College football preview: Playoff favorites, Heisman hopefuls and more

1. Alabama

It's the annual quiz in Tuscaloosa - who's the No. 1 quarterback? The question hasn't hurt the Crimson Tide the last two years when they made the playoffs, and especially last year when they won it all behind one-year starter Jake Coker. This year's final two candidates are junior Cooper Bateman and redshirt freshman Blake Barnett, either of whom will throw to a very talented bunch of receivers. Alabama faces a brutal batch of road games - at Mississippi, at Tennessee, at LSU - but should still have what it takes to reach the playoffs again.

2. Clemson

Deshaun Watson did just about everything to get the Tigers into the national championship game against Alabama last year, but his team fell short, 45-40, in one of the best title contests ever. After becoming the first FBS quarterback ever to pass for more than 4,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000, Watson returns this season along with seven other starters on an offense that averaged 38.5 points in 2015. The defense must be rebuilt after losing some talent to the NFL. Clemson's biggest game comes in late October at Florida State.

3. Stanford

The Cardinal's Christian McCaffrey was basically a one-man offensive show for his team. Now a junior, he gained an FBS record 3,864 all-purpose yards last season, with 2,109 of them coming on the ground. Stanford will lean heavily on McCaffrey while it tries to work out its quarterback situation. Ryan Burns was named starter for the season opener, but coach David Shaw said the competition was so close that Keller Chryst, the other challenger, could also see action. Games at Washington and at Notre Dame highlight the schedule.

4. Oklahoma

The Sooners have a significant 1-2 offensive punch in quarterback Baker Mayfield (36 touchdowns, seven interceptions last season) and running back Samaje Perine (1,349 rushing yards), but they have some holes to fill on the offensive line and at wide receiver. The defense lost four all-Big 12 players from last season; Oklahoma does have some talented backups from 2015 ready to step in. With a challenging schedule looming, the Sooners are determined to get back into the playoffs after falling, 37-17, to Clemson in last year's semifinals.

Running back Leonard Fournette, LSU

Fournette was dazzling in the first half of his sophomore season when he reached the 1,000-yard mark in just his fifth game. However, he was found to be human after picking up only 31 yards on the ground against Alabama, a game that damaged his Heisman chances. Nevertheless, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound star led the nation in rushing average (162.8 yards per game) while finishing the season with 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns. He will top 3,000 career yards in the first game this season, against Wisconsin.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Watson accounted for a staggering 47 touchdowns last season and became the first quarterback in FBS history to pass for more than 4,000 passing yards (4,104, to be exact) and 1,000 rushing yards (1,105). The numbers are even more spectacular when one recalls that Watson came back from a torn ACL suffered in December of his freshman year. Of course, with the way the 6-3, 215-pound junior runs around, injury is always a concern. But Watson is determined to lead his team back into the playoffs.

Running back Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

McCaffrey finished second in the Heisman balloting last season, but he might have leapfrogged Alabama's Derrick Henry had the vote been taken after the Rose Bowl, where McCaffrey gained a record 368 all-purpose yards. His season total of 3,864 all-purpose yards were an NCAA record. He touched the football 437 times last season counting rushing, receiving, passing, kickoff returns and punt returns. The 6-foot, 200-pound junior will be called upon often this season while the Cardinal settle in on a quarterback.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett, Ohio State

Barrett enjoyed an outstanding redshirt freshman season (school-record 3,772 total yards, Big Ten-record 45 touchdowns) in 2014 after Braxton Miller was lost for the season. But after suffering a broken ankle late that year, he returned the next year and played behind Cardale Jones for seven games before getting the starting job back. Barrett, who is 6-2 and 222 pounds, will be a dynamic offensive player this season as the Buckeyes try to replace more than a dozen starters who went to the NFL.

Running back Dalvin Cook, Florida State

Cook set a school record last season by rushing for 1,691 yards, a total that included games of 266 and 222 yards, even though he battled some nagging injuries. The 5-11, 213-pound junior, who finished seventh in last year's Heisman voting, scored 16 touchdowns and averaged nearly 32 yards per score. He is very productive considering that he has logged 25 or more carries in a game only three times. He enters this season as the ACC's top active rusher with 2,699 yards and a league-high 13 100-yard contests.

Mark Richt, Miami

Richt left Georgia after 15 seasons to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, where he replaced former Temple head coach Al Golden. Richt's departure left the Bulldogs scrambling for a coaching staff to lead the team against Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl but they won, so no harm. Richt posted a .740 winning percentage at Georgia and won two SEC titles. Now he has to rejuvenate a Miami program that went 32-25 under Golden, who was fired after losing, 58-0, to Clemson on Oct. 24.

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Smart, the former defensive coordinator at Alabama, came in to replace Richt at Georgia, his alma mater. The hiring was met with mixed feelings in Athens, where some fans felt a change was needed, and others worried about the lack of head coaching experience on Smart's resumé. However, since Smart worked for eight years under Nick Saban with the Crimson Tide and led a defensive unit that annually was one of the best in the country, the experience he brings to the table can't hurt.

Chris Ash, Rutgers

Ash takes his first head coaching job after spending the previous five years as a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, Arkansas and, for the last two seasons, Ohio State. The Iowa native immediately went to work in December to start creating a new culture that included sprucing up the football building and introducing himself to New Jersey high school football coaches. It could take a while before results are seen, but there's an unmistakable new energy in the Scarlet Knights' program.

Will Muschamp, South Carolina

The head coach's office with the Gamecocks is far less entertaining now that Muschamp has replaced the irrepressible Steve Spurrier, who retired last year at midseason. After going 10-13 in the last two seasons of his four-year tenure at Florida, Muschamp must come in and establish a more exciting team than the defensive-minded squad he put together with the Gators. That may take some time; the Gamecocks lost a number of their star players from last season.

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech

Fuente became a rising star in coaching after leading Memphis to a 19-6 record in his final two seasons, so he became the logical choice for Virginia Tech after Frank Beamer announced on Nov. 1 that he would retire after 29 years at the helm. Because Fuente is known as being a good offensive coach, the Hokies might be a little flashier on that side of the football. Of course, it's never easy replacing a legend and Fuente will be sure to hear his share of "Well, Beamer did it this way . . ."

Saturday, LSU vs. Wisconsin at Green Bay, 3:30 p.m., 6ABC - The Tigers boldly venture into the land of Cheeseheads for the first major college football game ever on the "frozen tundra."

Saturday, Southern California vs. Alabama at Arlington, Texas, 8 p.m., 6ABC - The Crimson Tide return to Jerry World, again with a first-time starter at quarterback but loaded at all other positions.

Monday, Mississippi vs. Florida State at Orlando, 8 p.m., ESPN - The Seminoles start their playoff run led by dynamic running back Dalvin Cook, but the Rebels have their own offensive ace in quarterback Chad Kelly.

Sept. 17, Alabama at Mississippi, 3:30 p.m., CBS3 - The Crimson Tide have lost three games in their last 29, and two of them have come to the Rebels. Having this game at Oxford doesn't help the Tide.

Sept. 17, Ohio State at Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m., Fox29 - The Buckeyes enter a hostile atmosphere with a talented but inexperienced team, but the focus is on quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and J.T. Barrett.

Sept. 17, Michigan State at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., NBC10 - The Fighting Irish have a pair of experienced quarterbacks in DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, and that's two more than the Spartans have.

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq