Fansided

College football rankings 2018: FanSided preseason Top 25

By Connor Muldowney

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs with the football during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs with the football during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 26
Next
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 27: Texas Longhorns take the field during the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 27: Texas Longhorns take the field during the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Tom Herman may be heading into the 2018 season with plenty of controversy surrounding him and his potential involvement in the Urban Meyer-Zach Smith situation, but he needs to block out the house, wait for the facts to present themselves, and realize he has one of the most talented squads in the country.

Six starters return on offense, including two quarterbacks who have starting experience. Sam Ehlinger had a strong freshman season and helped lead the Longhorns to seven wins and a Texas Bowl win over Missouri, but is he the best long-term option? He passed for 1,915 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions and is the lead returning rusher, too. Some believe Shane Buechele could be the better passer — he started as a freshman in 2016.

Outside of a quarterback battle, the Longhorns will have a decent wide receiving corps returning, led by Collin Johnson, as well as a fight for the starting running back job.

The Longhorns’ defense was No. 2 in the Big 12 in terms of yards allowed per game last season and many big names return, including Brandon Jones, Breckyn Hager, Charles Omenihu, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis.