College football rankings: Preseason top 25 – Clemson at No. 1, SEC owns half of top 10

5. LSU Tigers

The reigning National Champions look almost nothing like the team that hoisted the trophy at the conclusion of the College Football Playoff in January. Joe Burrow is gone after his record-setting quarterback performance but so too are numerous key contributors on every level on both sides of the ball. And yet, Ed Orgeron’s team is one that is worthy of respect coming into the 2020 season.

All eyes will be on Myles Brennan, who takes over for Burrow as the Tigers’ starting quarterback. While he has some pedigree, his experience is extremely limited at this point, meaning it’s hard to project just what he’ll do as he takes over the offense. The good news for Brennan is that LSU returns the best wide receiver in college football, Ja’Marr Chase, for another season, as does Terrace Marshall and a talented stable of unproven running backs.

LSU’s offensive line is a bigger concern than Brennan or the skill positions. The Tigers must replace essentially their entire starting unit in the trenches. Throw in that they must do this while also not having last year’s passing game mastermind, Joe Brady, in the building anymore, and the offense has questions.

Talent is never an issue for the defense in Baton Rouge and, with a unit headlined by sophomore cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and safety JaCoby Stevens, that’s the case here. But while talented, there is a lot of inexperience with the group as they must replace the likes of K’Lavon Chaisson, Rashard Lawrence, Grant Delpit, Kristian Fulton and Patrick Queen.

In any case, Orgeron has proven at LSU that he can win with defense but the offense determines the overall upside. If Brennan is even 60 percent of Burrow, that could make the Tigers a threat to return to the College Football Playoff.