The 2017 college football season is underway but we haven’t seen a full week of action. Just a handful of games took place on Saturday with only two ranked teams. The real action gets under way this week.
The action starts on Thursday when the Ohio State Buckeyes will be on display. then we’ll move through the weekend with some big games like Florida-Michigan, West Virginia-Virginia Tech and, of course, Alabama-Florida State. So before week one fully kicks off, here is a look at the updated power rankings and keep in mind that these are based on the futures to win the National Championship.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Last Week: 1
National Championship Odds: +350
The Crimson Tide are still gearing up for their massive showdown with Florida State on Saturday in Atlanta. Much of the focus will be on quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was great as a freshman, but still struggled to make some throws in the national-title game against Clemson. Alabama has lots of talent everywhere else, and Hurts himself is talented, but if he takes the next step, the Crimson Tide could top these rankings all season long.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Last Week: 2
National Championship Odds: +500
The Buckeyes head to Indiana to open up their season on Saturday, and again, the focus is on the quarterback. J.T. Barrett was great as a freshman, but hasn’t reached those heights again and was awful in the Buckeyes’ 31-0 loss to Clemson in the national semifinal. Like Alabama, Ohio State is loaded all over the place, but even more than the Crimson Tide, their success could be dictated by their quarterback. Getting off to a good start at Indiana is essential for Barrett.
3. USC Trojans
Last Week: 3
National Championship Odds: +650
The Trojans are led by Sam Darnold, who seems to be the favorite for the Heisman Trophy according to the odds at most sportsbooks. That will happen after you throw for 453 yards and five touchdowns in the Trojans’ 52-49 Rose Bowl win over Penn State, and now Darnold will have to manage expectations. He has a good team around him, thankfully, and Darnold gets to start the season off with Western Michigan at home on Saturday.
4. Florida State Seminoles
Last Week: 4
World Series Championship Odds: +800
The Seminoles have their meeting with Alabama, and Deondre Francois has to stay upright at quarterback because he took a beating last season. However, the most intriguing player for Florida State might be freshman running back Cam Akers, whom some are calling the best freshman in the country. If he can be half as good as Dalvin Cook was, the Seminoles have a serious shot at the title.
5. Oklahoma Sooners
Last Week: 5
National Championship Odds: +1500
The first game in the post-Bob Stoops era for the Sooners is UTEP at home, which allows them to ease into things. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Lincoln Riley should know each other well as Riley was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Oklahoma since 2015, so that’s a good sign. Can the defense be better than they were last season, is the major question.
6. Auburn Tigers
Last Week: 10
National Championship Odds: +1500
The Tigers move up in the rankings this week despite not starting until Georgia Southern comes to town on Saturday, but it’s no big deal. This game is little more than a practice until the next week when they visit Clemson, but it will be good for Jarrett Stidham to get some game reps. Stidham comes to Auburn after leaving Baylor, then spending a year at McLennan Community College, and he did throw for 419 yards and three touchdowns against Oklahoma in 2015.
7. LSU Tigers
Last Week: 6
National Championship Odds: +1500
The Tigers will face BYU on Saturday, but the game might be moved from Houston in light of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction. It is LSU, so you know they’ll have a good defense. But, it is LSU and you always have to ask, will they have a good quarterback? Danny Etling looks to be the guy, but he wasn’t very good last season. It’s a good thing they have Derrius Guice, one of the best running backs in the country, to help out in the backfield.
8. Washington Huskies
Last Week: 7
National Championship Odds: +2000
The Huskies open up the season at Rutgers and they look to be the biggest contender for USC in the Pac-12. Jake Browning had a monster of a season in 2016 and Myles Gaskin fed off him; the two combined to be one of the most productive backfields in the nation. Leading the way is Chris Petersen, who got another contract extension coming into this season. The major question will be whether the defense can be as good as it was last season, when it ranked 12th in the country. If it is, the Huskies might cruise undefeated to a showdown with USC in the Pac-12 title game.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
Last Week: 8
National Championship Odds: +2000
The Nittany Lions are one of the most intriguing teams in the country. They also have a great one-two punch in the backfield in quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley, and James Franklin is proving to be a fantastic head coach. They also have a defense that can be borderline terrible and while that makes for exciting games, it might not lead to success in the Big Ten with Ohio State, Michigan and even Wisconsin battling for the top spot. The Nittany Lions have a few weeks to get their act together, starting with this Saturday’s visit from Akron.
10. Michigan Wolverines
Last Week: 10
National Championship Odds: +2000
No team in the country might be under more pressure than the Wolverines, who actually start with Florida in Arlington this Saturday, which is no small feat. Michigan lost a lot of players on both sides of the ball and while head coach Jim Harbaugh is a great recruiter, it might take a couple weeks for the players to get up to speed. Also, and this can’t be overstated enough: Michigan fans are sick of losing to Ohio State. If they can win that game in the regular-season finale, it might not matter what the Wolverines do the rest of the way.
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