CONSENSUS Pre-Spring Polls for 2017-2018 Season

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Early college football top-25 for 2017
College Hotline: Early top-25 football ranking for the 2017 season

25. Boise State: The return of Brett Rypien gives Boise State a shot at the top spot from the Group of 5, but there is at least one other strong candidate.

24. Kansas State: Won five of last six games this season and has enough returning starters to keep the momentum in place for the wondrous Bill Snyder.

23. Washington State: Placement assumes Luke Falk is coming back to join a handful of experienced playmakers and veteran defense.

22. Virginia Tech: Would be a top-10 candidate with Jerod Evans, but his departure knocks VaTech down a level.

21. Stanford: What the Cardinal kept in quantity, it lost in quality with departures of Christian McCaffrey and Solomon Thomas. Add QB uncertainty, and ’17 could look a lot like ’16.

20. TCU. No way Gary Patterson has another substandard season. No. Way.

19. UCLA: Given the talent at quarterback and the needed staff changes, the Bruins should recover from their lost 2016. If they don’t, Jim Mora will be looking for work.

18. Miami: The Mark Richt-led revival continues despite the departure of quarterback Brad Kaaya.

17. Louisville: Lamar Jackson worth the ranking by himself. And good news for the Cardinals: They only play Kentucky once.

16. Auburn: Not good enough to challenge Alabama in the West, but maybe good enough to challenge LSU for second in the West.

15. Michigan: Losing a load of talented seniors, especially on the lines. The rebuild will be swift, but not entirely smooth.

14. Georgia: Jacob Eason’s improvement and the return of Nick Chubb make the Dawgs the team to beat in the SEC East.

13. USF: Charlie Strong’s new team won’t be as good as his former team (see below), but the Bulls should win the American behind quarterback Quinton Flowers.

12. LSU: Underachieved for most of 2016, then showed well in the bowl game. Look for the momentum to carry over in the Orgeron regime.

11. Oklahoma State: Mason Rudolph makes the Cowboy a threat to win the Big 12.

10. Clemson: The national champs lose their engine (Deshaun Watson) and their playmakers. They won’t have a rebuild so much as a re-calibration — and a few losses to go along with it.

9. Oklahoma: It all starts with Baker Mayfield, who has said he will return for ’17. But the Sooners need a tailback, and a No. 1 receiver, and a few other things if they’re going to challenge for the title.

8. Penn State: Run to the Rose came earlier than expected, which means most of the key players will be back in ’17 … but the expectations will be much, much higher.

7. USC: Placement might be a notch or two lower than other projections, but USC will have to revamp its offensive line and tighten up the defense in order to make a run at the playoff.

6. Wisconsin: Overachieved in ’16 and welcomes back the bulk of the starting 22. But the Badgers don’t have to worry about attention — not with Michigan, PSU and OSU around to hog the spotlight.

5. Texas: Combination of talent acquired by Charlie Strong and the arrival of Tom Herman makes the Longhorns my sleeper pick to compete for the national title. This year, the Red River will turn burnt orange.

4. Washington: Best team in the west (again) despite the attrition. Jake Browning should be an elite quarterback next season, the lines will be sturdy, and there are plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball.

3. Ohio State: The Buckeyes were a tad young in ’16 and should be geared for another playoff run. But the way they lost to Clemson gives me pause.

2. Alabama: The Tide tilted defense in ’16, but that should change next fall with a veteran offensive line and experienced quarterback in Jalen Hurts. If the revamped D matures, Bama could make another title run.

1. Florida State: Loaded, loaded, loaded. Dalvin Cook is the only early departure, which should be a source of concern for everyone in the ACC. Quarterback Deondre Francois will have playmakers and an awesome line. The defense? Granite. If the Noles don’t make the playoff, something has gone very wrong.

Chip Brown write this?