College football rankings: Which preseason Top 10 team will be the biggest bust in 2019?

Which team in the AP top 10 will be the biggest bust in the 2019 college football season?

With the release of the AP top 25, college football feels closer than ever. Every year the votes come in for the top 25 teams heading into the season. Due to college football’s unpredictable nature, there are always top teams who flop under the pressure of being ranked in the top 10.

Last season, the Wisconsin Badgers started the season at number five in the AP poll. They ended up finishing the season unranked. In 2017, Florida State started the year at number 10 and ended up 7-6, also finishing unranked.

While the pattern might not continue, some team in the top 10 will not meet expectations in 2019. Let’s look at a few candidates who could falter this year.

Michigan Wolverines

Some things in college football don’t change. One of those things is “this is Michigan’s year”. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has yet to deliver a Big Ten championship appearance, let alone a national championship. Many are touting 2019 as the year for the Wolverines because they host Michigan State, Ohio State, and Notre Dame this season. However, Michigan still has Shea Patterson at quarterback, who has proven to be inconsistent. The Wolverines also lost Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, and Devin Bush on defense. While Michigan won’t have the colossal disappointment of falling outside the top 25, I think they lose to Ohio State and Notre Dame once again and disappoint the fanbase with a New Year’s Six bowl trip.

Florida Gators

The Florida Gators enjoyed a resurgence under Dan Mullen last season, and they rank eighth in the AP poll heading into 2019. We know the defense will be strong, headlined by cornerback C.J. Henderson and a ferocious front. The question mark exists at the quarterback position. Can Feleipe Franks grow at quarterback, or will someone else take the reigns? They start off with a big test against Miami, which could be a struggle for four quarters. The Gators also have back-to-back weeks against Auburn and LSU, along with their yearly tilt against Georgia. The SEC East could be tricky this year, with plenty of trap games on the schedule.

LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers sit at number six on the poll heading into 2019, and they are in a similar situation as Florida is. The offense is the big question. Will Joe Burrow be enough at quarterback, and does he have enough around him? Their schedule isn’t easy either. LSU heads to Austin in week two to play the Longhorns, who are getting a lot of hype this year. They play four other ranked teams (Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Texas A&M) and have an interesting battle against Jordan Love and Utah State on the schedule as well. There are some losses there, but it’s hard to imagine LSU having more than four.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame starts the season ranked ninth in the poll after a 2018 season that saw them go undefeated in the regular season and earn a College Football Playoff spot. This year will be a little tougher for the Fighting Irish. I don’t see an undefeated season, especially with a trip to Georgia early in the season. The Michigan game is also on the road. Virginia and Stanford could be interesting potential trap games, but I think Notre Dame, even though they are on here, are pretty safe from total collapse.

Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are the darling pick to win the Big 12 this season and are a trendy playoff pick in 2019. There is plenty to like with this team, especially on defense and with Sam Ehlinger at quarterback. There are areas for potential hiccups on the schedule. LSU is a tough bout early in the season, and of course, the matchup against Oklahoma in the Red River shootout will be a challenge. The other part to monitor is back-to-back road games against Iowa State and Baylor, two sleepers in the conference this year. Despite all that, I think Texas climbs from where they are at right now in the rankings and has a great year.

Who will be the biggest bust? Florida.

With how tough the SEC can be, I am worried for the Florida Gators, especially because of that offense. If they struggle in their opener against Miami, it could be a long season, especially with the hype that surrounds some teams in the SEC East this year. Their schedule doesn’t look daunting now, but it has the potential to put the Gators near the unranked pack. They exceeded expectations last year, but this year could be a fall back to what they’ve been before Mullen got there. I think they end up ranked somewhere around No. 22 by the end of the season.