COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM PREVIEWS
PART I: TEAMS A-F
Air Force: Troy Calhoun has done a great job in his 10 years at Air Force. Last year looked like it was going to be an outstanding season as they were 8-3 in November, but they ended the season with three straight loses. Calhoun has an experienced team this year as 14 starters return, including almost the entire defense. Senior Nate Romine is back at QB for the Falcons after tearing his ACL in the second game of last year. Air Force has two outstanding offensive weapons in running back Jacobi Jones and electrifying wide receiver Jalen Robinette, who averaged almost 18 yards per reception last year and will go down as one of the best receivers ever at Air Force. The Falcons lost All Mountain West defensive end Alex Hansen, but he was the only significant defensive loss.
Schedule is manageable and they play Mountain West power Boise State and service academy rival Navy at home, but we still think those are both loses as are games at Utah State and at Fresno State. They do avoid San Diego State, but it looks to us like another eight-win season in 2016.
Alabama: Bama returns just 11 starters, but the new players are all studs so it’s once again reload time in Tuscaloosa. The Tide will have the country’s third best defense led by defensive end Jonathan Allen, who is a beast and will be a top 5 pick in next year’s NFL draft. Linebacker Ruben Foster and defensive back Eddie Jackson are All American candidates.They do lose all-world cornerback Cyrus Jones, who was the second round pick of the New England Patriots, but the defense is loaded everywhere with quality players. We expect Cooper Bateman to take over for Jake Coker at QB. We think he’ll be the fifth first-year QB to lead the Tide to the National Championship. Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry and the electrifying Kenyan Drake (above) have moved on to the NFL, but Bateman will still hand off to a very highly regarded, though inexperienced, group of running backs led by Damien Harris and Bo Scarborough. They will run behind one of the nation’s best offensive lines, especially if Cam Robinson is reinstated as expected after being arrested last spring for carrying a stolen gun. Nick Saban has stockpiled talent throughout the program and Alabama will once again be in the conversation for the National Championship. The schedule is very tough with four real tests. Alabama had been favored in 72 straight games before being a one-point underdog at Georgia last October. They will be favored in every game this fall and wrap up another National Championship season!
Arizona: Head Coach Rich Rodriguez has done a nice job at Arizona, posting winning records in his first four seasons in the desert. He again has a talented squad with 15 returning starters. QB Anu Soloman returns as does outstanding running back Nick Wilson, who was leading the Pac-12 in rushing before getting banged up with various injuries and missing three games. The offensive line returns three starters, led by outstanding left tackle Freddie Tagaloa. Wide receiver position took a hit as they graduated three of their top four pass catchers from last season, but there is a lot of potential talent at the position. The defense returns eight starters and will be much improved after struggling mightily last season. The Wildcats have tough road games against UCLA and BYU and at home versus USC, Stanford and Arizona State. We see those games all as losses giving Arizona a 7-5 record in 2015.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils have talent, but return just 10 starters and are definitely not a Top 20 team. Outstanding QB Mike Bercovici has graduated and will be replaced by red-shirt freshman Brady 
White. White was one of the top high school QBs in the country two years ago and features an above average arm and quick release. He will hand off to a talented group of running backs led by DeMario Richard (left). The receiving corps loses its top three pass catchers from last year and needs Tennessee transfer Ryan Jenkins and highly touted true freshman Keal Harry to step in and add more depth. The defensive returns six starters and adds highly touted JUCO players who hope to improve on last year’s lousy numbers. Arizona State gets Texas Tech, Cal and UCLA at home, but has to face USC, Oregon and Washington on the road. We see the Sun Devils with too many question marks this season and have them ending up with a 5-7 record.
Arkansas: Tale of two seasons for Brett Bielema’s team last year. They lost four of their first six games, including an awful 16-12 loss to Toledo, and then won six of their next seven games to finish 8-5. Lots of question marks on offense for Arkansas as Brandon Allen is gone at quarterback and will be replaced by his brother Austin. Arkansas also must replace three starters from one of the nation’s top offensive lines in 2015 and both All American running backs Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. The only strong position group on offense is at wide receiver where Keon Hatcher is back after breaking his leg in the third game of last year and while tight end Hunter Henry is off to the NFL, the Hogs have a strong group of pass catchers. Nine starters return on a defense that was a big disappointment last year, allowing 27 points a game. The Razorback schedule is not as tough as last year’s, but still features tough games at TCU and Auburn as well as home battles with Alabama, LSU and Florida. We’ll call for a 7-5 season.
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Army: Head Coach Jeff Monken’s second season at West Point was an abomination as the Black Knights went 2-10. Army has really underachieved the last five years going a pathetic 14-46. With 16 starters returning, Army will at least double its win total from 2015 and if the offense comes together they could even win six games and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010. The offense will be led by Chris Carter at QB. The Knights have several talented running backs and should improve on last year disappointing rushing numbers. Defense will be led by Army’s best line in years. Linebackers are all back while the secondary only loses cornerback Chris Cornegie. The Army athletic department has been softening the schedule the last few years and again this year the Knights play Lafayette, North Texas and Morgan State. Those games are wins as are three more, which will help Army go 6-6 and qualify for a bowl game.
Auburn: Auburn returns just 12 starters and brings in new coordinator Kevin Steele to improve a defense that was a big disappointment last year under Will Muschamp. 
One of the reasons was the loss of All American defensive lineman Carl Lawson for six games with an injury. The Tigers were much better with him in the lineup and if he can stay healthy in 2016, the defense will be much improved. Head Coach and offensive play-caller Gus Malzahn (right) is under the gun this year. Auburn was the most disappointing team in the country in 2015 and while Malzahn is still revered for his offensive acumen, boosters ran Gene Chizek out of town two years after he won the National championship and it could happen to Malzahn if the offense doesn’t click in 2016. Highly touted QB Jeremy Johnson was a bust in 2015 and it’s a neck-and-neck battle to see if he or Florida State transfer John Franklin will be at the controls of the Tigers high-speed spread offense. Running back Javon Robinson was benched for the first half of last year for missing team meetings but ran for 639 yards over the last six. He hopefully has learned his lesson and can be counted on this fall. Tigers lose their top two receivers from last year but add the best high school and junior college receivers in the country. Tigers play a typically tough SEC schedule that includes home games with LSU, Arkansas and the ACC’s Clemson. Road tests versus Mississippi, Georgia and, of course, Alabama. We have correctly predicted Auburn’s exact record in four of the last six years and forecast a 7-5 mark in 2016.
Baylor: This team has a ton of talent but how does it respond to the sexual scandal that rocked the campus, caused half of their recruiting class to transfer and cost Head coach Art Briles his job? Many preseason publications are glossing over the tumultuous happenings in Waco but I think it is going to have a big impact on the Bears. Luckily, the schedule sets up nicely to get off to a fast start and, as mentioned they are loaded with skill players led by QB Seth Russell. Running back Shock Linwood, has run for over 3,000 yards the last three years and will be playing on Sundays next fall. The Bears lose the best receiver in the country, Corey Coleman, but speedster KD Cannon is back and will become the feature receiver for Russell. Defense will be one of Baylor’s biggest question marks. The defensive front was decimated by graduation losing all four starters. However, the linebackers and secondary are experienced and deep. The schedule features five out of six gimmees to start the season before a hellish six-game finish that features home games with Kansas State and TCU as well as road games with Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia and Texas Tech. That’s too tough a stretch to survive without losing a game or two. This team has the talent to win a National Championship, but there are too many questions marks in Waco.
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Boise State: The Broncos return eight starters on offense led by QB Brett Rypien. Boise’s high-powered offense features outstanding running back Jeremy McNichols, who rushed for 1,336 yards in 2015 despite missing a game and Thomas Sperbeckt leads the best group of receivers in the Mountain West Conference. The defensive line loses all four starters, but has depth while the linebackers are among the nation’s best. Defensive backs are solid but did graduate a pair of All Mountain West performers. Head Coach Bryan Harsin has done a good job last in his first two seasons at Boise. We see the Broncos going 8-4 in 2016.
Boston College: Head Coach Steve Addazio’s BC Eagles were winless in the ACC and 3-9 overall last year despite having the best defense in the country. BC is much more experienced this season returning 15 starters. Kentucky transfer Patrick Towles will be a much -needed improvement at QB over Darius Wade. Running back Jon Hillman returns and will run behind an offensive line that got a lot of experience last year. On defense the Eagles lost defensive coordinator Don Brown who is off to Michigan but new DC Jim Reid inherits one of the ACC’s best group of linebackers and secondary personnel. The question mark is on the defensive front that lost graduated its top two players. BC had gone 7-5 in each of Addazio’s first two years before flaming out in 2015. With a new QB and much improved offense it looks like a 6-6 season in Chestnut Hill.
BYU: Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall surprisingly left for Virginia after compiling 99-43 record in Provo. New Head Coach is Kalani Sitake, who played at BYU in the late ’90s and has been a widely respected defensive coordinator at Utah. New offensive coordinator is BYU legend Ty Detmer and he has two outstanding QBs to work with. Tayson Hill has played in only six games over the last two years after breaking his foot in the opening game last year and shredding every ligament in his knee in the 5th game of 2014. That opened the door for talented true freshman Tanner Magnum who had an outstanding regular season before blowing up and committing five turnovers in the Las Vegas Bowl. If Hill can stay healthy, a big “if” given his history, he will be the starter. He will be joined in the backfield by running back Jamaal Williams (left), who also has not played much the last two years. He was BYU’s leading rusher in 2014 despite just playing four games because of injury and missing last year for alcohol violations. He will run behind an experienced BYU offensive line. The Cougars will have an inexperienced group of receivers and will lean heavily on 6-foot-6 senior Nick Kurtz. Defense will miss Independent All Stars cornerback Michael Wadsorth and All World defensive end Bronson Kaufusi who was one of the best to ever play for BYU and who was a third-round draft choice of the Baltimore Ravens, but they have veteran talent at all positions and should match last year’s outstanding defensive statistics. We have correctly picked BYU’s win total in SIX OF THE LAST SEVEN YEARS! This year the schedule is really tough and BYU has a new head coach and coordinators but they also have a ton of talent. If they can stay healthy we predict an 8-4 regular season for BYU.
California: It will be a rebuilding year for the Bears in 2015. Head Coach Sonny Dykes fourth year in Berkeley finds him with just nine returning starters. QB Jared Goff was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft by the Rams after breaking over 16 school passing records. Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb takes over at QB and as talented as he is he will not be as good as Goff, the Bears all- time passing leader. RB Khalfani Muhammad is a speed demon who has not lived up to the hype he received when he signed with Cal. This is his last year to deliver and if he can’t there are experienced runners who can be counted on. Offensive line will be led by All-Pac-12 left guard Chris Borrayo. Defense was bad again last year giving up 31 points per game and is inexperienced and loaded with question marks. New QB, tough schedule and a questionable defense make it a 5-7 season.
Cincinnati: Head coach Tommy Tuberville has a talented team at Cincy and they will win the AAC East Division. Sophomore Hayden Moore has won the QB job and will throw to the most inexperienced group of receivers in the nation as Cincy lost its top six pass catchers from last year! Defensively, Cincinnati returns eight starters led by safety Zach Edwards and linebacker Eric Wilson and will be one of the most improved defenses in college football in 2016. Cincy has a tough road game at Temple and home games versus Houston, BYU and Memphis. We have correctly predicted the Bearcats win total in six of the last seven years and see a 9-3 year in 2015.
Clemson: The National Champ runner-ups return some great skill players in Heisman favorite QB Deshaun Watson (right) and All ACC wide receivers Artavis Scott and Mike Williams. 
Junior running back Wayne Gallman returns after setting the school record for rushing with 1,527 yards last year. Clemson’s offensive line will be one of the best in the country. The Tigers defense was awesome last year but just like the year before, loses seven starters. They also have to replace seven NFL players as all members of last year defense that left were selected in last spring’s NFL draft! Clemson will handle their ACC brethren other than Florida State and end up 11-1. If they do, IT WILL BE THE 7TH TIME IN 8 YEARS THAT WE HAVE CORRECTLY PREDICTED CLEMSON’S WIN TOTAL.
Colorado: The Buffaloes have 23 scholarship seniors, the most in 10 years, as they recover from the damage done by Dan Hawkins and his lack of quality recruits. Head Coach Mike MacIntyre now has his recruits in place in his fourth season so he better produce or he is gone. The problem is that while Colorado will be better, the Pac 12 South is the second toughest division in college football so we look for a 5-7 season, which is a slight improvement over last year for long suffering Buffs fans. Senior QB Sefo Luifau will be starting for the fourth straight season and will hand off to the deepest group of running backs and throw to the best set of receivers Colorado has had in years. The defense was much improved last year going from giving up an average of 39 points per game in 2014 to just 24 in 2015, a 15 points per game difference! We look for continued defensive improvement this year with nine starters returning. CU has had 10 straight losing seasons is improved but the problem, as mentioned earlier, is that the schedule is really difficult and includes road trips to Michigan, Oregon, USC and Stanford as well as home testers versus Utah, UCLA and Arizona State.
Connecticut: The Huskies return 16 starters, including 10 on offense, and should get better production from their QB, RB and defense. Bryant Shirreffs is back at QB. After struggling last year, he should be much improved. Running back’s Arkeel Newsome and Ron Johnson form a good 1-2 punch in the backfield as both run hard and are hard to tackle. The offensive line returns intact and will be UConn’s best in years. The defense really improved last year going from giving up 30 points per game in 2015 to just 19 last year. They will be one of the ACC’s best defenses. It will be tough for the Huskies to win at Navy, USF, BC and Houston as well as at home against Cincinnati and Temple. They are all loses, meaning a 6-6 season.
Duke: The Blue Devils were one of the worst teams in the country for many years but we called the turnaround four years ago and have exactly predicted their record and return to bowl games in each of the last four years. Duke returns 12 starters in 2016 and although they have some big holes to fill on offense, we again expect them to go bowling with a 6-6 record. QB Thomas Stirk blew out his Achilles heel this offseason and is questionable to return this season. He will be replaced by Parker Boehme. Two of the top 3 wide receivers return led by Anthony Nash. Dual threat running back Shaun Wilson is back and will run behind an offensive line that returns three starters. Defense was Jekyll and Hyde last year giving up 9 points per game in the first six games and then an abysmal 40 points per game over the last seven! And it could be the same this year as they contain average teams but get run over by the big boys. Head Coach David Cutcliffe (right) has done a nice job over the last four years going 33-20 with four-straight bowl appearances. This year’s schedule is tough with home games against Virginia Tech and North Carolina as well as roadies at Notre Dame, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Miami that are all losses.
Florida: As predicted in last season’s Bondi Pre-Season Annual, Year 1 after Will Muschamp was a great one in Gainesville. New head coach Jim McElwain led the Gators to a 10-4 season despite having one of the worst offenses in the nation. Luke Del Rio, Jack’s kid, will be the QB and will throw to some talented receivers led by sophomore speedster Antonio Callaway, who averaged almost 20 yards per reception last fall. Running back is a wide open competition between junior college transfer Mark Thompson and returning backs Jordan Cronkite and Jordan Scarlett. The defense returns just six starters but will be led by two great ones in linebacker Jarrad Davis and cornerback Jalen Tabor. Schedule is a typical SEC brutal one so a repeat of last year’s 10-2 regular season mark will make it a great year for Coach McElwain and Gator Nation.
Florida State: What a job Jimbo Fisher has done taking over for Bobby Bowden and leading Florida State to a National Championship, the BCS Playoffs and a 68-4 record overall. The Seminoles are 39-4 their last 43 games and once again will be one of the nation’s most explosive and best teams. We expect super athletic QB Deondre Francois to win the QB job and lead FSU back to the BCS Playoffs. The offensive line returns intact and will be one of the best in the nation. Running back Dalvin Cook is a Heiman Trophy candidate and the receivers all return. The defense improved last year cutting its points allowed per game from 26 to 17, but it still is a far cry from their dominating defenses that only allowed 13 points per game from 2011 through 2013. FSU will be favored in all games this year and only Clemson can keep them from the BCS Playoffs.
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Fresno State: Head Coach Tim DeRuyter did a great job at Fresno in his first two seasons, but the last two have been ugly. True freshman QB Chason Virgil was hurt and out for the year in his first start last. He was one of the top QBs in the nation out of high school and we expect him to have a big year if he can stay healthy. JUCO transfer Dontel James takes over at running back and the top 3 receivers return.