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College Football Rankings 2018: Alabama, Clemson top way-too-early Top 25

By Nicholas Ian Allen

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Damien Harris (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Damien Harris (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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BOCA RATON, FL – SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls throws the ball prior to the game against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats on September 16, 2017 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. FAU defeated Bethune Cookman 45-0. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FL – SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls throws the ball prior to the game against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats on September 16, 2017 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. FAU defeated Bethune Cookman 45-0. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

FAU Owls. 21. team. 2399. . 11-3.

No one in their right mind would rank a Conference USA team in their Way-Too-Early Top 25, right? Especially after the College Football Playoff committee made its feelings on G5 programs known by failing to put undefeated UCF in the Top 10 of its rankings, much less its final four. And, even if FAU has the most interesting man in college football at the helm, there’s no way the Owls are worthy of the No. 21 rankings, right? Think again.

Strengths:

The college football world was intrigued with FAU from the moment Lane Kiffin left Tuscaloosa for Boca Raton, so the Owls didn’t exactly sneak up on anybody – even following a 3-9 2016 campaign. However, with Kiffin and Kendall Briles installing a new, high-powered offense, FAU quickly advanced from interesting to dangerous.

After 11 wins and a conference title – and an incredible No. 11 final ranking in Bill Connelly’s S&P+ advanced analytics ranking system, FAU is a program to be reckoned with.

Running back Devin Singletary ran for 1,920 yards and set a conference record with 32 rushing touchdowns last year as a sophomore. Singletary, quarterback Jason Driskel and leading receiver Willie Wright all return in 2018 to led a unit that won 10 straight games to finish the season while averaging 45.9 points per game over that span.

Oh, and the Owls are also set to return 10 starters and its top 12 tacklers from an underrated defense. Plus, huge early-season matchups with Oklahoma (Sept. 1 in Norman) and UCF (Sept. 22 in Orlando) should give the Owls an early stage with which to capture national attention.

Weaknesses:

Briles is off to Houston and Kiffin tabbed Charlie Weis, Jr. as his new offensive coordinator, which likely makes fans a little uneasy. Also, the C-USA schedule is ugly, and unless rival FIU takes another step forward in Year 2 of the Buth Davis era, the Owls won’t play a ranked team in league play.

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