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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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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 01: Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love (20) gives thanks after his touchdown run during the PAC-12 Championship game between the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinals on Friday, December 01, 2017 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 01: Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love (20) gives thanks after his touchdown run during the PAC-12 Championship game between the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinals on Friday, December 01, 2017 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Stanford got great news earlier this week when 2017 Heisman runner-up Bryce Love officially announced his intention to return to Stanford to continue his pre-med education – and play a little football as well. Love’s return is especially important for a team that suffered through injury and inconsistency throughout an up-and-down 9-5 season that ended with back-to-back losses to USC and TCU.

Strengths:

Love, who ran for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging 8.2 yards per carry. As the highest returning Heisman vote-getter and the nation’s second-leading rusher, he is an obvious strength, but it’s also worth noting Love piled up much of that yardage while nursing an ankle injury. He even missed a game against Oregon State (which Stanford nearly lost).

A healthy Love, quarterback K.J. Costello, two starters from what is consistently one of the meanest, nastiest offensive lines in the country and the team’s top four pass catchers from last year should combine to give the Cardinal plenty of scoring opportunities next season.

Weaknesses:

Head coach David Shaw’s teams are known for his big, pro-style offenses and stingy defenses. However, the Cardinal were below average on defense last season, ranking 59th in S&P+ (27.0), 76th in total defense (405.1 yards allowed per game) and 90th in yards allowed per play (5.98) – each the worst of Shaw’s tenure. To make matters worse, the coaching staff must replace its top seven tacklers from last year’s group, including safety Justin Reid and corner Quenton Meeks, who opted for the NFL Draft, and elite defensive lineman Harrison Phillips.

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