There was one other kid who was pretty good but I can't recall the name.Did he have any other real option? Watson already had experience from his freshman year but was recovering from a torn ACL.
There was one other kid who was pretty good but I can't recall the name.Did he have any other real option? Watson already had experience from his freshman year but was recovering from a torn ACL.
It will probably turn out to be one of the closest votes in history. All three are phenomenal football players Fournette ain't too shabby either.Well that will be your Heisman race then. Cook vs. Watson.
Of course, the kid at Stanford is likely to get a lot of publicity since so many thought he deserved it last year.
The walk on wide out that beat us a couple of times had a really good spring game as well. They're going to be real hard to stop offensively. But I hope we have the opportunity to give it a tryDW is just a special dude too. And Gallman is back. They'll be VERY hard to keep under 30-35 points per game.
Very true and kinda of how we played our RB position in 2015. It could've been easy to take away some of Derrick's carries to get some experience for Bo or Damien, but as long as the big guy said he was good carrying the load, we rode Derrick to the finish line and now are using the spring to work the new guys into shape.Not really - we struggled too much offensively, so didn't have huge leads. But when you are in the hunt for a championship, you just play. You let next season take care of itself.
Plus some player that will inexplicably come out of nowhere to garner attention as the "fly in the ointment" for the perceived favorites (a la RGIII, Suh, McCaffrey).Yep. I think it'll probably start off as a 4 player race between Cook, Watson, McCaffrey and Fournette..
Yeah, I guess it wasn't really sarcasm I wanted to convey, because I honestly believe it will be possible.Not sure why that's blue. This defense could be as nasty, if not nastier, than last year's.
I knew about Cook. Didn't realize the rest were gone.Michigan State returns 10 starters. One key loss - Conner Cook. Also, they lose their starting LT, WR, and C. Will be difficult for them next season with replacing those key components.
A preseason top five without Clemson, Oklahoma, and/or Ohio State?1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. Stanford
4. Michigan
5. LSU
I took your OP to mean final AP poll and not final CFP committee selection (final result). Five hours later I noticed your thread title said Pre-Season. Thus the edit of my prediction five hours later.A preseason top five without Clemson, Oklahoma, and/or Ohio State?
I'd bet a nice steak dinner that Clemson will be ranked number one to start the season.
Remember, the thread was to predict what you think the initial poll will be, not the final result.
I refer you to the opening post
sip
A preseason top five without Clemson, Oklahoma, and/or Ohio State?
I'd bet a nice steak dinner that Clemson will be ranked number one to start the season.
Remember, the thread was to predict what you think the initial poll will be, not the final result.
I refer you to the opening post
sip
At worst, I'm a lousy prognosticator. At best, I'm still enjoying the world's longest national championship parade. And it's not even summer.
Just 2? :conf2:Clemson would probably be my national champion reckon at this juncture. What did they really lose offensively? Not much. Defensively, they lost two elite guys but they're pretty deep there too.
Alabama's ceiling is right up there but I think we have a better idea of where the Clemson watermark ought to be.
This is my feeling also. Even with all that defensive talent last year it's not like they were dominant defensively. I don't remember the exact stat but they gave up over 30 points to a lot of teams and over 40 points several times. Some of the teams that ran up those points were pretty average..Just 2? :conf2:
IMO Clemson lost more than Ohio State. Ohio State lost more talent, but they have a lot more talent to replace them with. I'm not sure Clemson can fill in for Lawson, Dodd & Alexander all potential 1st round picks. Not to mention a potential 2nd round pick in TJ Green, 3rd-4th round pick in Charone Peake, 3rd-4th round pick in BJ Goodson, 4th-5th round pick DJ Reader, and 5th-6th round pick Jayron Kearse with the potential of a flyer or 2 being taken on another guy or two in the 7th.
To recap, based on different mock drafts:
1. DE Shaq Lawson
2. DE Kevin Dodd
3. CB Mackensie Alexander,
4. S TJ Green
5. WR Charone Peake
6. LB BJ Goodson
7. NT DJ Reader
8. S Jayron Kearse
So they lost 8 NFL players, with the potential of up to 9 or 10. I'm not sure why Clemson is getting so much love nationally. Yes, they have DeShaun Watson, but they lost the teeth of their defense. They'll lose a couple of games this year, and I seriously doubt they'll be back in the playoffs.
Prior to playing Alabama, Clemson's opponents averaged 29.7 ppg, and that includes playing three teams ranked 100th or worse in scoring offense and two ranked in the top 20. Clemson allowed 41 points to NC State and 32 to South Carolina and 37 to North Carolina. Overall, Clemson averaged giving up 20 ppg prior to facing Alabama. Their average jumped up to 21.7 ppg after playing Alabama.This is my feeling also. Even with all that defensive talent last year it's not like they were dominant defensively. I don't remember the exact stat but they gave up over 30 points to a lot of teams and over 40 points several times. Some of the teams that ran up those points were pretty average..