Every College Football Playoff Contender's Biggest Flaw (Bleacher Report)

quote:

---

Alabama and Clemson should square off in the College Football Playoff for a fifth consecutive season, but potential defensive issues could keep both heavy favorites from winning it all.

They're not alone, though. All of the teams with legitimate aspirations of being chosen by the CFP selection committee have at least one major red flag that could derail their best-laid plans.

Both Big 12 contenders (Oklahoma and Texas) need to address glaring concerns on defense. Both Big Ten contenders (Michigan and Ohio State) have even larger question marks on offense. And the special teams for LSU and Oregon might be the furthest thing from special.

These issues won't bury all of these squads. Somehow, some way, four teams are going to the College Football Playoff. But these are the hurdles the top contenders will need to clear to get there.

Teams are listed in ascending order of likelihood of winning the national championship, per the consensus title odds on OddsShark as of July 1.

---

quote:

---

10. Florida Gators

Championship Odds: 33.7-1

Biggest Flaw: Inexperienced Offensive Line

Feleipe Franks made massive strides at quarterback in Dan Mullen's first year as the Florida Gators head coach. Franks returns, as does what feels like every Gator who caught one of his passes last season.

And even though the defense lost Jachai Polite, Vosean Joseph and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the NFL, most of the unit's starters are back for another year.

In other words, there are plenty of reasons to believe this team can improve upon what was already an impressive 10-win campaign.

There is one glaring concern, though: offensive line.

The Gators lost Jawaan Taylor, Martez Ivey, Fred Johnson and Tyler Jordan—a quartet of big men that registered a combined total of 51 out of 52 possible starts last season. Thus, aside from presumed starting center Nick Buchanan, Florida has a great big question mark in the offensive trenches.

Improved blocking was quietly one of the biggest reasons Florida's offense improved so much from 2017 to 2018. During that disastrous 4-7 campaign, the Gators allowed 3.36 sacks per game, good for 124th in the nation. They chopped that all the way down to 1.39 this past season. They also did a much better job of opening lanes for Lamical Perine, turning him into one of the better yards-per-carry running backs in the SEC.

It's great to have all those skill-position players back, but they'll only be as good as their blockers. If this new offensive line isn't in tip-top shape by the time that four-game gauntlet of Auburn, LSU, South Carolina and Georgia rolls around starting Oct. 5, Florida's dream season could turn into a nightmare in a hurry.

---

quote:

---

8. (tie) LSU Tigers

Championship Odds: 26-1

Biggest Flaw: Special Teams

The Tigers have an excellent punter in Zach Von Rosenberg. The rising junior averaged 45.7 yards per punt last season, which was the seventh-highest mark in the nation.

And when they don't need a booming punt, there's also Josh Growden to handle the coffin-corner duties. There aren't many punting platoons in college football, but LSU clearly has one of the best.

The Tigers also have a great leg for kickoffs in Avery Atkins. LSU allowed the fewest kickoff return yards of any team last season (126) thanks to Atkins' ability to mash 71 of 79 kickoffs for touchbacks as a freshman.

The other special teams units are much less of a sure thing for Ed Orgeron and Co.

Cole Tracy was one of the best kickers in the country last year, making all 42 of his extra-point attempts and 29 out of 33 field goals—including the game-winner at Auburn. But he is out of the picture, leaving true freshman Cade York as the likely place-kicker right away. At least York is the fourth-best kicker in this year's recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

LSU doesn't have any return specialists, either. The Tigers had a grand total of 99 punt-return yards in 2018 and only had three kickoff returns that went for 30 or more yards. In both departments, those marks were worse than at least half the country.

The kicking is obviously the bigger concern, though. Granted, Alabama has shown in recent years that you can vie for a title without a superb kicking game, but those Crimson Tide teams were more dominant in other areas than LSU figures to be. And there is no margin for error in the SEC West.

---