A Way Too Early 2016 College Football Top 25

The College Football Playoff hasn't yet determined the 2015 national champion, but that doesn't mean we can't start looking ahead to 2016's college football landscape. After all, that's what many fans and teams are already doing. With that in mind, here is A Way Too Early 2016 College Football Top 25:

25. Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes are going to have a bad taste in their mouth after getting stomped by Stanford. The return of C.J. Beathard and a fairly easy schedule sets up Iowa for another solid season.

24. Florida Gators
The Gators have a question mark at QB, but still have plenty of talent elsewhere. The defense will lose some players to the NFL, but there is enough talent to merit a top 25 ranking. 

23. North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels put together an impressive season, but lose QB Marqise Williams. If they get solid QB play, the rest of the team should perform well enough to post a strong year. 

22. Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have a new coach in Mark Richt and the expectations are going to start rising for this Hurricanes squad. With a very talented QB in Brad Kaaya, this may prove to be too low of a ranking. 

21. Louisville Cardinals
The Cardinals flashed promise at times this season and they'll be better next year. The development of QB Lamar Jackson is going to be important. He could be in a for a breakout season next year. 

20. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks have skill position talent, but they'll need steady QB play. The drop-off without Vernon Adams was steep. He's gone, so they'll need to pick between eight options

19. USC Trojans
The Trojans will miss QB Cody Kessler, but the surrounding talent should help compensate. Having stability with the coaching staff will help. 

18. Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin will lose some talent, but they reload every season. The offensive line and running game should be strong again, and that's all Wisconsin needs to merit a top 20 ranking.

17. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss loses some top-flight NFL talent like Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil and Robert Nkemdiche. However, QB Chad Kelly should return for his senior season. The Rebels are also brining in a strong recruiting class. 

16. Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern should put together another strong defense next season. Plus, the offense has nowhere to go but up. A full offseason for freshman QB Clayton Thorson is going to do wonders.

15. Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys bring back a lot of talent and they should make another run at the Big 12 title. This might end up being too low. 

14. UCLA Bruins 
UCLA will be a trendy pick to win the Pac-12, thanks to QB Josh Rosen. He'll be a true sophomore next year and has a bright future. 

13. Houston Cougars
Tom Herman and QB Greg Ward Jr. will both be back. That sets Houston up for run at a College Football Playoff berth. However, games against Louisville and Oklahoma will make that a challenge. 

12. Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans won't have Connor Cook next year, but they will have a great running game. The defense loses plenty of talent, but Mark Dantonio will have the Spartans playing at their best again next year. 

11. Tennessee Volunteers
Much was expected of the Volunteers this year, and those expectations will be even higher this year. They close the year strong, capped off by a blow out win over Northwestern. With young talent everywhere, the Vols could be a trendy SEC champion pick. 

10. LSU Tigers
LSU started this year off hot, but struggled down the stretch. Les Miles is back as head coach and he'll benefit from Leonard Fournette returning as well as several key defenders returning. 

9. Stanford Cardinal 
The Cardinal lose four seniors on the offensive line, QB Kevin Hogan and seven starters on defense. But, RB Christian McCaffrey returns and Stanford has proven they reload each year. 

8. Michigan Wolverines 
Michigan has a big question mark at QB, but Jim Harbaugh is bringing in a great recruiting class. There's talent on this team and Harbaugh will get the most out of it. 

7. Florida State Seminoles
FSU needs better QB play, as we saw in the bowl game. However, Dalvin Cook should return and there is enough talent to compensate for the losses on the defensive side of the ball. 

6. Baylor Bears 
Baylor will lose talent like WR Corey Coleman and DE Shawn Oakman, which hurts. But the return of QB Seth Russell more than makes up for that. Baylor might have competed for a playoff berth if Russell didn't go down. 

5. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama is always going to get the benefit of the doubt because they recruit so well. They lose talent, but shouldn't have many issues reloading. The biggest problem for Alabama is going to be at QB. Jake Coker is gone after this year and the Crimson Tide will need to find a new starter. 

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame could have been a playoff participant if the team wasn't plagued by injuries. They now have two starting caliber QBs in Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer. If they can just stay healthy, Notre Dame will be a dangerous team. 

3. Ohio State Buckeyes 
The Buckeyes are going to lose a ton of talent, but they'll be fine for next season. Urban Meyer has brought in great talent each season and OSU will be a playoff threat once again. 

2. Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners came up short in the CFP semifinal, but they are primed for a great season next year. They don't lose much talent and return QB Baker Mayfield, RB Samaje Perine and RB Joe Mixon. The Sooners could very well be back in the playoff next season.  

1. Clemson Tigers
Win or lose against Alabama in the title game, Clemson should be the favorites for next season. QB Deshaun Watson will be back as will RB Wayne Gallman. The team loses just six starters, although that could be more like eight if a few players turn pro. Even if that happens, Clemson is going to be sitting pretty next year. 

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Related Topics: Baker Mayfield, College Football 2015, Deshaun Watson