College football rankings 2019: Every FBS team from 1-130, ranked

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EAST LANSING, MI – AUGUST 31: Jordan Love #10 of the Utah State Aggies throws a second half pass while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

It didn’t take long for former Florida and Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain to get another opportunity to lead a program, and Central Michigan should be a quick rebuild in the MAC despite last year’s 1-11 drop-off.

Quarterback options abound. Despite returning a pair of starters in Tommy Lazzaro and Tony Poljan (who has moved to tight end), McElwain added former Tennessee and Houston transfer Quinten Dormady and JUCO transfer (via Memphis) David Moore. Running back should also be strong.

WKU suffered a quick reverse in fortune under Mike Sanford and turned to new head coach Tyson Helton (who had the OC title under former Hilltoppers coach Jeff Brohm in 2014-15) to turn things back around. Arkansas transfer Ty Storey will challenge Steven Duncan for the starting quarterback job, and with a strong receiver corps and offensive line, either will have an opportunity to excel.

Navy’s 10-loss 2018 campaign came out of nowhere. The Midshipmen posted a winning record in 14 of the previous 15 seasons, including the last six under head coach Ken Niumatalolo. Coach Ken also welcomed back Malcolm Perry, easily the most dynamic offensive weapon to suit up for Navy since Keenan Reynolds.

While splitting time between slot back and quarterback, Perry (who will likely play quarterback exclusively in 2019) surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season. However, the defense allowed 33.5 points per game, which ranked 103rd in the country.

Mike Bobo led Colorado State to bowl games in each of his first three seasons, but the Rams languished last year while attempting to navigate the Mountain West with the least experienced roster in the country. Bobo, who also dealt with health problems throughout the season, has an opportunity to get back on track with a potent passing attack featuring quarterback Collin Hill, huge receiver Warren Jackson and Auburn transfer and former five-star recruit Nate Craig-Myers.

Speaking of health problems, we’d like to offer best wishes to Barney Cotton, who resigned as UNLV offensive coordinator recently and is awaiting a heart transplant.

Cotton tutored Rebels quarterback Armani Rogers during the last two seasons, and the super-athletic Rogers has the potential to be an All-Mountain West performer. He’ll run behind the No. 2 offensive line in the conference, according to CFB Winning Edge O-Line Strength ratings. Defensively, the Rebels rank No. 3 in the conference in Roster Strength at linebacker, and No. 4 in the league at defensive back.

Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery also has a talented quarterback on hand and is likely to turn to Baylor transfer Zach Smith to lead the Golden Hurricane offense in 2019. Smith (or returning starter Seth Boomer) must work behind the No. 129 offensive line in the country in terms of O-Line Strength, but he’ll have plenty of weapons at the skill positions, including running back Shamari Brooks and receivers Keenan Johnson and Keylon Stokes.

Nevada is looking for a new quarterback, and Malik Henry (of Last Chance U fame) is in the mix following a dazzling spring performance. Though the Wolf Pack lost leading receiver McLane Mannix to transfer, the rest of the unit returns. Running backs Toa Taua and Kelton Moore are two of the best big backs in the league, and Gabe Sewell (who flirted with the transfer portal this spring) is a tackling machine at linebacker.

In case you haven’t noticed the run of Mountain West teams, we expect the conference to be very competitive in 2019. Air Force is always a threat to make noise in the Mountain Division, and this year should be no different with two experienced quarterbacks returning along with a talented group of running backs. Defensive lineman Jordan Jackson is an All-Conference candidate and leads a unit ranked No. 16 in the country in run defense (116.9) last year.

The return of the Run-and-Shoot paid off handsomely for Hawaii in 2018. Cole McDonald stepped into the starting quarterback role and threw for 3,875 yards (most among returning FBS quarterbacks) and 36 touchdowns. Fully healthy after dealing with multiple uncomfortable (and reportedly downright gruesome) injuries last year, McDonald should post big numbers again.

The Rainbow Warriors return a total of 18 starters (tied for most in the country), but it will be difficult to reach eight wins again because UH must play three Pac-12 opponents to open the season (plus Army in the finale) after not facing a P5 opponent at all a year ago.

Utah State fans are probably shocked to see the Aggies listed in the triple digits, and with star quarterback Jordan Love and 100-rated linebacker David Woodward back from last year’s 11-2 campaign, it’s understandable. Nevertheless, CFB Winning Edge Roster Strength numbers believe Utah State has the No. 90 receiving corps, No. 104 offensive line, No. 100 defensive line and No. 112 secondary.

But worse, new/old head coach Gary Andersen, who thrived in Logan earlier this decade, ranks 123rd overall and 11th in the Mountain West with a 70.48 Head Coach rating thanks to 26-36 record combined between stops at Wisconsin and Oregon State.