With parity at an all-time high across the college football landscape repeating as a conference champion is incredibly tough regardless of where a team plays but when it comes to the Power Five conferences in particular it is that much more difficult to win back-to-back championships. The top teams from the SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC will reload this offseason with an eye on competing not just for a conference championship but a national championship via the college football playoff as well and it won’t be easy with so many teams in the mix once again. Here is a look at the reigning power conference champions most likely to repeat in 2016.
Clemson Tigers, ACC
The return of star quarterback and Heisman trophy candidate Deshaun Watson for his junior season will give Clemson an added edge heading in to next year. Watson won’t be alone either as star running back Wayne Gallman will return to the fold after topping the 1,300-yard rushing mark this season along with a strong cast of wide receivers. The Tigers will lose a couple of key defenders in Shaq Lawson and DJ Reader but they still have arguably the most talented returning cast in what will widely be considered the easiest of the Power Five conferences to repeat in so look for Clemson to be the smart bet to get the job done in the ACC again next season.
Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC
The obvious argument against the Crimson Tide repeating as SEC champion is the fact that the conference is so difficult from top to bottom and they will likely have to face between three and five nationally ranked opponents again next year but the bottom line is that Nick Saban’s teams continue to find ways to win conference titles and they did it again this year as repeat champions. Saban and his staff have done a masterful job reloading the talent stock year after year and while finding a new quarterback will be at the top of the list of needs it’s pretty hard to bet against Alabama in the SEC at this point.
Oklahoma Sooners, Big 12
Oklahoma will not have to worry about finding a quarterback with Baker Mayfield returning for his senior season as one of the top passers in the entire nation and the Sooners will also return one of the most dynamic rushing tandems in the FBS in Samaje Perrine and Joe Mixon both back. Oklahoma will need to address its defense but they have one of the strongest returning casts among the Power Five conference champions and if they can fill the necessary holes this offseason they should once again be the favorites in the Big 12 heading in to 2016.
Michigan State Spartans, Big Ten
The Spartans shocked the football world by ending Ohio State’s undefeated season and winning the Big Ten title in a year where nearly everybody had the Buckeyes pegged to run the table and challenge for back-to-back national titles but it won’t get any easier for them next season with OSU reloading and Michigan clearly a team on the rise under Jim Harbaugh. The Buckeyes will be that much more motivated by this year’s disappointment and while Michigan State should still be good enough to challenge Ohio State in the Big Ten there is no doubt Urban Meyer’s squad will be the favorites to win their conference next season.
Stanford Cardinal, Pac-12
The Cardinal may very well have been the most unlikely of conference champions based on how this season unfolded as it seemed as though none of the top contenders in the Pac-12 were able to get over the hump and win those big games that would have put them in position to win a conference championship. Stanford deserves credit for being the team that got it done but it’s not like they dominated from start to finish and with a strong cast of Pac-12 teams reloading in the offseason the Cardinal will certainly be in tough to win a second consecutive conference championship in 2016.
