We are now officially 100 days away from August 27—the start of the 2016 college football season, when Cal and Hawaii kick things off in Australia. The 100-day marker is like a highway mileage sign for college football fans weary of the long road of the offseason, and excitement will continue to build as the countdown numbers become more manageable. In honor of this important milestone in the college football offseason, let's take a look at 100 of the top programs, players and position battles as we move closer to the sweet sounds of that first kickoff Down Under. And what better place to start than the program that once again finished the 2015 season on top of the college football world—Alabama (1). The Crimson Tide defense should be otherworldly this season, especially up front with the return of sack leader Jonathan Allen (2) and potential superstar outside linebacker Tim Williams (3). But more eyes will be on the Alabama offense as the offseason continues, especially the Tide's quarterback battle (4) and the race to replace Heisman winner Derrick Henry at running back. The recent arrest of All-SEC left tackle Cam Robinson (5) could have the biggest impact on Alabama's chance to repeat as national champion, as Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee[1] wrote this week. If Alabama Loses Cam Robinson, the Tide's Chances to Repeat Will Greatly Suffer https://t.co/lfX6xFj8Of pic.twitter.com/G748r1Uej0[2][3] Alabama's main SEC West threat, LSU (6), is tied with three other schools[5] for the most returning starters in college football for 2016. Superstar running back Leonard Fournette (7) is back, and the hire of former Wisconsin assistant Dave Aranda (8) at defensive coordinator has given Tiger fans plenty of excitement. But the Bayou Bengals' championship hopes will hinge a lot on whether the passing attack can do enough to prevent defenses from loading the box against Fournette. Elsewhere in the SEC West, Ole Miss (9) returns quarterback Chad Kelly (10) from his standout 2015 campaign but must replace a good chunk of starters—including the stars of its famed 2013 recruiting class. Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin (11) and Auburn's Gus Malzahn (12) have plenty of star power on their respective rosters, but they could both be looking for jobs this winter if they don't resurrect their once-great offenses. In the East, the hype train is storming down the rails for Tennessee (13), which returns 17 starters, including dual-threat quarterback Joshua Dobbs (14), an elite running back duo and plenty of big names on a defense that could be among the best in the entire conference. Florida (15) is looking to capture some of its magic from last year's 10-win season that featured a division title. A lot of that will come down to the play of the Gators' new starting quarterback (16), as the team fell off late last season after the suspension of Will Grier. Meanwhile, Georgia (17) will enter a new era of football under first-year head coach Kirby Smart (18). Smart's defense should be stout, and the difference-makers in a potential title run for the Bulldogs are the health of returning running back Nick Chubb (19) and the winner of their own quarterback battle (20) featuring two veteran option and a 5-star true freshman[6]. The two biggest challenges to Alabama's presumed preseason No. 1 ranking can be found in a spot not many would have expected several years ago—the ACC. Clemson (21) pushed Alabama to the brink last season in the national championship game, and the Tigers have all the pieces to make another run to the College Football Playoff. The offense should be pure dynamite with the return of Heisman front-runner Deshaun Watson (22) at quarterback. Watch out for star wide receiver Mike Williams (23), who missed almost all of 2015 with a scary neck injury. The major question for Clemson will once again be sorting through plenty of position battles on a defense that lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables (24) was in this exact same situation last year, and he managed to build a top-10 defense out of little returning experience. Lack of returning starters is definitely not a problem for the ACC's other top name, Florida State (25), which returns 17 from last year's 10-win team. Running back Dalvin Cook (26) has serious Heisman potential, and versatile safety Derwin James (27) has household name written all over him. But the real intrigue can be found in Florida State's quarterback battle (28), as two[7] freshmen[8] are looking to unseat Sean Maguire (29) when he makes his return later this offseason from injury. Elsewhere in the ACC, North Carolina (30), which almost knocked off Clemson in the ACC title game last year, turns to heavily hyped quarterback Mitch Trubisky (31) to lead its big-play offense as its defense looks to take the next step after a stronger 2015. Louisville (32) could crash the party this year with all of its returning starters and the electrifying Lamar Jackson (33) at quarterback. The ACC's newest star coach, Mark Richt[9] (34), will look to bring his alma mater of Miami back into the national spotlight after his firing from Georgia. He inherits a 'Canes team that has Top 25 potential from the opening kickoff of the season. Notre Dame (35) is a pseudo-member of the ACC, and it could have a monster 2016. Last year, the Fighting Irish overcame a huge rash of injuries and still made it to the New Year's Six bowls. This year, they will replace plenty of starters, but that depth has been tested and is ready to compete for a national title. An injury played a role in shaping arguably the most high-profile position battle of the entire offseason—the one for Notre Dame's starting quarterback job (36). Malik Zaire (37) won such a battle last year and even prompted Everett Golson to transfer out of South Bend. But an early-season injury opened the door for DeShone Kizer (38) to step in and lead the Irish with his powerful style of dual-threat play. In Notre Dame's neck of the woods—Big Ten country—the theme of the 2016 season will be top names looking to keep up their various levels of momentum. Defending champion Michigan State (39) has a good bit of rebuilding to do on both sides of the ball, but new stars continue to pop up in East Lansing. Quarterback Tyler O'Connor (40) led Sparty to a huge win over Ohio State last year, and he'll have the true freshman receiving tandem of Donnie Corley (41) and Cam Chambers (42) to throw to this fall. On defense, Malik McDowell (43) could be the best the Spartans have ever seen in the trenches. If the Big Ten's primetime schedule is any indication, Ohio State is still its team to beat https://t.co/thNoGkX3NR pic.twitter.com/NDfHyPXwPH[10][11] At Ohio State (44), it's all about the exciting yet inexperienced talent surrounding quarterback J.T. Barrett (45) and middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan (46). The Buckeyes have key battles to settle at running back (47), wide receiver (48) and in the secondary (49), but there are plenty of reasons to believe in the talent OSU has stockpiled in Columbus. But the Spartans and the Buckeyes could be chasing Michigan (50) and headline machine Jim Harbaugh (51) after the biggest offseason in recent memory for the Wolverines. Michigan has a huge quarterback derby (52) of its own and question marks at linebacker (53), but the immense star power of do-it-all redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers (54) and lockdown cornerback Jourdan Lewis (55) should lead the way for the most experienced team in a loaded Big Ten East. A lot of mystery hangs over the West division as Nebraska (56) and Wisconsin (57) look to break up the party Iowa (58) threw last season. The Hawkeyes still have the pieces to repeat as division champions—a good amount of returning experience, a favorable schedule and the leadership of quarterback C.J. Beathard (59) and Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Desmond King (60). Transitioning from the Big Ten to the Big 12—a conference that will continue to be one to watch with its discussions of possible expansion (61)—Oklahoma (62) has its sights set on returning to the College Football Playoff in 2016. Last year, Baker Mayfield (63) led OU's new Air Raid scheme to great heights, and he'll be able to spread the ball to a number of returning playmakers and Penn State transfer receiver Geno Lewis (64). However, Oklahoma has a lot to rebuild on defense after the loss of several top names up front, putting more pressure on a secondary led by Jordan Thomas (65) and Steven Parker (66). Baylor (67), as the case has been for the last several years, has the potential to contend for a title solely because of the star power on its perennially No. 1 offense. Seth Russell (68) is back after a midseason neck injury, and the offseason battle between a pair of 1,000-yard rushers (69)—Shock Linwood and Johnny Jefferson—could make for an even deadlier ground game this fall. College football might see the return of Kenny Hill (70) if he wins battle with Foster Sawyer (71) to replace Trevone Boykin as TCU's starting quarterback. Head coach Gary Patterson (72) will be in his comfort zone again with the Horned Frogs, as defense will be the more experienced unit in Fort Worth this fall. Oklahoma State (73) is still searching for a strong running game to complement the Big 12's best returning quarterback-receiver duo of Mason Rudolph (74) and James Washington (75). Texas (76) has the potential to make some serious noise thanks to the spring emergence of true freshman quarterback Shane Buechele (77), who could lead a new Baylor-like offense in Austin beside a defense that continues to get even better. But don't be completely surprised if the biggest name out of Big 12 country this season is Houston (78). Head coach Tom Herman (79) has everything in place for another American championship season and a possible playoff bid, starting with an opening weekend showdown against Oklahoma. Greg Ward Jr. (80) was a touchdown machine for Herman in 2015, and nothing should slow him down this fall. Last but certainly not least, let's swing over to the West Coast, where Stanford (81) leads the way in a Pac-12 that could be the most competitive top-to-bottom conference in recent memory. The Cardinal have Christian McCaffrey (82) back after his record-breaking season as a rusher, receiver, returner and even a passer. The quarterback battle at Stanford (83) between Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst is at a dead heat, and the defense will rely on the immense talent of Solomon Thomas (84) to have a breakout year in the trenches. The usual suspect in the Pac-12 North, Oregon (85), is swimming with explosive talent at the offensive skill positions for presumed starting quarterback Dakota Prukop (86). However, the ultimate test of Oregon this fall will be how much improvement former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke[13] (87) can bring to a struggling defense that lost its best player in DeForest Buckner. From a complete team perspective, Washington (88) might be the team to beat in the Pac-12 North this fall. The young Huskies turned it on in the second half of the 2015 season after several close losses, and they return 15 starters as well as electrifying big-play receiver John Ross III (89). They'll receive a stiff challenge from rival Washington State (90), which returns quarterback Luke Falk (91) after an impressive nine-win campaign. . @AthlonSports has picked Washington to win the Pac-12 and has the Huskies ranked No. 11 in its preseason poll https://t.co/OoLGiowgTt[14][15] In the South, USC (92) is looking for this to be the year that it reclaims a Pac-12 title and returns to the national title conversation. The offense has plenty of skill position talent and offensive line stalwarts coming back for its starting quarterback to be named later (93), but the real question will be how much returning defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (94) can help what will be a thin defensive front. UCLA (95) will battle the Trojans for supremacy in Los Angeles and the Pac-12 South behind the talents of sophomore star quarterback Josh Rosen (96), who will spearhead a new-look offense this fall. The Bruins are also shaking things up on the defensive side of the ball with a 4-3 scheme, which should be a better fit for their returning talent and several up-and-coming stars. The South division also features the contrasting offensive and defensive styles of always dangerous Utah (97) and Arizona (98), which have the potential to make serious noise in a conference that prides itself on late-night madness. The internationally minded Pac-12 will be at the epicenter of the season's first matchup between Cal (99) and Mountain West foe Hawaii (100) in Australia's ANZ Stadium. Now comes the harder count to 100—the days between now and when all of this exciting preseason talk will start to become reality. Stay strong, fellow college football fans. It'll be here soon. Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR[17].
College Football Playoff National Championship trophy
References
- ^ Barrett Sallee (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ https://t.co/lfX6xFj8Of (t.co)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/G748r1Uej0 (t.co)
- ^ May 17, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ three other schools (www.philsteele.com)
- ^ 5-star true freshman (247sports.com)
- ^ two (247sports.com)
- ^ freshmen (247sports.com)
- ^ Mark Richt (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ https://t.co/thNoGkX3NR (t.co)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/NDfHyPXwPH (t.co)
- ^ May 3, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ Brady Hoke (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ @AthlonSports (twitter.com)
- ^ https://t.co/OoLGiowgTt (t.co)
- ^ May 16, 2016 (tw itter.com)
- ^ @JFergusonBR (twitter.com)
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