Alabama Football: ‘Not as too early’ College Football Top 15
By Ronald Evans
With 2020 recruiting finished, attention on Alabama football can focus on another National Championship quest. Check out other Top 15 contenders.
The Bama Hammer staff has been following ‘way too early’ rankings for the last month. Where Alabama football ranks on any list is always of interest. We have waited to add our own take, primarily because doing it earlier would have been WAY too early. Now, with NSD over, rosters are as settled as they can be in the portal era.
The portal will continue to impact rosters for months. Most of the movement will come from teams shedding lesser-used players. These players often find new homes at weaker programs. Jerome Ford moving from Alabama football to the Cincinnati Bearcats is an example.
Though it is the minority of transfers, there are examples of skilled, experienced players providing a boost to teams. Joey Gatewood to Kentucky, Feleipe Franks to Arkansas and K. J. Costello to Mississippi State are quarterbacks who can make impacts. Boobie Whitlow moving from Auburn to TBD is another player who could quickly improve a new team.
The portal is filled with dozens and dozens of players. In many cases, littered might be a more accurate term than filled. More than a few college coaches would agree.
Anyway, for top programs such as Alabama football, future transfers will not have much, or any impact, on the 2020 season. Which leads us to the Bama Hammer, ‘Not as too early’ Top 15. Why just 15 teams? Beyond 15, the unknowns are so great, any ranking would list teams with no chance to contend for a National Championship. Most Crimson Tide fans are primarily interested in the Tide and threats to the Tide. Going beyond 15, it is hard to find any.
‘Not as too early’ Bama Hammer – College Football Top 15
Note: The five Bama Hammer staff members voting were: Ronald Evans; Ronald Moody; Zachary Mangum; Jeremy Grace and CJ Dew. The maximum number of possible points is 75.
- Clemson – 73 points
- Alabama – 68 points
- Ohio State – 67 points
- Georgia – 58 points
- Oklahoma – 50 points
- LSU – 47 points
- Penn State – 43 points
- Florida – 40 points
- Oregon – 34 points
- Wisconsin – 28 points
- Auburn – 20 points
- Minnesota – 19 points
- Texas A&M – 18 points
- Texas – 13 points
- Michigan – 8 points
Quick math shows the ACC and the Pac 12 have one school each. The Big 12 has two schools. The B1G has five schools. The SEC leads with six schools.
Next. Return of Elite Tide Defense. dark
Are we homers? Despite what Tim Brando says, we are not, or at least, we work hard to be open-minded. The rankings cannot be ‘explained’ in this post because doing so would require quoting a wide range of individual opinions. Bama Hammer, Contributor, Zachary Mangum has the huge task of a deep-dive into his individual Top 25. Our newest Contributor, CJ Dew will soon offer his take on the teams with the best CFB Playoff chances. Don’t miss these future posts.