Way-too-early 2020 college football rankings: Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama vie for No. 1

80. WKU Hilltoppers, 9-4 (6-2)

Western Kentucky came out of nowhere to win nine games in 2019, and though a handful of high-profile seniors depart, including quarterback Ty Storey, receiver Lucky Jackson and offensive lineman Miles Pate, there’s a lot returning as well. Running back Gaej Walker and defensive lineman Deangelo Malone, who both earned All-Conference recognition, were juniors. And remember, junior Steven Duncan started the season ahead of Storey on the depth chart before suffering a foot injury.

79. Wyoming Cowboys, 8-5 (4-4)

All-Americans are difficult to replace anywhere, but a player like Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson is among the biggest personnel losses any college football team must face in 2020. The Cowboys also lost All-Mountain West safety, Alijah Halliburton, to graduation, as well as a handful of other key defenders and each of the team’s top three leaders in receptions.

And though starting quarterback Sean Chambers returns, he suffered a torn ACL in Week 9 and has a long recovery ahead. At least running back Xazavian Valladay, who ran for 1,265 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore, and was the MVP of the Arizona Bowl, is set to return.

78. Buffalo Bulls, 8-5 (5-3)

Buffalo entered 2019 among the least experienced teams in the nation, but head coach Lance Leipold guided the Bulls to another bowl game anyway. And entering 2020, Buffalo is in a much better position. Running back is the most exciting position group, where a pair of 1,000-yard rushers returns. Jaret Patterson is one of the best backs in all of college football, and Kevin Marks could start a lot of places.

77. Marshall Thundering Herd, 8-5 (6-2)

Marshall must replace eight seniors who recorded 10 or more tackles in 2019, six of which were full-time starters. But the Thundering Herd welcomes back starting quarterback Isaiah Green, C-USA offensive MVP Brenden Knox, and a total of seven players who recorded 10 or more catches. That includes senior Obi Obialo, who played in just four games to preserve a redshirt season in 2020.

76. Southern Miss Eagles, 7-6 (5-3)

Losing to Tulane in the Armed Forces Bowl dampened the 2019 season, but the Southern Miss offense is set to welcome back the vast majority of its total yardage in 2020 and should again be among the most experienced teams in Conference USA. Quarterback Jack Abraham should be back for his senior season, but he’ll miss Quez Watkins who declared for the NFL Draft. Fellow receivers, Tim Jones and Jaylond Adams are expected to return. The Eagles should compete for the C-USA title.

75. Temple Owls, 8-5 (5-3)

Temple suffered a couple of unexpected transfers early in the 2020 offseason: tight end Kenny Yeboah, who announced his commitment to Baylor in December, and defensive end Quincy Roche, who has yet to announce his destination.

Roche had been considered a candidate to declare for the NFL Draft (as cornerback Harrison Hand and center Matt Hennessydid), so his departure wasn’t a shock. But it’s a big loss to a defense that must also replace three starters at linebacker and two seniors in the secondary. But the good news: The offense returns largely intact, including quarterback Anthony Russon, running back Re’Mahn Davis, and All-AAC receiver Jordan Blue.

74. Duke Blue Devils, 5-7 (3-5)

Duke isn’t quite at Stanford levels yet, but the Blue Devils have seen more than a half-dozen players enter the transfer portal since the end of the 2019 season. The biggest losses to date are receivers Aaron Young and Scott Bracey, who caught a combined 60 passes and scored five touchdowns last year.

Given the graduation of quarterback Quentin Harris, we should expect head coach David Cutcliffe to rely heavily on an experienced offensive line and running backs Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant.

Defense should be a strength, even with the loss of leading tacklers Koby Quansah and Dylan Singleton to graduation. Defensive linemen Victor Dimukeje and Chris Rumph II form one of the best duos in the ACC.

73. Maryland Terrapins, 3-9 (1-8)

Maryland showed promise at the beginning of 2019, but Mike Locksley’s first season as head coach was largely forgettable. The Terrapins have also lost their two best offensive players – running backs Anthony McFarland and Javon Leake – early to the NFL Draft. More than half a dozen Terps are also in the transfer portal. However, Locksley can recruit, and Maryland’s class – led by five-star receiver Rakim Jarrett – ranks among the top 30 nationally.

72. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 3-9 (2-6)

Geoff Collins oversaw a complete philosophical overhaul in his first season as Georgia Tech head football coach, and though the Yellow Jackets lost nine games (including one to an FCS opponent), wins over Miami and NC State showed glimpses of the future potential in the program.

Collins is also well on his way to increase the talent level on the Flats. His first full recruiting class currently ranks No. 25 in the 247Sports team rankings and includes quarterback Jeff Sims, who should challenge returning starter, James Graham. Sadly, one of the 21 players who signed with Tech in December – Bryce Gowdy – died tragically shortly before he enrolled.

71. FAU Owls, 11-3 (7-1)

New FAU head coach Willie Taggart inherits an excellent situation from Lane Kiffin, who left for Ole Miss after leading the Owls to two Conference USA titles in three seasons. FAU must replace most of its receiving corps (including Mackey Award-winning tight end Harrison Bryant), but Taggart will work with All-C-USA quarterback Chris Robison and a deep stable of running backs. The defense will be young and lost cornerback James Pierre to the NFL Draft and All-Conference safety Meiko Dotson to graduation.

70. Northwestern Wildcats, 3-9 (1-8)

2019 was a disaster for Northwestern, especially on offense. Injuries played a major role, especially at running back where promising sophomore Isaiah Bowser was limited to just five games, 204 yards, and zero touchdowns. Quarterback was a problem as well, where Hunter Johnson played only six games and couldn’t keep a handle on the starting job. Both players return in 2020, along with a veteran defense led by highly productive linebacker Paddy Fisher, but expectations aren’t nearly as high for 2020 as they were for the defending Big Ten West champs in 2019.

69. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, 10-5 (5-3)

The return to the Run and Shoot has paid off for Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich, who led the Rainbow Warriors to a division title and 10 wins, including a victory over rival BYU in the Hawaii Bowl.

Quarterback Cole McDonald threw for 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns, and left for the NFL Draft. Chevan Cordeiro, who appeared in 12 games and briefly unseated McDonald atop the depth chart, threw for 907 and eight scores and should fill the spot nicely. Regardless, Hawaii must replace three senior receivers, all of whom recorded over 900 yards, though 1,000-yard wideout Jared Smart is expected to return.

68. Navy Midshipmen, 11-2 (7-1)

Navy’s 2019 turnaround – from 10 losses the previous season to 11 wins this year – was incredible, as was the play of quarterback Malcolm Perry, who ran for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns. Sadly, Perry is out of eligibility. However, most of his fellow runners return, including fullback Jamale Carouthers, who scored 14 touchdowns. The much-improved defense also returns a lot of experience, including seven of the top eight tacklers from last year’s squad.

67. UAB Blazers, 9-5 (6-2)

Despite fielding one of the youngest teams in the country, and suffering impactful injuries at key positions, UAB repeated as Conference USA West champions and won nine games. Quarterback Tyler Johnston III missed several games but has an NFL arm and is set to return for his junior season. Running back Spencer Brown, who was sidelined in three games, will be a senior. And speaking of seniors, only three were full-time starters for the Blazers on defense in 2019.

66. Syracuse Orange, 5-7 (2-6)

Syracuse was one of college football’s most disappointing teams in 2019, and the Orange are likely to field one of the youngest defenses in the ACC in 2020 as 12 seniors who contributed to the unit last year (including six of the team’s top eight tacklers) depart. Receiver Trishton Jackson opted to leave early for the NFL, and leading rusher Moe Neal is also gone, leaving quarterback Tommy DeVito few proven playmakers.

65. Colorado Buffaloes, 5-7 (3-6)

Mel Tucker is a defensive-minded head coach, and his second Colorado team is likely to reflect that background more than his 2019 squad. Tucker welcomes back seven starters, plus several key players return from injury. On offense, quarterback Steven Montez graduated and receiver Laviska Shenault, Jr. is off to the NFL, so the Buffs are likely to rely more on running backs, Alex Fontenot and Jaren Mangham.

64. Illinois Fighting Illini, 6-7 (4-5)

Illinois utilized the transfer portal like few others in college football in 2019, and found instant impact players like quarterback Brandon Peters, leading receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe and pass rusher Oluwole Betiku. Betiku is off to the NFL, but the others are expected to return. Illini head coach Lovie Smith has also made significant inroads in recruiting high schoolers, landing a trio of four-star players in 2019, such as Marquez Beason, who missed the season due to injury but should step in at cornerback in 2020.

63. NC State Wolfpack, 4-8 (1-7)

Quarterback troubles were a major reason NC State underachieved in 2019, and the Wolfpack started three separate players under center. Devin Leary, who started the final eight games of the season, enters spring atop the depth chart.

However, injuries played the biggest role in NC State’s 4-8 record (and 1-7 mark in ACC play). The Wolfpack lost more than half a dozen players to season-ending injuries, including several starters. The secondary was hit hardest, though running back and the offensive line was heavily impacted as well.

62. Purdue Boilermakers, 4-8 (3-6)

Few teams were hit as hard by injuries as the Purdue Boilermakers in 2019. Head coach Jeff Brohm was forced to start three quarterbacks, deal with a depleted running back corps, and play without All-American receiver Rondale Moore for all but four games of his sophomore season. The defense also suffered losses, including Markus Bailey and Lorenzo Neal playing in just four games combined (all by Bailey).

Looking ahead, despite being granted a sixth season of eligibility, quarterback Elijah Sindelar isn’t expected to return, meaning Jack Plummer and Aidan O’Connell should compete for snaps. Fortunately, Moore, freshman standouts David Bell and a deep group of receivers give Brohm a dangerous set of weapons to build upon in 2020.

61. Houston Cougars, 4-8 (2-6)

Major Applewhite was fired from Houston for underperformance following an eight-win season in 2018, but his replacement, Dana Holgorsen, led the Cougars to a 4-8 record in 2019. But, perhaps, Holgorsen had a plan all along that would set Houston up for greater success in the future.

After losing to Tulane to fall to 1-3, Cougars quarterback D’Eriq King – who was responsible for 50 touchdowns as a junior in 2018 – announced his plan to redshirt the remainder of the year. King maintained he would return to Houston in 2020, as did receiver Keith Corbin. If he does, he’ll join a young core of players from the 2019 squad, as well as a few transfers from Power Five programs, to make the Cougars a contender in the AAC West.