the defending national champs might have lost defensive coordinator Kirby Smart (who took over the head coaching gig at Georgia), reigning Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry and are breaking in a new quarterback but they still have head man Nick Saban, the most important piece of the puzzle.
Some may worry Saban has to break in a new quarterback but if I remember correctly he had a QB competition two years ago and they still made it to the national semifinal against Ohio State.
Fortunately for newly-minted starter junior Cooper Bateman he will have a deep stable of receivers led by Calvin Ridley to orchestrate the offense.
Alabama has consistently had the best talent in college football and year-in and year-out played a rigourous SEC schedule and have earned this spot at the top.
My second pick to be standing at the end of the year is Dabo Swinney and Clemson who came closer than anyone to toppling a Saban-led team in the title game, 45-40. The Tigers return no-brainer early Heisman Trophy favorite Deshaun Watson as well as a pretty awesome group of receivers in Mike Williams, Artavis Scott and Deon Cain and a bruising running back in Wayne Gallman to keep the offense rolling along. The only weak spot is the defense where only three starters return and none of them are named Shaq Lawson after he left for the draft. We will find out a lot about the Tigers early as they travel to Auburn to take on the SEC Tigers in the first game of the year.
The next team on this list could be completely out of playoff contention after the first three weeks of the season. If Oklahoma makes it through a season opening game against No. 12 Houston and a visit from No. 4 Ohio State two weeks later, than a test at TCU the Sooners could be on their way back to the playoff for the second year in a row. Bob Stoops has assembled a dynamic offense led by Baker Mayfield, Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. The offensive line led by sophomore Orlando Brown (6-5, 357 lbs.) could become one of the most dominant units in the contry and the defense returns enough starters to be one of the top units as well.
I am sure this next pick will shock some people because they know my dislike for the Big Ten and my allegiance to Notre Dame but I am going to shock a lot of people and put Michigan in my final spot over Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost a ton of talent to the draft and graduation and only return three starters on both sides of the ball. Michigan on the other hand has eight starters back on offense and while they may be breaking in a new quarterback in John O’Korn … Jim Harbaugh has given him plenty of weapons to work with in senior receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh not to mention tight end Jake Butt. Trips to East Lansing and Columbus make the schedule a little harder but the Wolverines had Sparty beat until an ill-timed display of butter fingers from the punter and should be at full strength heading into their season ending matchup with the Buckeyes at the Horsehoe.
Contact Joe Albright at jalbright@newsandsentinel.com