2021 College Football Way-Too-Early Rankings

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide on winning the National Championship! Even though it wasn’t the closest game, they deserve it. Even though the college football season is over, I want to end it off with my way-too-early rankings. I see these rankings on ESPN every time a team wins the championship, whether it’s the Super Bowl, World Series, or the National Championship. There’s going to be a lot of players leaving, whether they’re graduating or entering the NFL Draft. That is a big part of ranking right after a season ended. Seeing who’s staying and who is leaving. So… without further ado, here is the ranking:

1. Alabama (won CFP title game) The Crimson Tide should still be one of the best. They lose a lot but having the number 1 recruiting class for next year (according to 247Sports) should help. Bryce Young has a lot of hype and if Dylan Moses and Najee Harris decide to return, this team could repeat for another championship. Steve Sarkisian is leaving after this season to become the head coach at Texas, which means Nick Saban has to find a replacement.
2. Clemson (lost CFP semifinal to Ohio State) Too bad the Trevor Lawrence era is over in Clemson. I would love to see one more season of that. D.J. Uiagalelei looks to replace the extremely hyped quarterback, and if we’ve seen anything from Clemson quarterbacks, he may be able to do that. He’s looked solid when he’s played in games, but can he handle the pressure of being the next starting quarterback? Only time will tell.
3. Oklahoma (won the Cotton Bowl over Florida) Oklahoma has produced some of the best quarterbacks in college football. Spencer Rattler and the Sooners were hot towards the end of the season, on an eight-game win streak including wins over Florida, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and a 4 overtime win over Texas. Oklahoma seeks to continue to be QBU if Rattler continues to progress.
4. Georgia (won the Peach Bowl over Cincinnati) I think JT Daniels can be a star quarterback for Georgia coming into the 2021 season. If there’s competition for the starting QB spot, it’s his to lose. The Bulldogs have yet to lose a game with a healthy JT Daniels, who recently announced he will return to Athens next season. The SEC should watch out for Georgia, who also has Zamir White and George Pickens back next season, two players I enjoyed watching this season.
5. Ohio State (lost CFP title game) Justin Fields is most likely gone, as he’s projected to be a top 10 pick. Who passes that up? With Fields gone, we don’t know who will be the next starting quarterback. The defense may lose a lot, but the receivers that are going to be on next year’s roster, including Garrett Wilson, are too good for them not to be high on my list.
6. Iowa State (won the Fiesta Bowl over Oregon) The Cyclones will finish the season with their highest AP ranking ever. Let that sink in, Cyclones fans. I am very impressed with what Matt Campbell has done in Ames. Brock Purdy is back and that means the Big 12 could see Iowa State as a top 3 team in the conference for the years to come.
7. Notre Dame (lost CFP semifinal to Alabama) The lone ACC season for the Fighting Irish was a big success. I hope they keep that, but then that could make rivalry games such as Notre Dame-USC not happen. I do like more competition in the ACC though. Most fun ACC season we’ve had in a while. Jack Coan transferred to South Bend from Wisconsin, but he’s not a lock for the starting quarterback position as Ian Book graduates.
8. Texas A&M (won the Orange Bowl over North Carolina) The Aggies were in CFP conversation and some argued they should’ve been in over Notre Dame, even though I disagree and that the committee got it right. Jimbo Fisher has to be happy with those conversations, but he’s gotta find himself a quarterback to replace Kellen Mond, who is graduating.
9. Cincinnati (lost the Peach Bowl to Georgia) The Bearcats competed with one of the top SEC programs in a New Year’s Six Bowl. That sounds good for the future of the program. Cincinnati is the best program in the American (right now, and it’s not close) and I think they could be playing just as well next year. Desmond Ridder returns at quarterback and Jerome Ford is the RB1, but the front seven could be upgraded.
10. Florida (lost the Cotton Bowl to Oklahoma) I’m not sold on Florida. They ended on a 3 game losing streak, they lose Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts, and Kadarious Toney. I may have overrated them, but their defense doesn’t take as much of a hit. The Gators are a big boom/bust team for the 2021 season.
11. North Carolina (lost the Orange Bowl to Texas A&M) Bring on Mack Brown and Sam Howell. Coming off a loss to the Aggies, I think the Tar Heels can be just as good. They won’t have the best RB depth in the country like they did this year, but they have a strong secondary.
12. USC (lost Pac-12 Championship Game to Oregon) Clay Helton was on the biggest hot seat in college football, but he may have saved his job with a good, but a short season.
13. Texas (won the Alamo Bowl over Colorado) Sam Ehlinger is gone, but in return, they get Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian at head coach. The receivers don’t take a hit and the defense improves. This is where the rankings start to get shaky for me.
14. Miami (lost the Cheez-It Bowl to Oklahoma State) I feel bad for D’Eriq King, who tore his ACL. If he can recover well, then the Hurricanes should again find themselves as a top 3 team in the ACC, especially now that Notre Dame is back to being independent.
15. LSU (defeated Ole Miss at home) The cornerbacks in Baton Rouge are going to be one of the best in the league. The Tigers experienced a disappointing season after winning the National Championship just a year ago. Max Johnson created some momentum for LSU, but there’s a lot of uncertainty for their second year without Joe Burrow.
16. Oregon (lost the Fiesta Bowl to Iowa State) I only watched two games and my takeaway was that Kayvon Thibodeaux was a beast. He dominated the Pac-12 Championship game against USC and he’s just a sophomore. Tyler Shough is going to be in his second year at quarterback and the Ducks will have to look for a new defensive coordinator.
17. Oklahoma State (won the Cheez-It Bowl over Miami) Spencer Sanders looks to produce more next season. The Cowboys will miss running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace, as they will be drafted in April.
18. Iowa (defeated Wisconsin at home) The Hawkeyes will have their QB1 and RB1 returning next season and they finished the season on a 6 game winning streak. Tyler Linderbaum comes back as one of the best offensive linemen in the country.
19. Indiana (lost the Outback Bowl to Ole Miss) Michael Penix Jr. experienced a late season-ending injury but will return next year. Ty Fryfogle, the Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year, is back as well. I’ve never seen Indiana as good at football, but here we are.
20. Penn State (defeated Illinois at home) Micah Parsons and Journey Brown not playing was a huge loss for the Nittany Lions. Glad we saw Penn State end the season on a winning streak after starting 0-5. They also get a new offensive coordinator.
21. Wisconsin (won the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over Wake Forest) Wisconsin dominated the second half over Wake Forest, picking up what seemed like an interception every time the Demon Deacons got the ball (who, by the way, NEED to address the QB situation after that awful game by Sam Hartman). Graham Mertz replaced Jack Coan well.
22. Coastal Carolina (lost the Cure Bowl to Liberty) I loved what I saw from the Chanticleers this season even though their perfect record was shattered by Liberty. Grayson McCall returns and the Sun Belt is no longer the “Fun Belt” anymore, with 3 teams having strong seasons in recent years (Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Louisiana).
23. Arizona State (defeated Oregon State on the road) The Sun Devils only had a 2-2 record due to COVID-19. Herman Edwards is gone, but it’s time for Jayden Daniels to step up as quarterback next season. They either had close losses (including one against USC) or blowout wins.
24. Ole Miss (won the Outback Bowl over Indiana) They’ll have to replace what star wide receiver Elijah Moore brought to Oxford. Averaging 39.2 points per game this past season, things look up good for the Rebels.
25. Auburn (lost the Citrus Bowl to Northwestern) Auburn had a rocky season, but if Bo Nix can clean up his weaknesses and make his strengths better, Auburn could be pretty good next season. They have a tough schedule, especially before the Iron Bowl.