NCAAF contenders’ road map to a national title in 2020

A year ago, LSU needed quarterback Joe Burrow to step up. 

He did.

In the 2020 College Football season, a number of questions face the top contenders for this year’s national title. While many of the teams remain the same – Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State – the questions are somewhat different. If they can be answered, the teams best-positioned for a title run could become the next NCAAF national champion.

The College Football Crystal Ball

LSU

The Tigers stand at +1800 to repeat as the national champion. It’s highly unlikely – Alabama was the last team to do it in 2011 and 2012 – but if LSU can answer a few questions, there is a chance head coach Ed Orgeron could pull the upset.

LSU must replace defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, considered by many to be the best in the business. Aranda is now the head coach at Baylor and former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini, a well-respected defensive coach, takes over.

On the offensive side of the ball, passing game coordinator Joe Brady takes his game to the NFL in Carolina. That leaves Steve Ensminger and former NFL head coach Scott Linehan to take over. They will deal with Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow’s replacement – Myles Brennan. 

There’s another question. Can Brennan fill Burrow’s shoes? He will have Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase and Terrace Marshall Jr. back at wide receiver. If the new coordinators and quarterback come through, LSU has a shot at a repeat … and bettors have a shot at a big payday.

CLEMSON

Head coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are the +250 favorite to capture a third national title in five years. Clemson returns Heisman Trophy candidate QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. The two were keys to the Tigers 2019 offense which averaged nearly 44 points per game.

Can the Tigers offense do it again? The answer will depend upon on an offensive line that lost four starters. The good thing is that Swinney believes in rotating players frequently, so the Tigers have four offensive linemen returning that played at least 325 snaps in 2019.

The other question for Clemson is in the secondary where the Tigers lose first-round cornerback A.J. Terrell and both safeties – K’Von Wallace and Tanner Muse. Muse was a third-round draft pick and Wallace went in the fourth round.

Swinney does an outstanding job of recruiting and the cupboard is far from bare at Clemson, but the Tigers will need to answer those questions if they are going to win a national title in 2020.

OHIO STATE

The Buckeyes are a close second to Clemson at +300 to win it all. The questions in Columbus revolve around a pass rush, the secondary, and the running game.

Ohio State loses DE Chase Young, the second pick in the 2020 NFL draft, who had 16.5 sacks last season. A big-time pass rusher will need to emerge.

Ohio State also loses first-round pick CB Jeff Okudah and they will have to replace both safety positions. On offense, who will replace 2,000-yard rusher J.K. Dobbins? There are plenty of candidates including Master Teague III who rushed for 789 yards last season.

Quarterback Justin Fields (238-of-354, 3,273 yards, 41 TDs, 3 INTs) is also a Heisman Trophy candidate, but he will need a receiver or two to step up if The Ohio State Buckeyes are to win a national championship. Ohio State’s last national title came in 2014.

ALABAMA

Over the past 11 seasons, Alabama claims five national titles.

The Crimson Tide is given +500 odds to win it all in 2020. If QB Mac Jones continues his progress, bettors can cash in on Nick Saban’s squad.

Jones took over for the injured Tua Tagovailoa last year and played 4.5 games. In those games, he completed 69 percent of his passes and ended with a QB rating of 91.1. That includes games against Auburn and Michigan, two of the better defenses in the nation. If he had qualified, Jones’ QBR would have been fourth in the country.

Jones will need to break in some new receivers – Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III were both first-round draft choices – but Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith are All-America caliber replacements.

The defense should be very good as well though Saban will have to replace both safeties and CB Trevor Diggs.

A SLEEPER?

Georgia (+700) will have a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken and a new quarterback in Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman. Can Newman live up to the hype?

Florida (+1200) gives the SEC East another hope and QB Kyle Trask might be the best in the conference. Their running game was awful last year and the Gators must replace four offensive linemen.

Bettors might consider a long look at Penn State. At +3000 to win it all, the Nittany Lions might have the best defensive player in the country in LB Micah Parsons. Head coach James Franklin will have his top three running backs returning and QB Sean Clifford.

The big question in Happy Valley is does new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca have any receivers to replace the speedy K.J. Hamler?