Contenders, pretenders and teams in limbo going into 2016...

[Addicted2quack]

I'd like to hear some thoughts from other guys here on what teams they think will contend and pretend going into 2016. Obviously this list is opinionated and most of us won't clearly know anything until all the players who can declare for the draft make their final decisions to stay or leave.... But none the less, here's my list of a few teams on each side of the ball, and a few more who are in a state of limbo ... This isn't about who will win the natty, more about who has the best chances to win their conference and have a shot at a New Years six bowl and the playoffs

CONTENDERS:
- Clemson: they've got Watson and gallman back... And renfro I believe, there gonna be ok lol.
- Michigan : this team looks like harbaugh is building a monster, especially on the recruiting trail.
- Oklahoma : they are still loaded
- Houston : they've got great coaches and a hell of a recruiting class.
- Washington: could potentially be a huge surprise for many. Hate saying that too
- notre dame: interesting QB battle about to happen but lots of talent and they hung with Clemson and Stanford. Good team


PRETENDERS:
-Ohio state : urban is losing a plethora of talent. Lots of ego too, could be a good thing but I think the allure is gone
-Baylor : they are pretenders every year.
-Iowa: they don't have it, solid team but not elite
- Washington state: it's mike leach, he will screw it up somehow
- Oklahoma state: they had a nice run but they couldn't pull away from anyone and got beat bad when it mattered
-USC : losing Kessler will hurt big time. Lots of talent returning but not the right guy at the helm in my opinion
-lsu: they have fournette...... So that's good. Good shot to rush for 2,000+ yards and win the heisman, but still no QB, at least not a developed one.

TEAMS IN LIMBO:
-Alabama: they are losing a heisman winner and a QB, and their D coordinator. Need to see how they reload first.
- Oregon: they need to hire a d coordinator first and foremost and then settle on a QB. Developing a backup or two might not hurt either lol.
- ole miss: they are losing a ton of talent. They've got Kelly back who is a STUD but he needs targets and that defense is going to be raw.
- tcu: where do they go after Boykin, I've heard Kenny hill has transferred there but hill wasn't great.
- Stanford: sure they've got mccaffrey, but they lose hooper their TE and hogan their QB... I'm not sold on their backups, and as good as mccaffrey is, going to be hard to replicate that season again.

2016 conference winner projections: entirely for shits and giggles gentleman. Feel free to chastise me now lol

AAC: temple
ACC: Clemson
big 10: Michigan
big 12: Oklahoma
conference USA: southern miss
MAC: bowling green
MWC: Boise state
pac 12: Stanford/Oregon
sec: Alabama
sun belt: Arkansas state

 

[cloverleaf]

Alabama in limbo.....nope!

They will be rated a preseason top 5 team and go from there.

The talent is there and losing the DC won't be a factor. Saban rules the
defense and always has. His new DC will do just fine. He did at FSU
and Georgia....no reason to think he will tank his second go-round at Bama.

 

[Addicted2quack]

Alabama in limbo.....nope!

They will be rated a preseason top 5 team and go from there.

The talent is there and losing the DC won't be a factor. Saban rules the
defense and always has. His new DC will do just fine. He did at FSU
and Georgia....no reason to think he will tank his second go-round at Bama.

i should state that as soon as I see who they replace Henry and Coker with, as well as who They hire or promote to DC then I believe they are contenders. I really like bama as a team and especially from a coaching standpoint. Their recruiting is always unmatched, so I didn't mean any disrespect. I just meant I'm viewing them as a team in a state of limbo simply because they need to replace some seriously key positions before I call them a for sure contender

 

[cloverleaf]

Bama's DC (Jeremy Pruitt) has been on the job for a month working with Smart during the finals run.

QB won't be an issue. Matter of fact, which ever 5star wins the battle will be far more talented than
Coker. No knock on Jake but there's some talented players waiting for their chance. Yes, Bama loses
Henry and Drake at RB but 6-2, 238 pound Bo Scarborough looks ready to step in. He was injured
this season. The No. 1 rated RB recruit in the nation is visiting Tuscaloosa this weekend along with a
number of other bigtime recruits.

Quarterback and running back will not be the concerns for Alabama.

 

[CoachCB]

I think Tennessee turns a corner next year. I think they go 10-2 or better.

Florida will struggle to win 8 games.

Clemson will have to battle FSU for the ACC. This was FSU's "we'll take our lumps" season and they will come back strong in 2016.

Ohio State does lose a lot of talent, but this will be Meyer's 5th season. His roster is as stacked as Alabama's plus he has a great QB returning.

I'm waiting to see if Peterson is the real deal at Washington or not. I think he's a very good coach, but not as good as everyone thought he was when he took over a well oiled machine at Boise (which for some reason everyone forgets).

I expect South Carolina to win 3 or 4 games. I cannot believe they hired that bafoon.

Will Charlie Strong get fired at Texas?

I expect LSU to be very good and have improved QB play.

Michigan State will have a drop off.

----

I hope to see the regulars here this offseason! Keep Clover out of trouble everybody!!

 

[cloverleaf]

I agree coach about Tennessee. If Butch is ever going to shine then this is the year.

Disagree on Florida with 8 wins. Coach Mac has had a year to settle in and he has some
pretty good players for a second run. Of course QB and offense has to get better.

LSU is the team to look out for in my opinion....loaded. Yep, QB big issue.

Interesting note: Auburn will open with Clemson and close with Alabama this season.

 

[mws]

So why is Temple winning the AAC over "contender" Houston?

-Baylor : they are pretenders every year.

I want to see them play Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, or Stanford. Not because I think they'll be embarrassed but because Baylor's ability to match up against top non-conference teams is such a mystery. I want to see it, and find out the answer.

 

[Maggiore]

The "allure" is gone in Columbus?

Winners of 25 of 26 including absolutely smoking two of your "contenders" in the final two games of this season. Sure they lose a lot of talent, but there is a ton more where that came from. Barrett is back and healthy and the Bucks will be just fine.

An early season trip to Norman will be rough, but OSU will be in contention at the end of 2016.

 

[MackDonald]

The Florida Gators will have high expectations next year.....perhaps too high. I've seen this happen to teams that came out of "no-where" during a season (the Gators weren't even ranked in the top 25 in the pre-season polls) and then go on to win the SEC-East. Florida still has some big-gaps to fill starting at QB. I'm not saying they will not improve, just suggesting that it will be tough-going, especially in a conference like the SEC

 

[Addicted2quack]

I love the Input here... Remember everyone, these are merely opinions not facts so don't get your feathers ruffled if yell or someone else knocks your team. I think Houston will be a contender u mntil they face temple. Losing Greg ward Jr. will hurt big time. Temple is just a very physical team that will be returning a lot of offensive players they need. I expect them to do well


i think the Allure is gone in Ohio state. They lose a ton of talent and will be younger than normal, who backs up Barrett if he goes down. How do you replace zeke.... Lots of questions. And they've already had some recruits flip on them .... Urban is still one of the greats and I expect him to produce, but I feel like Michigan is the new up and coming team with the most to prove and the biggest chip on their shoulder. Should be an interesting big ten season to say the least.

baylor will get smoked against most top non conference teams.... Stanford, Clemson, bama, ole miss, lsu, fsu and probably a few others would make them look like clowns. They are a one trick pony in my opinion. You have to make it out of your own conference first in order for me to start believing in a team. Just my thoughts on that matter

 

[CoachCB]

The Florida Gators will have high expectations next year.....perhaps too high. I've seen this happen to teams that came out of "no-where" during a season (the Gators weren't even ranked in the top 25 in the pre-season polls) and then go on to win the SEC-East. Florida still has some big-gaps to fill starting at QB. I'm not saying they will not improve, just suggesting that it will be tough-going, especially in a conference like the SEC

I'm not sure what you've been reading....sure, there's some delusional fans out there that think UF is going 15-0. But most feel the OL and QB situation is too much to overcome. A walk-on is expected to win the QB job and the OL is still a wreck. The O will likely be better due to improved QB play (but how much?). The D will have a slight drop off as well. I'm expecting 7-9 regular season wins.

 

[groundhog11]

I think Lsu may improve...

 

[sendacash]

I'm not sure what you've been reading....sure, there's some delusional fans out there that think UF is going 15-0. But most feel the OL and QB situation is too much to overcome. A walk-on is expected to win the QB job and the OL is still a wreck. The O will likely be better due to improved QB play (but how much?). The D will have a slight drop off as well. I'm expecting 7-9 regular season wins.

Coach, if McElwain was able to bring NFL talent to Colorado St at both QB and WR, you can rest assured he will do the same with the gold mine that is Florida recruiting. It will only be a matter of time, the SEC East is weak imo.

 

[RedElephants]

Bama's DC (Jeremy Pruitt) has been on the job for a month working with Smart during the finals run.

QB won't be an issue. Matter of fact, which ever 5star wins the battle will be far more talented than
Coker. No knock on Jake but there's some talented players waiting for their chance. Yes, Bama loses
Henry and Drake at RB but 6-2, 238 pound Bo Scarborough looks ready to step in. He was injured
this season. The No. 1 rated RB recruit in the nation is visiting Tuscaloosa this weekend along with a
number of other bigtime recruits.

Quarterback and running back will not be the concerns for Alabama.

Bo S is not the second coming and neither is D Harris. Don't drink the kool aid. We need a great Running back and someone to step up at QB. Barrett's health issue has left him the size of a twig and behind. We have questions

 

[Addicted2quack]

Bo S is not the second coming and neither is D Harris. Don't drink the kool aid. We need a great Running back and someone to step up at QB. Barrett's health issue has left him the size of a twig and behind. We have questions

This guy gets it..... I concur

 

[Maggiore]

I love the Input here... Remember everyone, these are merely opinions not facts so don't get your feathers ruffled if yell or someone else knocks your team. I think Houston will be a contender u mntil they face temple. Losing Greg ward Jr. will hurt big time. Temple is just a very physical team that will be returning a lot of offensive players they need. I expect them to do well


i think the Allure is gone in Ohio state. They lose a ton of talent and will be younger than normal, who backs up Barrett if he goes down. How do you replace zeke.... Lots of questions. And they've already had some recruits flip on them .... Urban is still one of the greats and I expect him to produce, but I feel like Michigan is the new up and coming team with the most to prove and the biggest chip on their shoulder. Should be an interesting big ten season to say the least.

baylor will get smoked against most top non conference teams.... Stanford, Clemson, bama, ole miss, lsu, fsu and probably a few others would make them look like clowns. They are a one trick pony in my opinion. You have to make it out of your own conference first in order for me to start believing in a team. Just my thoughts on that matter

OSU will be less "young" than they were going into 2014 and they won the title.

Michigan may be "up and coming" but they weren't even competitive with the Bucks on their own field this season. Sure OSU lost commitments from Walker and Wallace, but the Bucks still have the #2 2016 class, #1 2017 class and have #7, #3, #2 classes on campus.

Oh and there is a 4 star red shirt freshman to back up Barrett.

 

[CoachCB]

Coach, if McElwain was able to bring NFL talent to Colorado St at both QB and WR, you can rest assured he will do the same with the gold mine that is Florida recruiting. It will only be a matter of time, the SEC East is weak imo.

Well, so far he's not bringing in the Offensive talent. We landed Franks (flipped from LSU) at QB, he's a 4-star but considered a project (he went 1 for 7 for 8 yards and 2 INTs in the Under Armour game...not impressive). We have a bunch of ham and eggers committed at WR, no "immediate impact" type of players committed (yet). The class is similar to what Butch Jones has done at Tennessee the last several years (big class w/ mostly 3-star talent), which we need (Muschamp left the roster at about 75 scholarship players). His class last year was small (19 made it into school) and was put together very quickly (it was ranked 92nd in the country when Muschamp was fired....and finished around 21st, which ain't gonna cut it in the SEC....and had no QBs).

It's going to take time, and like I said, the jury is still out. Getting blown out 3 games in a row doesn't sit well. Scoring 9 points vs. Vanderbilt at home doesn't sit well. Winning in overtime vs. a 3-9 Florida Atlantic is inexcusable. It was very Muschamp-esque.

 

[REDEYE]

Well, so far he's not bringing in the Offensive talent. We landed Franks (flipped from LSU) at QB, he's a 4-star but considered a project (he went 1 for 7 for 8 yards and 2 INTs in the Under Armour game...not impressive). We have a bunch of ham and eggers committed at WR, no "immediate impact" type of players committed (yet). The class is similar to what Butch Jones has done at Tennessee the last several years (big class w/ mostly 3-star talent), which we need (Muschamp left the roster at about 75 scholarship players). His class last year was small (19 made it into school) and was put together very quickly (it was ranked 92nd in the country when Muschamp was fired....and finished around 21st, which ain't gonna cut it in the SEC....and had no QBs).

It's going to take time, and like I said, the jury is still out. Getting blown out 3 games in a row doesn't sit well. Scoring 9 points vs. Vanderbilt at home doesn't sit well. Winning in overtime vs. a 3-9 Florida Atlantic is inexcusable. It was very Muschamp-esque.

Do you think they should have gone after someone else Coach ? Or was there a better candidate that was interviewed?

 

[CoachCB]

Do you think they should have gone after someone else Coach ? Or was there a better candidate that was interviewed?

I think Foley put out some feelers to other coaches and was turned down....so in an effort to beat other schools he offered McElwain. I imagine McElwain was somewhere around 3rd or 4th on the list (but if you listen to homer Gator fans they'll tell you McElwain was his top choice). Foley got burned after Spurrier left (thinking Stoops was coming) and ended up w/ Zook, which was an huge mistake. Then after Meyer left you KNOW Muschamp wasn't his top choice. I don't know who turned him down, but rumors were he offered Stoops (again) and Shanahan (who is a former UF OC in the 80's). The Muschamp hire was a disaster and Zook pretty much was.

I do think there were better candidates. But I think he waited a year too late to fire Muschamp (should have fired him after 2013's 4-8 season). There were several good candidates in 2014 vs. 2015.

Foley's star is tarnished among a large number of fans. But there are others that think he walks on water because UF has won the SEC All-Sports trophy the last 20+ years in a row. The fact is, football is king. And he's made 2 very shitty hires....and his McElwain hire is still questionable. Other than Fisher no other Saban assistant has had much success.

Like I said, the jury is still out. I'm willing to give him time, but if we don't see serious offensive improvement by 2017 I'm willing to cut the cord. He showed how stubborn he is during the last 5 games. I don't like that. It's very Muschamp like and that's a bad combination.

 

[Addicted2quack]

Great points coach. You've got some incredible insight to that situation.