SPRING COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25

#25 – Colorado

#24 – Virginia Tech

#23 – West Virginia

#22 – Tennessee

#21 – Kansas State

#20 – Texas

#19 – USF

#18 – Miami

#17 – Florida

#16 – Stanford

#15 – Louisville

#14 – Auburn

#13 – Georgia

#12 – Wisconsin

#11 – LSU

#10 – Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State’s recruiting class is ranked 37th in the country, but Mike Gundy is one of the most underappreciated coaches in the country, and they return a lot of the key pieces. The defense will still be subpar on a national level, but the combination of QB Mason Rudolph and WR James Washington is one of the best offensive combos in the country. The Cowboys will contend for a Big 12 title, and might actually be my pick to win it as they host Oklahoma in Stillwater.

#9 – Michigan

Even this might be too high for Michigan, as this seems to be a rebuilding year for Harbaugh’s squad, as the Wolverines return just five (!!!) players from a Sugar Bowl Champion team last season, by far the least returning starters in the top 25. The Wolverines also rank 127th out of 129 in S&P+’s returning production rankings. They will return QB Wilton Speight, and had the #4 recruiting class in the country, but a playoff run would be a stretch.

#8 – Washington

Washington’s run to the playoffs paid dividends for them over the offseason, as the Huskies signed the #23 ranked class in the country, which might not sound like much, but is a vast improvement over where the Huskies were before Chris Peterson. The bad news for Huskies fans is that they will lose WR John Ross, CB Sidney Jones, CB Kevin King, S Budda Baker, and DT Elijah Qualls to the draft. This Wahington team will be somewhat depleted from last year, but the returning experience of Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin will keep them in the Pac-12 title hunt.

#7 – Oklahoma

Oklahoma will lose WR Dede Westbrook, as well as their pair of runningbacks. On the flip, they signed the best class in the Big 12 (#7 overall), keep heisman contender QB Baker Mayfield, and should have a much improved defense. Long story short, the Sooners are an unknown quantity right now, as it will be interesting to see how they replace Mixon and Perine’s offensive production, one thing is for sure though, they will start the year as Big 12 title favorites.

#6 – Clemson

The defending national champions return just 12 starters combined on offense and defense after losing Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman and many more to the draft, but Dabo and co. have proven that Clemson can compete year in and year out on a national stage. The Tigers bring in just the 22nd ranked class in the country according to rivals, but included in that are three five star recruits, including QB Hunter Johnson, who will look to replace Deshaun Watson if he can win the quarterback battle.

#5 – Penn State

The Nittany Lions return Trace McSorely and Saquon Barkley, and seven other offensive starters from a Big Ten Championship team that nearly made the playoff. The key highlight from the Nittany Lion’s 12th ranked recruiting class is #11 overall player, CB Lamont Wade. Wade should be able to make an impact immediately, as assumed starting CB John Reid was injured in spring practice.

#4 – USC

The Trojans will bring in the Pac-12’s best recruiting class (#6 overall) to add to a Rose Bowl-winning team. Everybody knows the story. The Trojans started the season 1-3, and then won nine straight games too end the year. QB Sam Darnold didn’t even start for the Trojans the first few weeks of the season, but e still ended the year with 3000+ yards and over 30 touchdowns. They will lose JuJu Smith-Schuster to the draft, but 4-star playmaker Joseph Lewis will do a fine job replacing him. The defense returns 8/11 starters, and while the loss of Adoree Jackson will hurt, I see the Trojans rebounding, and they are my first playoff team of the Spring Edition Top 25.

#3 – Florida State

You might be surprised that the ‘Noles would be up this high after the loss of Dalvin Cook, but 5 star freshman RB Cam Akers will slide right into Cook’s spot. Aker is ranked as the #3 overall prospect in the country, and with DeAndre Francois leading at quarterback, the Florida State offense will be one of the best in the country. The defense also loses some pieces to the draft, most notably DeMarcus Walker, but Jimbo Fisher has brought in #2 overall recruit DT Marvin Wilson, and #5 overall recruit DE Josh Kaindoh to replace him. All-American Derwin James also returns from injury.

#2 – Ohio State

I have Ohio State ranked higher than most, but after their 31-0 loss to Clemson in the semifinal last year, the Buckeyes hired one of the best coordinator’s in the country, as former Indiana HC Kevin Wilson took the job. Wilson will revamp the offense like he did at IU, and he will have the talent to work with. The Buckeyes return more players than any other 2016-17 playoff team, including QB JT Barrett, and RB Curtis Samuel, not to mention they bring in the best recruiting class that Urban Meyer has had at OSU, as well as the addition of JUCO prospect Kendall Sheffield. The Buckeyes will have a tough early season test against Oklahoma, but if they get through that, I see them making it to the playoff.

#1 – Alabama

Never bet against Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide will lose A LOT in the draft, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but they will also bring in the #1 recruiting class in the country. Jalen Hurts should have a better year with the added experience he gained from the playoff run, and the Tide’s backfield also features a trio of runningbacks that could start anywhere in the country, as well as #1 ranked prospect Najee Harris. They will need to reload quickly to make another playoff run, but I have faith in Saban to do just that.