College football rankings 2021: Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State vie for No. 1 in way-too-early Top 25
Everyone expected a bit of a roller-coaster in Lane Kiffin’s first year with the Ole Miss Rebels, it’s hard not to come out of the campaign with optimism about what’s brewing in Oxford. Quarterback Matt Corral and running back Jerion Ealy will return to spearhead an offense that averaged just shy of 40 points per game.
What could really push Ole Miss forward in the 2021 campaign, though, is an influx of talent with Kiffin’s recruiting that should help the defense take a step forward and not put all the onus on the offense.
We’ll find out quickly in the 2021 season just how good the Oregon Ducks can be as they make a trip to Columbus to play Ohio State in early September. But hopes should be high after Tyler Shough and the offense showed positive progression after some early-year tribulations. Aided by a defense led by Kayvon Thibodeaux that could be the best unit in the Pac-12, Mario Cristobal’s team has real upside if they can find a rhythm quickly on offense.
The job that Tom Allen has done with the Indiana Hoosiers almost can’t be overstated and they rightfully come into the 2021 season with real expectations. Of course, the Hoosiers also come into the year with questions.
Michael Penix Jr. will hopefully come back healthy and stay that way after his 2020 season ended prematurely and he should carry the offense. But for Indiana to make big noise again, they’ll need the run game to come along further and the defense to maintain an extremely high level of play despite some veteran losses.
It certainly took some time in the wake of winning the National Championship for the LSU Tigers to find their footing but, by season’s end, it seemed as if they had. Quarterback Max Johnson was impressive late in the year and has some nice playmakers around him to work with. With Derek Stingley Jr. back to lead the defense, the Tigers will still have questions but should be in for a much more stable and impressive showing from start-to-finish than what we saw in 2020.
Because they were never one of the best teams in the country, the success of the Iowa Hawkeyes this past season may have gone overlooked — but it shouldn’t be heading into next year.
With the quarterback-running back tandem of Spencer Petras and Tyler Goodson back behind one of the better offensive lines in the Big Ten, the offense should remain a consistent and solid force. The defense will remains solid as well, especially with Zach VanValkenburg coming back. They may not be Big Ten favorites but they’ll be a tough matchup for any opponent they face.