milesl
12/21/2015, 07:38 PM
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2600825-which-power-conference-champion-is-most-likely-to-repeat-in-2016
BleacherReport:Which Power-Conference Champion Is Most Likely to Repeat in 2016?
According to this article it's Oklahoma. The article fails to mention is that we play Ohio State. Ohio State - How did they miss that? Milesl
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/557/738/hi-res-d82954fd5540f241bb9b68dffaeaafc0_crop_north.jpg?w= 630&h=420&q=75
In the world of parity that is college football, it will be tough for any of the current Power Five champions—Alabama (SEC), Oklahoma (Big 12), Clemson (ACC), Stanford (Pac-12) and Michigan State (Big Ten)—to repeat.
But when you look at the rosters, two teams have one huge advantage that puts them head and shoulders above the other three.
Oklahoma and Clemson, who meet in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, both have their starting quarterbacks—Baker Mayfield for the Sooners and Deshaun Watson for the Tigers—returning, while Alabama (Jake Coker, graduation), Stanford (Kevin Hogan, graduation) and Michigan State (Connor Cook, graduation) all lose highly regarded signal-callers.
Obviously that's not the only factor in prognosticating who will repeat as a conference champion within the Power Five, but it's a good place to start.
When you delve deeper, it's the Sooners who seem to have the easiest path to repeating as conference champions in 2016.
For starters, the SEC and Pac-12 in particular are far more competitive conferences from top to bottom than the Big 12. The world keeps waiting for Alabama to not be in serious contention for an SEC title come December, but the reality is that with a new quarterback next year and teams like Ole Miss and Tennessee on the rise, the SEC is too deep to predict with anything close to certainty.
As for the Pac-12, you could argue that, while Stanford won the conference, it was actually Oregon that played the best ball down the stretch. The 9-3 Ducks lost all three games when quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was dealing with a thumb injury, and they ended the campaign with a six-game winning streak that included a victory over the Cardinal.
While Adams Jr. obviously graduates from Oregon, the Ducks just inherited Portland State transfer Dakota Prukop, who Fox Sports declared is the next Vernon Adams. So Oregon and Co. should be set at quarterback once again.
In addition to the Ducks, USC and UCLA both had solid years, with the former beating the latter to earn a shot at Stanford in the title game. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen will have another year under his belt, so the Bruins should improve their contender status.
Christian McCaffrey will obviously always be a playmaker for the Cardinal, but without Hogan to manage the offense, Stanford is bound to take one or two lumps along the way that may prevent it from a conference title.
As for Michigan State, it runs into the same problems as Alabama. Yes, the Spartans are loaded with talent. But so is Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan. Had it not been for their miracle in Ann Arbor on that famous—or infamous depending on whether you sport blue or green in the state—punt block return, the Spartans might not be in the playoff.
Essentially, the conference is too deep and rife with top-tier teams to adamantly say Sparty will repeat.
So it comes down to Oklahoma and Clemson. But why do the Sooners have a better chance?
For starters, the Big 12 is set to have a down year next season. We actually got a preview of what the 2016 season might look like in America's heartland conference when both Baylor and TCU dealt with injuries to stars like Seth Russell, Jarrett Stidham, Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson.
Those teams struggled, and Oklahoma prevailed.
The Sooners return almost everybody that was worthwhile on offense, with the biggest exception being wideout Sterling Shepard.
Meanwhile, TCU will be reeling from the losses of both Boykin and Doctson, while the Bears will lose wideout Corey Coleman—arguably the best receiver in the nation who declared for the draft two weeks ago—and possibly running back Shock Linwood to the draft. The Bears showed what happened this year when they lost weapons as plenty fell to injury, with their production taking a steep drop.
The only other team in the Big 12 that could compete is possibly Oklahoma State, but it is losing J.W. Walsh, and Mason Rudolph still isn't a proven option under center. Plus, the Sooners blasted the Cowboys on the road this year; imagine what could happen in Norman.
Bob Stoops is prepped to lose the talent he has in Shepard on offense. He already will have what will probably be the best two-pronged backfield attack next year with Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon returning. Mayfield isn't afraid to use his legs either, so the Sooners could transition into a hybrid squad that goes uptempo yet relentlessly pounds the ball.
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/312/969/hi-res-77d72a3aa9790d26f4db8612dc7aabcc_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=433&q=85
he Big 12 as a whole is also a weaker conference than the ACC. The Kansas Jayhawks are perhaps the worst FBS team, having just finished 0-12. West Virginia and Kansas State were both down this year, and there aren't many signs pointing to any significant improvement next season.
The Texas Longhorns, although they did beat Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry this year, haven't been a true threat to win the conference in some time. Without quality quarterback play, it's tough to imagine that changing in the air raid showcase that is the Big 12.
And Texas Tech is a gimmick at best, a high-scoring offense that coughs up just as many points on defense. Plus, the Big 12 doesn't have a championship game, so its best team is not pitted against another elite team in the final week of the season automatically.
Meanwhile, the Florida State Seminoles, who finished this year ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings despite two losses, still reside in the conference. So do North Carolina and Louisville, teams that have proved capable of having double-digit win seasons.
Even teams like Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and NC State, schools with proud football traditions, have the capability to pull off upsets or even make a dark-horse run at a title.
No doubt, between Clemson and Oklahoma, the Tigers have the best returning player in Watson. The dude finished third in the Heisman voting for a reason. The Tigers also return a fine tailback in Wayne Gallman, who thus far has 1,332 yards rushing heading into the playoff.
Where Clemson will be hurting is in the trenches. It loses two offensive linemen to graduation, as well as a possible third should redshirt junior center Jay Guillermo declare for the draft. Defensively, Shaq Lawson said he's turning pro, and the Tigers will also lose senior defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
A rough projection based on the Ourlads Clemson depth chart has the Tigers returning eight to nine offensive starters—impressive—but perhaps just six on the defensive side of the ball. That's a lot to lose from a unit that coughed up just 20.2 points per game.
The Sooners have around eight returning offensive starters based on Ourlads and about as many on defense. They do lose linebacker Eric Striker and defensive back Zack Sanchez, probably the Sooners' two best defenders.
From a recruiting standpoint, the Tigers have the better 2016 class. They rank 19th in the 247sports composite team rankings, while the Sooners pull in at just 34th. It's not a particularly large gap when you consider there are over 100 teams in the FBS, added to the unpredictability that is a college freshman.
Still, if you're banking your bet on which team, Oklahoma or Clemson, will have better recruits to fill the holes of departures, the Tigers have the slight edge.
There's a chance both Oklahoma and Clemson repeat in the Big 12 and ACC, respectively. There's also a chance that neither repeats. That's football for you.
But these two squads clearly have the best odds to repeat as conference champions, with the Sooners having perhaps the ever-so-slightly easier road thanks to a weaker conference and their returning talent.
BleacherReport:Which Power-Conference Champion Is Most Likely to Repeat in 2016?
According to this article it's Oklahoma. The article fails to mention is that we play Ohio State. Ohio State - How did they miss that? Milesl
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/557/738/hi-res-d82954fd5540f241bb9b68dffaeaafc0_crop_north.jpg?w= 630&h=420&q=75
In the world of parity that is college football, it will be tough for any of the current Power Five champions—Alabama (SEC), Oklahoma (Big 12), Clemson (ACC), Stanford (Pac-12) and Michigan State (Big Ten)—to repeat.
But when you look at the rosters, two teams have one huge advantage that puts them head and shoulders above the other three.
Oklahoma and Clemson, who meet in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, both have their starting quarterbacks—Baker Mayfield for the Sooners and Deshaun Watson for the Tigers—returning, while Alabama (Jake Coker, graduation), Stanford (Kevin Hogan, graduation) and Michigan State (Connor Cook, graduation) all lose highly regarded signal-callers.
Obviously that's not the only factor in prognosticating who will repeat as a conference champion within the Power Five, but it's a good place to start.
When you delve deeper, it's the Sooners who seem to have the easiest path to repeating as conference champions in 2016.
For starters, the SEC and Pac-12 in particular are far more competitive conferences from top to bottom than the Big 12. The world keeps waiting for Alabama to not be in serious contention for an SEC title come December, but the reality is that with a new quarterback next year and teams like Ole Miss and Tennessee on the rise, the SEC is too deep to predict with anything close to certainty.
As for the Pac-12, you could argue that, while Stanford won the conference, it was actually Oregon that played the best ball down the stretch. The 9-3 Ducks lost all three games when quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was dealing with a thumb injury, and they ended the campaign with a six-game winning streak that included a victory over the Cardinal.
While Adams Jr. obviously graduates from Oregon, the Ducks just inherited Portland State transfer Dakota Prukop, who Fox Sports declared is the next Vernon Adams. So Oregon and Co. should be set at quarterback once again.
In addition to the Ducks, USC and UCLA both had solid years, with the former beating the latter to earn a shot at Stanford in the title game. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen will have another year under his belt, so the Bruins should improve their contender status.
Christian McCaffrey will obviously always be a playmaker for the Cardinal, but without Hogan to manage the offense, Stanford is bound to take one or two lumps along the way that may prevent it from a conference title.
As for Michigan State, it runs into the same problems as Alabama. Yes, the Spartans are loaded with talent. But so is Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan. Had it not been for their miracle in Ann Arbor on that famous—or infamous depending on whether you sport blue or green in the state—punt block return, the Spartans might not be in the playoff.
Essentially, the conference is too deep and rife with top-tier teams to adamantly say Sparty will repeat.
So it comes down to Oklahoma and Clemson. But why do the Sooners have a better chance?
For starters, the Big 12 is set to have a down year next season. We actually got a preview of what the 2016 season might look like in America's heartland conference when both Baylor and TCU dealt with injuries to stars like Seth Russell, Jarrett Stidham, Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson.
Those teams struggled, and Oklahoma prevailed.
The Sooners return almost everybody that was worthwhile on offense, with the biggest exception being wideout Sterling Shepard.
Meanwhile, TCU will be reeling from the losses of both Boykin and Doctson, while the Bears will lose wideout Corey Coleman—arguably the best receiver in the nation who declared for the draft two weeks ago—and possibly running back Shock Linwood to the draft. The Bears showed what happened this year when they lost weapons as plenty fell to injury, with their production taking a steep drop.
The only other team in the Big 12 that could compete is possibly Oklahoma State, but it is losing J.W. Walsh, and Mason Rudolph still isn't a proven option under center. Plus, the Sooners blasted the Cowboys on the road this year; imagine what could happen in Norman.
Bob Stoops is prepped to lose the talent he has in Shepard on offense. He already will have what will probably be the best two-pronged backfield attack next year with Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon returning. Mayfield isn't afraid to use his legs either, so the Sooners could transition into a hybrid squad that goes uptempo yet relentlessly pounds the ball.
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/312/969/hi-res-77d72a3aa9790d26f4db8612dc7aabcc_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=433&q=85
he Big 12 as a whole is also a weaker conference than the ACC. The Kansas Jayhawks are perhaps the worst FBS team, having just finished 0-12. West Virginia and Kansas State were both down this year, and there aren't many signs pointing to any significant improvement next season.
The Texas Longhorns, although they did beat Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry this year, haven't been a true threat to win the conference in some time. Without quality quarterback play, it's tough to imagine that changing in the air raid showcase that is the Big 12.
And Texas Tech is a gimmick at best, a high-scoring offense that coughs up just as many points on defense. Plus, the Big 12 doesn't have a championship game, so its best team is not pitted against another elite team in the final week of the season automatically.
Meanwhile, the Florida State Seminoles, who finished this year ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings despite two losses, still reside in the conference. So do North Carolina and Louisville, teams that have proved capable of having double-digit win seasons.
Even teams like Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and NC State, schools with proud football traditions, have the capability to pull off upsets or even make a dark-horse run at a title.
No doubt, between Clemson and Oklahoma, the Tigers have the best returning player in Watson. The dude finished third in the Heisman voting for a reason. The Tigers also return a fine tailback in Wayne Gallman, who thus far has 1,332 yards rushing heading into the playoff.
Where Clemson will be hurting is in the trenches. It loses two offensive linemen to graduation, as well as a possible third should redshirt junior center Jay Guillermo declare for the draft. Defensively, Shaq Lawson said he's turning pro, and the Tigers will also lose senior defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
A rough projection based on the Ourlads Clemson depth chart has the Tigers returning eight to nine offensive starters—impressive—but perhaps just six on the defensive side of the ball. That's a lot to lose from a unit that coughed up just 20.2 points per game.
The Sooners have around eight returning offensive starters based on Ourlads and about as many on defense. They do lose linebacker Eric Striker and defensive back Zack Sanchez, probably the Sooners' two best defenders.
From a recruiting standpoint, the Tigers have the better 2016 class. They rank 19th in the 247sports composite team rankings, while the Sooners pull in at just 34th. It's not a particularly large gap when you consider there are over 100 teams in the FBS, added to the unpredictability that is a college freshman.
Still, if you're banking your bet on which team, Oklahoma or Clemson, will have better recruits to fill the holes of departures, the Tigers have the slight edge.
There's a chance both Oklahoma and Clemson repeat in the Big 12 and ACC, respectively. There's also a chance that neither repeats. That's football for you.
But these two squads clearly have the best odds to repeat as conference champions, with the Sooners having perhaps the ever-so-slightly easier road thanks to a weaker conference and their returning talent.