5 college football stars that must step up to lead their team to a national championship

For their teams to win a national championship this year, these five college football stars need to rise to the occasion in 2020.

The shortlist of contenders for the college football National Championship has been made even shorter coming into the 2020 season. With the Big Ten and Pac-12 canceling their fall seasons, teams like Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and USC, among others, are no longer going to be competing for the title. And yet, that could make the race to the College Football Playoff all the more exciting.

With an offseason that featured an abbreviated or canceled spring practice schedule, almost no offseason workouts and a limited practice schedule leading up to the year in preseason camp, college football could be outright calamity in the 2020 season. But at the same time, that also offers the opportunity for the stars of the sport and on the best teams to live up to their billing.

Great players in great situations will be even more critical than they already are every season. And taking that into account, the following five college football players need to step up and be the best version of themselves if their team is going to win a National Championship this season.

5. Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame is joining the ACC for one-time-only this season and, while that’s a stark change for the Fighting Irish, it may also create their best opportunity yet to make a run at a National Championship. They’ll have the strength of a conference behind them and a chance to take on a viable title contender in Clemson as part of their schedule.

The questionable part for the Fighting Irish is that the roster is in a weird spot. Brian Kelly’s team must replace defensive playmakers on every level and has an unproven cast of pass-catchers. That means that Ian Book, who has started at quarterback for this team in each of the past two seasons, will now have to be the best he’s ever been.

Book topped 3,000 yards last season with 34 touchdowns and six interceptions, putting forth a quietly great campaign. Having said that, he needs to take a step forward. Not only does he need to be at his best in the biggest games but, for the Irish to legitimately be in the title mix, he must make the unproven players around him better, as great quarterbacks are supposed to do.

4. Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma Sooners

Yes, Spencer Rattler hasn’t started a single college football game in his young career. He played in three games before redshirting in 2019, not doing much of anything in those appearances. And this is also an unprecedented offseason in terms of practice limitations, the lack of offseason workouts and so on, none of which are going to do a young quarterback stepping into the starting role any favors. And I couldn’t care less about any of that.

Not only are we talking about a former 5-star recruit but Rattler’s profile is perfect for what we’ve seen from Lincoln Riley’s offenses at Oklahoma. He’s athletic and can create time with his legs but is accurate to all fields throwing on the mover. Furthermore, he has plenty of weapons and a good offensive line protecting him.

The Sooners have churned out terrific quarterbacks in recent years and, as such, have been a College Football Playoff staple. But Rattler is the first home-grown talent to take over the offense and, in doing so, Oklahoma will go as far as the redshirt freshman takes them.

3. Zamir White, RB, Georgia Bulldogs

Jamie Newman‘s decision to opt-out fo the 2020 season after transferring to Georgia has some people doubting the Bulldogs’ ceiling this year. But not only could J.T. Daniels perhaps be a better fit for Todd Monken’s offense with the roster around him but Kirby Smart‘s team can rely on another star to lead the offense no matter what: Zamir White.

White bided his time last season working behind D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien in the backfield but flashed his elite potential. The former 5-star recruit still got 78 carries and showed his potential with 408 yards and three scores. But now it’s his backfield with an inexperienced quarterback, which means it’s his time to shine.

Georgia has an established legacy of great running backs and White has the potential to be the next in line. The Bulldogs defense is one of the best in college football while also having talented wideouts. With Daniels taking over at quarterback, though, it’ll be the running back that leads the charge for Smart’s first title in Athens.

2. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide

The departure of Tua Tagovailoa for the NFL doesn’t necessarily leave Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide high and dry. Najee Harris, two elite wide receivers and one of the best offensive lines in the country all return to the offense. Perhaps more importantly, the Tide return a litany of studs on defense, a unit looking to return to dominance after a down year.

Mac Jones, Tua’s replacement at quarterback, is the big question mark that people have. It’s not glaring, to be sure. Filling in for Tagovailoa last season, Jones at least appeared in 11 games last season, going 97-of-141 for 1,503 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. Those aren’t numbers to scoff at.

For Alabama to win another title for Saban’s mantle, Jones doesn’t need to be his predecessor. Having said that, this team can’t rely solely on the rushing attack in the modern era of college football, meaning that the quarterback must replicate what he did in spot work last season to keep the Tide’s hopes alive.

1. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Tigers

With the way Clemson has dominated the ACC in recent years, many might assume that they have a cakewalk through their schedule. However, the conference has improved and includes Notre Dame this season. And this means that all-world quarterback Trevor Lawrence can’t afford to play like he did early last season and in the National Championship Game loss against LSU.

Lawrence was still good early last year but wasn’t the superstar he’s talented enough to be. Namely, he was throwing an uncharacteristic amount of interceptions, giving the ball away eight times in his first seven games. He turned it up a notch down the stretch, though, not throwing another pick the rest of the year and being more productive. But in the title game, he completed only 48.6 percent of his passes with no passing touchdowns.

In what is sure to be the quarterback’s last season with the Tigers, they are the favorites to win the National Championship this season. For that to happen in a shortened season, though, Lawrence can’t be pedestrian — he needs to be a Heisman-caliber player from the season-opener all the way to hoisting hardware.

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