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Top 5 2016 College Football Playoff contenders

By John Buhler

Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) looks to throw during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) looks to throw during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 21, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) warms up before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) warms up before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

LSU Tigers

While the SEC will almost certainly have one of the four best teams in the 2016 NCAA season, it is rather difficult to decide which team is most likely to come out on top. The SEC West is still arguably the toughest division in the Power 5 and the SEC East should look improved in 2016 with the division’s strong new coaching hires.

Though the SEC Champion will likely come down to whoever wins the Alabama/LSU game on November 5th in Baton Rouge, either the Alabama Crimson Tide or the LSU Tigers will represent the SEC in the 2016 College Football Playoff as likely the strongest one-loss team in the country.

There are several reasons that the Tigers will best the Tide in 2016 to win the SEC West, and therefore the SEC. The Alabama/LSU rivalry game is in Tiger Stadium. LSU will have the best returning player in the SEC in true junior running back Leonard Fournette. The quarterback situation can’t be any worse than it has been in Baton Rouge the last few years. LSU almost always has a defense full of pros. Head coach Les Miles likely needs a monster season with the Tigers to keep his job beyond 2016.

For those reasons and a strong non-SEC West schedule (the Wisconsin Badgers at Lambeau Field and the Florida Gators and the Missouri Tigers out of the SEC East), all Miles has to do is trust in Fournette and the talent he has annually on defense for the Tigers to win the SEC.

Teams like Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, Georgia and Tennessee could all win the SEC in 2016, but LSU seems to have the most going for it heading into the fall. Bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class only adds more fuel to the fire for the Bayou Bengals.

Next: 4. Big 12

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