Below is the list of Top 25 teams in the compilation of the various college preseason rankings.

Complete list

We always end our college previews with the best of them all, year after year.

Phil Steele's Preseason Top 10
Phil explains: My preseason rankings are NOT my Power Ratings. These rankings take into account the totality of the circumstances that I feel each team will face in the 2016 season, i.e., schedule strength, foes' schedules (coming off byes), experience edges at the start of the year and so forth.

1. Florida State
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. LSU
   Since their last year to the Nat'l Title Game, LSU has lost 14 games the last 4 years and almost fired their head coach at the end of 2015. This year they have RB Leonard Fournette, two NFL caliber WR's and my #5 rated offensive line. New defensive coordinator Dave Aranda inherits more talent than he ever had at Wisconsin and yet he produced the #1 defense in college football from '13-'15. They will battle Alabama for the title of nation's top defense. The only question is at QB. None of their 5 away games are against a team in my Top 15, plus they get Bama and Ole Miss at home. I have them making the playoffs and that gives them a shot at the National Title.
5. Clemson
6. Ohio State
7. Tennessee
8. Washington
9. Notre Dame
10. Stanford

Phil's Power Poll Top 10
This ranking is based purely on a team's talent, experience, etc., without consideration of strength of schedule.

1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. LSU
4. Oklahoma
5. Clemson
6. Tennessee
7. Stanford
8. Washington
9. Ohio State
10. Ole Miss

LSU's Top 15 Rankings in Phil's Projected Units

• Rushing Offense - 8th
• Most Improved Passing Offense - 6th
• Total Offense - 12th
• Most Improved Passing Defense - 2nd
• Most Improved in Points Allowed - 2nd
• Rushing Defense - 6th
• Pass Defense - 1st
• Points Allowed - 1st
• Total Defense - 1st

Phil's SEC Forecast

SEC WEST	SEC EAST
1. Alabama 1. LSU 3. Ole Miss 4. Auburn 5. Texas A&M 5. Arkansas 5. Mississippi State	1. Tennessee 2. Georgia 2. Florida 4. Missouri 5. Kentucky 6. Vanderbilt 6. South Carolina

Phil's comment on LSU in his SEC West forecast
LSU has the 2nd most experienced team in the SEC with 17 returning starters. They should get improved QB play and have a Heisman contender in RB Leonard Fournette. They add Dave Aranda as the DC and he did gret things with Wisconsin's D, which had less talent than he inherits here. While they play 4 SEC bowl teams on the road, they get their toughest SEC games (Ole Miss, Bama) at home. Five of my 9 sets of power ratings call for LSU to go unbeaten this year. Nov. 5th could feel like a playoff game in Death Valley. The Tigers are on the prowl for a 2nd National Title this decade.

Tigers on Phil's 2016 Preseason SEC Teams

1st team Offense - RB Leonard Fournette, C Ethan Pocic
2nd team Offense - WR Malachi Dupre, G William Clapp, T Maea Teuhema
3rd team Offense - WR Travin Dural
1st team Defense - DL Davon Godchaux, LB Kendell Beckwith, CB Tre'Davious White, S Jamal Adams
2nd team Defense - LB Arden Key
4th team Defense - DL Lewis Neal

Phil's Forecast on his LSU page:
OFFENSE - We can enjoy Leonard Fournette for 1 more year of college football and they have 2 super WR's, a veteran O-line and should have improved QB play. They avg. 32.8 ppg in '15 and will be even more potent in '16.
DEFENSE - I have marveled at the job Dave Aranda has done at Wisconsin the last few years and he is a great hire this year as the DC. Last year they had to replace their DC and slipped from allowing 317 ypg to 347 and from 17.5 ppg to 24.2. Aranda runs a defense that turns LB's into stars and he never had the amount of VHT's that he has to work with here. My computer says they go from 24.3 ppg down to 16.03.
2016 - LSU has won 8+ in 15 straight seasons (2nd longest in FBS). LSU has the 2nd most experienced team in the SEC behind Tennessee ... but getting DC Aranda for the defense should have them improve by a TD per game on that side. They can only get more effective QB play and still have Fournette at RB. They do face 5 bowl teams on the road but 5 of my 9 sets of power ratings are calling for 12-0 as they avoid Tenn. and get Bama and Ole Miss in Death Valley. Since their '11 Title game, LSU has lost 3, 3, 5, & 3 games but look like a National Title contender this year.

Intriguing SEC Numbers

1	Times LSU and Missouri have met - 20-15 Mizzou win in 1978 Liberty Bowl
15-1	LSU's record in its last 16 games against Mississippi State
4	Consecutive years home team has won LSU-Ole Miss game
5	Consecutive wins by LSU vs Texas A&M, making the Tigers the only SEC West team A&M has not defeated since they joined the conference
15-3	LSU's record against the SEC East in its last 18 meetings
23	Consecutive SEC openers Alabama had won until beaten at home by Ole Miss last year
1	Times Ole Miss has defeated Alabama in consecutive seasons (2014-15)
14-3	Record of home team in Egg Bowl in last 17 games - Ole Miss hosts State this year.
29	Consecutive non-conference home games won by Auburn
1927- 29	Last time Arkansas won three straight vs LSU, something the Razorbacks can do November 12 in Fayetteville
1-8	Mississippi State's record in last nine trips to Tuscaloosa
11	Consecutive victories by Florida over Tennessee
9	Consecutive victories by Alabama over Tennessee
10	Consecutive victories by Georgia over Ole Miss
22-3	Georgia's record vs Kentucky in most recent games, including six straight by an average of 21 ppg
9-1	Florida's record against Arkansas, only loss being in the schools' first meeting in 1982
111- 13	Margin by which Florida has outscored Kentucky in Q1 of their last seven meetings
5-46-1	Vanderbilt's all-time record against Georgia
7	Consecutive times South Carolina has beaten Mississippi State

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. LSU
6. Ohio State
7. Stanford
8. Michigan
9. Tennessee
   
10. Notre Dame

Comments on LSU:

• Brad Edwards' Playoff Forecast
  IN IF ... it holds home field. The Tigers host Ole Miss and Alabama in Death Valley, so the SEC West will be theirs to lose. ...
  OUT IF ... the D doesn't return to form. LSU allowed 24.3 ppg last year (10th in the SEC) - the first time outside the SEC's top four since 2008.
• LSU's dilemma? QB Brandon Harris works best out of the shotgun while Fournette shines in the In formation.
  Yards for Fournette with QB under C: 2,384 (6.8 ypc)
  Yards for Fournette with QB in shotgun: 540 (6.1 ypc)
• FB J. D. Moore was injured for LSU's final seven games. If healthy, he opens lanes for Fournette as shown by this table.

  Fournette's Yards/Carry in 2015

  Yards Per Carry	2-Back Set	1-Back Set
  First 5 games	8.7	5.4
  Final 7 games	5.1	5.1

• LSU vs Wisconsin
  Brian Griese: When you play Leonard Fournette, it's not just about the front seven, its how the safeties support, and Wisconsin lost both of theirs.
  Todd McShay: Obviously, ... you expect Wisconsin to load up and do everything they can to get as many guys in the box as they can and challenge LSU to throw the football. Will that be enough?
  Griese: It's time for LSU. We've been having these kinds of conversations: There's no question that they have the talent, but do they have that killer mentality? Do they have the mental focus to take it week by week?
  McShay: For me, just from a pro talent perspective, they're right there with Alabama as one of the two most talented teams in the entire country.

Intriguing Numbers

3	Times Oklahoma State has upset a top-20 Oklahoma team since 2001, the last being in 2014
7	Consecutive SEC titles won by the SEC West
43.7	% of Stanford's rushing and receiving yardage that Christian McCaffrey accounted for last year, the most in nation.
42.0	% of LSU's rushing and receiving yardage that Leonard Fournette accounted for - 2nd most in FBS.
6-1	Las Vegas odds for Alabama to win the national championship, the lowest of any team.
18-0	Ohio State's record in road games under Urban Meyer; the Buckeyes travel to Oklahoma September 17.
15-2	J. T. Barrett's record at starting QB at Ohio State
13	Years since Michigan beat both Michigan State and Ohio State in the same year.
12	Losses by Chris Petersen in his first two seasons at Washington, which is as many as he lost in eight seasons at Boise State
20	Average margin of victory in Alabama's last four season-opening neutral sites games against Michigan, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Florida State
4. Michigan
5. LSU
   OPPOSING COACH'S TAKE: "New defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is re­nowned for using multiple looks, but he's got so much talent that he could just play base defense if he wanted. A hulking line will once again rotate plenty of fresh bodies. Their linebackers are solid and have lots of speed. The secondary is as talented as it gets with future NFL picks in CB Tre'Davious White and SS Jamal Adams. Hopefully you can find a way to run the ball against them, but their front seven is so good that's a tough task.
   Leonard Fournette isn't just the best RB in the country - he's the best to play the position in years. But they're not only a run-the-ball-down-you-throat of­fense. They do a really nice job with the play-action pass, which is hard to de­fend when Fournette is always one broken tackle away from the end zone. They've got a talented receiving corps to go along with a massive, physical of­fensive line, but the biggest question is QB Brandon Harris [54% completions, 13 TDs, six INTs]. He's a capable passer, and now that he's got a year of expe­rience as a starter, he should be better. From the start to the end of last sea­son, he made a lot of progress.
   I don't see a lot of weaknesses in this team. They've got the talent to not only win the SEC, but also the national championship."
6. Oklahoma
7. Washington
8. Houston
9. Ohio State
10. Tennessee

Intriguing Numbers

18	Returning starters (nine of each side) for LSU, most of any team in the SI's Top 25
10	Number of LSU's 12 opponents that had winning records in 2015
5	Consecutive victories by Alabama over LSU, the longest such streak since 1981 when the Tide won their 11th straight.
76	Combined career carries among Alabama's five returning backs.
8	Consecutive 10-win seasons for the Crimson Tide, the longest current streak in the FBS
1	Clemson's rank in 3rd-down defense each of the last two seasons
8	Florida State defensive players who left for the NFL.
+21	Turnover margin for Houston, the second best in the country last season
18	Ohio State true freshmen that coach Urban Meyer ex­pects to play this year
67	Total TDs in 17 starts by Ohio State junior QB J. T. Bar­rett

Interesting Quotations

• An opposing coach on Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin: He brings some flavor. He changes it up. It makes it hard to focus on one thing. You used to just worry about stopping the run. Now they spread you out. .... They're go­ing to miss Ryan Kelly tremendously at center. He was the QB of their line.
• An opposing coach on Florida State RB Dalvin Cook: You try to slow him down. You can't stop him. You've got to limit him to singles and doubles, be­cause if he gets going, he's going to get home runs.
• An opposing coach on Oklahoma: Coach Bob Stoops walks and talks with a lot of swagger, and his guys feed off it. They think they're the best, and they play like it.
• An opposing coach on Ohio State: This is going to sound weird because they finished No. 2 in scoring defense, but new co-coordinator Greg Schiano will make them better. His specialty at Rutgers was third-down pressure packages - finding creative ways to get to the QB. Ohio State will force more turnoavers because of what he'll do on third down.
• Opposing coach on Tennessee: This is one of the most complete teams I've seen. They're the team to beat in SEC East.

Athlon's Top 10

1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Michigan
6. Oklahoma
7. Tennessee
8. Notre Dame
9. LSU
10. Ole Miss

2016 College Football Playoff Predictions

• Peach Bowl: Alabama vs Clemson
• Fiesta Bowl: Florida State vs Ohio State

Seven Coaches on the Hot Seat

1. Charlie Strong, Texas (11-14, two seasons)
   Strong's brief tenure in Austin has produced more losses than any two-year stretch at the school since 1955-56. There have been some bright spots - none brighter than last year's stunning win over Oklahoma - but Texas has looked alarmingly uncompetitive far too often.
2. Darrell Hazell, Purdue (6-30, three seasons)
   Three of Hazell's six wins have come against FCS opponents, and the Boilermakers are a woeful 2-22 in the Big Ten in the past three seasons. It's hard to envision Hazell keeping his job unless Purdue reaches bowl-eligibility.
3. Paul Haynes, Kent State (9-26, three seasons)
   Haynes inherited a program that went 8-0 in the MAC in 2012 but has managed only a 6-17 league record in the three years since. In 2015, the Golden Flashes were second-to-last in the nation in total offense ... and last in the nation in both yards per play ... and scoring offense.
4. Gus Malzahn, Auburn (27-13, three seasons)
   It might seem a bit odd to put a coach who played for a national championship in 2013 on a Hot Seat list in 2016, but this is quite normal at Auburn. Consider the cases of Tommy Tuberville and Gene Chizik. From 2000-07, Tuberville went 47-17 in the SEC, won or shared five SEC West titles and dominated rival Alabama (7-1). He was fired after going 5-7 in 2008. Chizik won a national championship in 2010 but was fired two seasons later. So that should explain why Malzahn, just 6-10 in league play in the past two seasons, is on less-than-solid footing ...
5. Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State (29-23, four seasons)
   DeRuyter went 20-6 overall and 15-2 in the Mountain West in his first two seasons, but the program has taken several steps back in the last two years. In 2015, the Bulldogs went 3-9, and all but one of the nine losses came by 14 points or more. DeRuyter fired offensive coordinator Dave Schramm and reassigned defensive coordinator Nick Toth.
6. Dana Holgerson, West Virginia 36-28, five seasons)
   There were reports that West Virginia considered dismissing Holgorsen after the Mountaineers lost to Kansas State in the 2015 regular-season finale. That, obviously, did not happen, but there's no denying that his job is far from secure. The Mountaineers have had a losing Big 12 record in three of four seasons and have only three Big 12 wins over teams that finished with a winning league record.
7. Les Miles, LSU (112-32, 11 seasons)
   There was seemingly a 90 percent chance that Miles was going to be fired after the Tigers' final regular-season game, but the veteran coach received a stay of execution. Miles' record is extremely impressive, but he has lost five straight games to Alabama and has lost at three games in four straight seasons - a record of "futility" that does not please the natives. Recruiting top players to LSU has not been a problem. Developing that talent, especially on offense, has been the issue.

Athlon's A+ New Coaching Hires

1. Virginia Tech – Justin Fuente
   Replacing a coaching legend like Frank Beamer isn't going to be easy. However, ... Fuente was the engineer behind one of the nation's biggest turnarounds, as he inherited a (Memphis) program that was arguably one of the worst and transformed the Tigers into a team that won 19 games over the past two seasons.
2. Tulane - Willie Fritz
   Fritz doesn't have the national recognition of Mark Richt or Kirby Smart, but Tulane hit a home run by landing the former Georgia Southern coach. Fritz has been a proven winner throughout his career, with 193 victories over four different stops. ... The American Athletic Donferences West Division is tough ... but Tulane has the right coach in placeto compete with the rest of the division.
3. Miami – Mark Richt
   At most programs, 145 wins in 15 seasons is more than enough to keep your job. But that wasn't the case for Mark Richt in Athens. ... Georgia - one of the top five jobs in the nation - made only two appearances in the SEC title game over the last 10 years, and the program lacked forward momentum. A fresh start for both parties was in order, and Richt landed at his alma mater with a chance to get Miami back on track. ... Richt didn't call plays in recent years at Georgia but plans to do so at Miami. That's a good thing. But can Richt beat Florida State and Florida for talent on the recruiting trail on a consistent basis?
4. Iowa State - Matt Campbell
   Iowa State is one of the Big 12's toughest obs, so it was somewhat surprising when the program landed Campbell, one of the nation's top up-and-coming coaches. While winning at a high level ...will be challenging, Campbell noted the fan support and facilities in place as reasons Iowa State can compete with the rest of the Big 12. ... Campbell ... worked as an assistant at Toledo from 2009-11 before he was promoted to head coach ... In four seasons with the Rockets, Campbell recorded a 35-15 mark and guided Toledo to a share of the MAC West title twice. Campbell has already injected energy into the program and landed a solid recruiting class for 2016.
5. Syracuse – Dino Babers
   Syracuse got a much-needed shot in the arm with the hiring of Babers ... The Orange have made only three bowl appearances since 205 and badly missed on the hire of Greg Robinson, which resulted in a major rebuilding project for Doug Marrone. Babers isn't inheriting the same type of mess, but he's got a lot of work to do and will be making a significant scheme change on offense. ... At Bowling Green, Babers went 18-9 in two years and guided the Falcons to consecutive MAC East titles. Babers is regarded for his work on offense ... A high-powered offense in a dome should be an advantage for Syracuse, and Babers should have no trouble recruiting talent to run his attack. This is a great hire for Syracuse.

12 Top Coordinator Hires

1. Don Brown, DC, Michigan
2. Dave Aranda, DC, LSU
   Les Miles lost Kevin Steele to SEC West rival Auburn but rebounded nicely by luring Aranda to LSU with a lucrative three-year contract. Aranda has been a coordinator for six seasons at three schools (Wisconsin, Utah State, and Hawaii), and his defenses have finished first in the conference twice, second twice, third once, and fourth once.
3. Bob Shoop, DC, Tennessee
4. Jeremy Pruitt, DC, Alabama
5. Greg Schiano, Co-DC, Ohio State
6. Joe Moorhead, OC, Penn State
7. Brady Hoke, DC, Oregon
8. Tom Allen, DC, Indiana
9. Chip Lindsey, OC, Arizona State
10. Clancy Pendergast, DC, USC
11. Walt Bell, OC, Maryland
12. Kevin Clune, DC, Oregon State

Among the 2016 Breakout Players is Arden Key, DE, LSU.
New coordinator Dave Aranda plans to utilize Key as a hybrid end/linebacker this season. The Georgia native should thrive in that role, as he recorded five sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss as a true freshman in 2015. Key is already one of the SEC's top pass rushers.

Teams on the Rise

• Washington
• Nebraska
• Tennessee
• LSU
  Les Miles' LSU Tigers looked abysmal during a three-game, season-defining stretch last November. ... This very nearly got Miles fired and distracted us from the fact that LSU was awfully good the other nine games.
  Thanks in part to one of the hardest scedules in the country, LSU finished the season 9-3 but ranked ninth in S&P ... With a kinder schedule, perhaps the young Tigers wouldn't have briefly run out of gas.
  LSU wasn't as bad as you thought, and now the Tigers return more of last year's production than anyone in the country. They started only four seniors in the bowl win over Texas Tech and lost only two early entries to the draft. They return their Heisman favorite RB, their two deep-threat receivers, four starters on the line and 10 defensive starters. Plus, they likely made an upgrade in defensive coordinators, from Kevin Steele to Dave Aranda.
  LSU has plenty of questions left to answer. The QB position has been in flux for a couple of years, and the defense was pretty weak against the run. But if Aranda can shore up the latter, Father Time might help with the former. Brandon Harris actually has some experience this time around. And he still has some murderous skill position weapons around him.
• UCLA
• Wake Forest

LSU Players on Athlon's Preseason All-America Team

First team offense – RB Leonard Fournette
First team defense – DB Jamal Adams
Second team offense - C Ethan Pocic
Second team defense - DL Arden Key

SEC PICKS

SEC WEST	SEC EAST
Alabama LSU Ole Miss Arkansas Texas A&M Auburn Mississippi State	Tennessee Georgia Florida Kentucky Vanderbilt Missouri South Carolina

LSU's units are ranked within the conference this way:
QB - 3 (ahead of Alabama, 5), RB - 1, WR/TE - 5, OL - 2, DL - 2, LB - 7, DB - 2
The top (low) totals for the conference teams from the unit rankings are:

1. Alabama - 14
2. LSU - 22
3. Tennessee - 28
4. Georgia - 40
5. Ole Miss - 42
6. Texas A&M - 48
   Florida - 48

LSU players on Athlon's All-SEC Teams:

• 1st team offense
  RB Leonard Fournette, C Ethan Pocic
• 1st team defense
  DL Arden Key, CB Tra'Davious White, S Jamal Adams
• 2nd team offense
  OL Will Clapp
• 2nd team defense
  LB Kendell Beckwith

Excerpts from full page write-up on LSU

• OFFENSE
  Fournette will once again buoy a Tigers offense that broke out in a Texas Bowl win against Texas Tech but is still searching for a consistent passing game. Fournette will be a workhorse, but returning QB Brandon Harris gets his two leading receivers back - along with a new position coach in Dameyune Craig - in hopes of reinvigorating a stagnant passing attack. ... Harris said offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's move from the press box to the sidelines in the Texas Bowl aided his progression and said it'd be "paramount" to the unit's success this year.
• DEFENSE
  LSU's third D coordinator in three seasons, Dave Aranda, ushers in a new era bringing a 3-4 alignment ... for the first time in Les Miles' tenure. ... Kendell Beckwith headlines an otherwise thin linebacking corps ...
• FINAL ANALYSIS
  LSU's offense will need to, once again, refine its passing game and get consistent QB play if the Tigers hope to live up to their lofty preseason expectations.

TOP 100 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS 2016-17 – Louisiana players

2. Dylan Moses OLB (playing at IMG Academy, Bradenton FL)
15. Tyler Shelvin DT Northside (Lafayette)
56. Todd Harris S Plaquemine
78. Devonta Smith WR Amite
91. Bruce Jordan-Swilling OLB Brother Martin

Lindy's Top 10

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Ohio State
5. Baylor [This was before Art Briles's firing.]
6. Tennessee
7. Michigan
8. Florida State
9. LSU
   THE GOOD NEWS: LSU had 22 underclassmen declare for the NFL Draft from 2012 to 2015. This year, just one. The passing game maybe, kind of, looked a bit better in the spring, but QB Brandon Harris knows he doesn't have to be Deshaun Watson since Miles will get as much mileage out of Fournette as he can.
   THE BAD NEWS: Can Harris – or backup Danny Ettling – hit the deep pass and be error resistant? Defensively, LSU is adjusting to a 3-4 scheme under new coordinator Dave Aranda.
   OUR CALL: LSU fans expect championships. Beat Alabama at home on Nov. 5, and the Tigers are on their way.
10. Stanford

Interesting Facts

• Last season was the highest scoring in history – 29.65 points per game per team.
• There have been two 2,000y rushers each of the last two seasons:
  2014 – Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman
  2015 – Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry
• Alabama faces a third consecutive season when the QB position is up for grabs.
• LSU punter Josh Growden, a freshman, is the team's third straight punter from Australia.

Five Hot Seat Coaches

1. Charlie Strong, Texas
   Merely showing "progress" in a third year at a national powerhouse, when fans are carrying torches ready to storm the castle, just isn't good enough. Strong needs to go from “good” to “2005 Vince Young-good,” like, right now.
2. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
   This is a fantastic job because only the Aggies coach can sell Texas kids on the SEC experience while also staying in-state. Sumlin and A&M debuted in the SEC with a sexy 6-2 record and a Heisman Trophy-winner. Since then, 11-13 in the league and a packed highway of transfers.
3. Les Miles, LSU
   After what happened late last season, we don't know nuthin' about nuthin' when it comes to Miles' job security. It wouldn't shock us if he won the 2016 national title and was the 2017 Mardi Gras king. And we wouldn't be blown over if he won, say, just eight games and all of Louisiana chipped in to buy itself a big helping of Jimbo Fisher.
4. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
   When the school dumps $120 million on stadium renovations and another $45 million on a new team facility, a smart guy like Stoops can see the writing on those shiny new walls saying that someone else will play with all the new toys if he doesn't at least get to the teeniest, tiniest of bowl games in his fourth year.
5. Darrell Hazell, Purdue
   Too obvious? Well, the 6-30 record in four years says "See ya!" but the reported $4.6 million buyout after this season says, "Hey, you know, if we turn down the lights a bit, this guy looks pretty good."

Interesting Quotations

• Nick Saban on his QB controversy last year: "He's really not the starter until everybody thinks he should be the starter. That didn't happen last year until Jake (Coker) got pissed in the Ole Miss game when he didn't start. He went in there and played like he should have played. That's when he won the team."
• ESPN's Mark May on which coaching hire most intrigues him: "I would like to see what Kirby Smart does at Georgia. And the other thing is I want to see what Mark Richt does. Is he energized enough at Miami? It was one of those situations at Georgia where he had been there so long and had been good but not great."
• "Jim Harbaugh knows how to hook you. … Go on, admit it. You at least slowed down during the offseason to see the car wreck on the side of the highway: Michigan's coach ripping Ohio State's athletic director, or taking a shine to being called the Donald Trump of college football. In Harbaugh's mind, that meant someone willing to rock the establishment. ‘You can get as mad as you want about him, but he doesn't care …' said one Power 5 conference coach.”

Lindy's Top Five New Coaching Hires (in alphabetical order by college)

• Georgia – Kirby Smart
  This is a fascinating hire. Smart is a Georgia alum, which is big. But he is a first-time head coach, which is tricky in the no-room-for-error SEC. His years coaching Alabama's defense clearly proved him to be an elite coordinator, but running the show is a whole new animal. Bottom line, though: Everyone wanted Smart, but only Georgia got him.
• Miami– Mark Richt
  It's difficult to imagine how Miami could've done any better with this hire. Richt is a tremendous recruiter, a proven winner (if he didn't win quite enough at Georgia, so be it) and – important to all involved – an alum. Culturally, this is a seismic shift for the Hurricanes. In every other way, it seems to signal a return to the big-time.
• Syracuse– Dino Babers
  Rather incredibly, Syracuse is the 15th stop on Babers' tour of America's college football programs. He fared very well as head coach at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green, but stepping up to the ACC will be fraught with challenges. Babers' offenses have been pedal-to-the-metal and QB-friendly, which should at least make Orange football more fun to watch.
• Virginia – Bronco Mendenhall
  Huge hire for Virginia, which gets a guy who won 99 games and coached in 11 bowl games in 11 seasons at BYU. The Cavaliers will be expected to ramp up their defensive toughness and instantly become a tougher out in the ACC Coastal. Of course, the idea is to start competing for titles in the weak-sister Coastal and eventually stand toe-to-toe with Atlantic powers Florida State and Clemson. Mendenhall gives UVA much more than a dash of hope.
• Virginia Tech – Justin Fuente
  The Hokies got their home-run restart with Fuente, who'll be only 40 in his debut season in Blacksburg. Fuente's offenses at Memphis were enormously productive; he's a proven developer of QBs and has an aggressive style that Hokie fans will welcome with open arms. With longtime Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster still on board, this could be the start of something big.

Top 12 Non-Conference Games

• Alabama vs USC – Arlington TX – Sep. 3
• Ohio State @ Oklahoma – Sep. 17
• Clemson @ Auburn – Sep.3
• Ole Miss vs Florida State – Orlando FL – Sep. 5
• LSU vs Wisconsin – Green Bay – Sep. 3
• Notre Dame @ USC– Nov. 26
• Michigan State @ Notre Dame – Sep. 17
• Stanford @ Notre Dame – Oct. 15
• Oklahoma @ Houston – Sep. 3
• UCLA @ Texas A&M – Sep. 3
• Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee – Bristol TN – Sep. 10
• Florida @ Florida State – Nov. 26

Top 10 Conference Games

• Alabama @ LSU – Nov. 5
• Clemson @ Florida State – Oct. 29
• Michigan @ Ohio State – Nov. 26
• Alabama @ Ole Miss – Sep. 17
• Baylor @ Oklahoma – Nov. 12
• Alabama @ Tennessee – Oct. 15
• Stanford @ Oregon – Nov. 12
• TCU @ Baylor – Nov. 5
• Michigan @ Michigan State – Oct. 29
• Auburn @ Alabama – Nov. 26

QUICK QUIZ
Who are the only two FBS coaches who have been at their current schools continuously since the previous century?

TOP 100 INCOMING FRESHMEN – LSU players

21. Kristian Fulton CB
23. Rashard Lawrence DT
47. Salvion Smith CB
55. Eric Monroe S
63. Michael Divinity OLB
65. Edwin Alexander DT

TOP 100 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS 2016-17 – Louisiana players

2. Dylan Moses OLB (playing at IMG Academy, Bradenton FL)
11. Tyler Shelvin DT Northside (Lafayette)
58. Todd Harris S Plaquemine
88. Devonta Smith WR Amite
91. Christopher Allen OLB Southern Lab
94. Bruce Jordan-Swilling OLB Brother Martin

LSU Players on Lindy's Preseason All-America Team

First team offense – RB Leonard Fournette
First team defense – DB Jamal Adams

SEC PICKS

SEC WEST	SEC EAST
Alabama LSU Good News: Tigers are very talented at RB and WR; QB play should be improved. Bad News: Yeah, but the pass game is still unproven; can defense adjust to new 3-4 scheme? Our call: If QB play stabilizes, the Tigers could win the West for first time since 2011. Ole Miss Auburn Texas A&M Arkansas Mississippi State	Tennessee Georgia Florida South Carolina Missouri Kentucky Vanderbilt

Excerpts from full page write-up on LSU

• Strong-armed QB Brandon Harris started all of last season but showed inconsistency on touch passes and couldn't do enough to help make up the difference when Fournette's productivity dropped during a stupefying three-game losing streak. … If he can't improve upon [his 2015] numbers, Purdue transfer QB Danny Etling is itching for playing time. He's smart and hard-working, and Etling seemed to mesh with the offense in the spring.
• Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural are NFL-bound receivers while TE Colin Jeter made the most of an opportunity last season when injury thrust him into a starting role.
• Coordinator David Aranda … had the nation's top scoring defense and second-leading total defense at Wisconsin last season. … While Aranda is primed to have his LBs and linemen overpower opponents, he's prepared to employ his veteran DBs in clamp-down mode.
• OVERVIEW: Not only is LSU blessed with talent, but it has an abundance of veteran leadership that has heightened expectations. After the disappointment of last year, the fan base is anticipating nothing short of contention for SEC and national titles. LSU has the experience and ability to do it, but it won't come easy against a challenging schedule.