CFB: Way-Too-Early 2018 Rankings

It's never too early to look forward to next season, right? Well, we're still over 225 days until the start of college football in August, but we're going to rank out top-10 teams heading into spring practice. Obviously this is going to change a lot over the next eight months, but right now, these are the teams in the best situations heading into next year. And while the top ranked team is no surprise, there are a few up-and-coming teams that snuck into the backend of our rankings.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (100 Points): Nick Saban is returning most of his team, but lets be transparent, it doesn't really matter. Alabama is at the point in their dynasty where they can do no wrong. They're like the San Antonio Spurs or New England Patriots. Even in their "down years" they're winning double digit games and competing for conference and national titles. It's very possible that someone other than the Crimson Tide will win it all next year, but it's unrealistic to think that Saban's team won't be right there. QB Tua Tagovailoa (and QB Jalen Hurts), RB Damien Harris, and WR Henry Ruggs III should all be back. They'll be just fine. Plus guys like DE Eyabi Anoma coming in make for 247 Sports' fifth ranked recruiting class.

Potential Losses: Louisville, @ LSU, Auburn.

2. Georgia Bulldogs (95 Points): Kirby Smart has led his team to a 20-7 record over the first two years of his tenure, while winning the SEC title and Rose Bowl, and then losing the in the CFP national title game. It's been a dream start for the program, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Georgia already has a pair of legit quarterbacks: QB Jake Fromm and QB Jacob Eason, and they're only adding to that, bringing in the No. 2 recruit, QB Justin Fields. He'll add yet another dynamic to this football team, as the QB spot will be more athletic and mobile than before. RB D'Andre Swift will be the starting back as they graduate a pair of senior backs, but they'll be the favorite in the SEC East. No doubt. Georgia will have to try and rebound from the national title loss, which will be difficult, but they aren't going away.

Potential Losses: @ South Carolina, @ LSU, Auburn.

3. Clemson Tigers (93 Points): Dabo Swinney has guided the Tigers to three CFP appearances, and if they made it a fourth next season, not many people would be surprised. He has created a winning culture on campus and everyone expects to win a national championship year in and year out. QB Kelly Bryant will be back for his senior year after going 12-2 in his first year as a starter, but the rich get richer as they say, since they'll also be adding No. 1 recruit, QB Trevor Lawerence. RB Travis Etienne is ready for another go around, and he'll see more and more carries as his experience grows. And obviously the defense is going to be as angry as usual. With only one other ACC in these rankings, Clemson is the class of the conference again. We'll see an early test for this team as they get Texas A&M in Week 2.

Potential Losses: @ Texas A&M, @ Florida State, @ Wake Forest.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (84 Points): Urban Meyer will have to start over at the quarterback spot since four-year starter, QB J.T. Barrett, is graduating. But from what we saw from QB Dwayne Haskins against Michigan, he has at least one guy who is ready to play at a high level. Not to mention that the Buckeyes have QB Tate Martell who is coming off of a redshirt season. There is going to be a quarterback battle in Columbus, but either option seems legitimate. Oh, and Ohio State is bringing back DL Nick Bosa and RB J.K. Dobbins. Yeah, the Bucks are going to be just fine. They'll open the season as Big Ten favorites once again, but road games against TCU and Michigan State won't be cake walks to say the least. They also have to travel to Penn State in the middle of the year to complete a difficult schedule.

Potential Losses: @ TCU, @ Michigan State, Michigan.

5. Wisconsin Badgers (59 Points): Paul Chryst led the Badgers to their best season in school history, completing a 13-win season, and they have a load of talent coming back. Not to mention that they are in one of the easiest divisions in Power Five football. The Big Ten West doesn't have a ton of competition for Wisconsin, unless either Northwestern or Nebraska take a giant leap forward in the offseason. This is going to be the Badgers' division to lose once again, and they'll be the heavy favorites given how many key players are returning. And while Chryst is saying goodbye to a few defenders, the core offensive unit will be back. QB Alex Hornibrook, who will be a junior, is going to be the likely starter unless something changes. However, the biggest returner is RB Jonathan Taylor. He was one of the best running backs in the nation and will be a top candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year, and even the Heisman Trophy next year. Watch out for Wisconsin, like always.

Potential Losses: @ Michigan, @ Northwestern, @ Penn State.

6. Miami Hurricanes (58 Points): Mark Richt is doing something right in Miami, and it seems as though he has the program headed in a promising direction. After starting 10-0 this past season, they ended the year with three consecutive losses, but it was fun to see what this team was capable of. QB Malik Rosier should be returning for his senior year, and unless RB Mark Walton goes to the NFL, he'll be back as well. It's important to note that the Canes experienced most of their success without Walton, as he was injured. If he can come in and get back to being the best offensive player on the team, they could compete with just about anybody. However, it's going to be difficult to take the the ACC crown away from Clemson. It's also going to be a tough opening game as Week 1 pits the Hurricanes against the LSU Tigers. If Miami can win that game, they'll have a big time victory to add to their resume early.

Potential Losses: LSU, Florida State, @ Virginia Tech.

7. Auburn Tigers (42 Points): Gus Malzahn has decided to sign an extension after a very successful month of November that saw his team defeat Georgia and Alabama, the two teams that met in the national title game. Even though December and January weren't as good, going 0-2 to end the year, the Tigers have their signal caller coming back to try and redeem himself from a pair of underwhelming performances. That is QB Jarrett Stidham. The Baylor transfer has a lot of NFL-like skills, but will come back with a chip on his shoulder after struggling to the end the year. Although RB Kerryon Johnson and RB Kamryn Pettway are both on their way to the NFL Draft, so this team will need someone else to step up in the backfield. Auburn should be in store for another nine win season, but their road games against Georgia and Alabama, as well as a neutral site game against Washington, will be hard to navigate through unscathed. Expect between 8-10 wins from this program again.

Potential Losses: Washington, @ Georgia, @ Alabama.

8. Central Florida Knights (34 Points): Scott Frost is on his way to Nebraska, leaving UCF after two seasons, one of which was the first undefeated season in school history. The Knights have a ton of talent coming back, headlined by star QB McKenzie Milton. But he'll have to mesh with a brand new head coach, Josh Heupel, which may take some time. UCF should open as favorites to win the American, but it's not going to be easy to go unbeaten again because of how difficult their schedule is. However, if the Knights were to run the table again, they'd have a realistic shot at making the CFP. That's easier said than done with road games against North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Memphis, as well as home games versus Florida Atlantic and South Florida.

Potential Losses: @ North Carolina, Florida Atlantic, @ Memphis.

9. Michigan State Spartans (34 Points): Mark Dantonio is one of the most underrated coaches in all of the nation, and he put that on full display this past season, with a 10-3 record, a year after going 3-9. Michigan State's season included a bowl victory over Washington State, which proved just how good this team was. And they're going to have a lot of athletes back for another go around. QB Brian Lewerke and RB L.J. Scott are back, and they're going to be expected to challenge Ohio State in the Big Ten East. The Spartans will have a solid defense, as they always seem to have, and their schedule is pretty friendly, considering just how difficult of a division they're in. Michigan State does have to travel to Happy Valley to face Penn State, but Sparty plays host to Michigan and Ohio State which could be extremely important come October and November.

Potential Losses: @ Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State.

10. USC Trojans (34 Points): Clay Helton has turned the USC program around, making them a serious contender year in and year out once again. They will be expected to win the Pac-12 as they did this past year, along with the likes of Stanford and Washington. Those three teams are far and away the best in the conference, but the Trojans should be at the top of the class entering spring practice. While QB Sam Darnold has announced that he will take his talents to the NFL Draft, there is still a lot of talent returning. That is headlined by LB Cameron Smith, the best defensive player on the team, who has already said that he'll come back for his senior year. We'll see who is the starting quarterback to start the season, but it's likely going to be either QB Anthony Neyer or QB Conner Sullivan. Whichever player can step up and make a difference will help prove how good this team can be. They could get off to a tough start, though, because the start of the schedule is very difficult. USC opens with UNLV which should be a win, but road games against Stanford, Texas, and Arizona within the first five weeks will be hard to run through.

Potential Losses: @ Stanford, @ Texas, Notre Dame.

Next Fives Teams:

11. Penn State (26)

12. Oklahoma (25)

13. Texas A&M (19)

14. Michigan (17)

15. Notre Dame (16)

Photo Credit: ACC Sports.