RJ Young's post-spring college football Top 25: Oklahoma is No. 1
By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer
Every FBS program in the country received an opportunity this year that more than 100 of them did not get in 2020: They got 15 spring practices to spruce up, catch up and level up on both sides of the ball.
With an unprecedented extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic for players who normally would've been forced to quit playing college football, there are also more players on FBS rosters.
As I wrote in April, this season features 1,046 super-seniors across 130 programs — an 11.5% increase in a normal year that features 85 scholarship players at each program.
We've also seen an unprecedented number of players in the transfer portal. A source at a Power 5 athletic department told me there are nearly 4,700 players in the portal.
"All of them ain't coming out, either," he said.
The ones who have, though, have made other teams better this spring.
The Oklahoma Sooners demolished the seventh-ranked Florida Gators, who didn't want to be there in the Cotton Bowl.
OU returns one of the best quarterbacks in the sport in Spencer Rattler and a top-25 defense.
Then the Sooners got even better through Tennessee transfers Key Lawrence, Eric Gray and Wanya Morris.
Add the 10th-best 2021 recruiting class in the country, and you can see why I made Oklahoma the post-spring No. 1 team in the country.
"If you really are taking each season as its own season and you're trying to throw out everything that happens before," FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt said on "The No. 1-Ranked Show," "then Oklahoma should be the No. 1 team in the country based on what they bring back."
But Klatt said he won't necessarily be inclined to rank OU No. 1 in August.
Klatt believes Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have earned that position, based on their status as the defending national champs and their pedigree.
"Alabama has earned the right to be the No. 1 team in the country because they're the best program in the country right now. And they have not shown that they're going to give up that spot all that lightly," Klatt said. "So I believe that Alabama, I'm gonna probably put them No. 1."
I prefer to rank the teams as they are. This isn't baseball.
I'm not interested in paying programs respect for what they've done — only what I believe they're going to do.
Hence, for my post-spring Top 25 rankings, I created and considered these criteria before putting a number next to a name:
- Returning production
- Starting quarterback
- Coaching staff continuity
- Recruiting class and transfer portal additions
Keeping it a buck, here's the way-too-early top 25 I did immediately following the national title game. You'll notice there have definitely been some changes.
Now, fight me.
1. Oklahoma Sooners
If it's Blackjack, I'm hitting OU in '21. If it's roulette, I'm betting on red. The Sooners are running a too-deep two-deep and are too good not to make this time their time.
JT Daniels is good. The addition of former 5-stars Derion Kendrick and Arik Gilbert to what was already a national title contender is even better.
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After landing two five-star transfers, the Georgia Bulldogs are in full-blown title-or-bust mode in the 2021 season, RJ Young says.
Clemson is the only program not named Oklahoma to win its league title for the past six consecutive years and has rented a room in the playoff for half a decade.
And D.J. Uiagalelei is more physically talented than his predecessor.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
A new offensive coordinator, new quarterback, new workhorse tailback and retooled receiving corps mean you're betting on Nick Saban's program trusting the process once again. It's a bet that usually pays out.
Ohio State is an F1 Mercedes-Benz that lost its Lewis Hamilton (Justin Fields) to the NFL.
Now, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has to make sure he taps the right driver to get the most out of the car.
The previous two players he put behind the wheel became first-round picks. C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller and Kyle McCord are each hoping to be next.
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6. Oregon Ducks
It's The Kayvon Thibodeaux Show in Eugene, Oregon, and tickets are going fast.
7. LSU Tigers
Much like Alabama, LSU has bet on Ed Orgeron to be one of the best talent evaluators of coaches and players in the sport. With a new offensive and defensive coordinator and coming off a five-loss season, Orgeron has to get it right in 2021. I think he can and will.
Michael Penix Jr. fell a few yards short of passing for the full jackpot against Ohio State last year, and the Hoosiers bring back the best wideout most aren't acknowledging. So when said wideout Ty Fryfogle breaks Big Ten secondaries in half and you speak of me? Speak of me well.
Prediction: Breece Hall, Brock Purdy and Mike Rose are gonna end 2021 on All-America Teams. Wait for it.
10. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Rock-a-Doodle U has more talent than the Grand Duke on the organ pipes. Catch me in September chanting "Chanticleer" like my middle name is Patou.
Between Jim Leonhard's defense and Jalen Berger in the backfield, Wisconsin should represent the Big Ten West in the conference title game.
12. Miami Hurricanes
D'Eriq King and Charleston Rambo tend to look like Willie Beamen and Jimmy Sanderson in "Any Given Sunday."
It says here that Kyren Williams will rush for 2,000 yards in 2021.
The Sam Howell fall mixtape is about to be Meek Mill lit. It's for us in the college football trap, and it's about to be a hit.
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North Carolina coach Mack Brown sees some similarities between Sam Howell and Baker Mayfield.
ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels has thrown just three picks in his entire career.
And that Sun Devil defense? Nasty.
Jahan Dotson is gonna turn a lot of heads in Happy Valley.
17. Texas A&M Aggies
Isaiah Spiller once committed to Oklahoma. At the time, I was so excited about that, I left the iron on the ironing board while celebrating for so long that I melted the flag I was ironing.
And Spiller has been as good as I thought he'd be — he's just done it at A&M. He might be the best back in the SEC by December.
18. Florida Gators
Emory Jones and Demarkcus Bowman are about to play a little basketball on grass in the Swamp, and it's going to be a sight to behold.
McKenzie Milton is on his Alex Smith, and he's got help. Kansas transfer Andrew Parchment and UGA transfer Jermaine Johnson give the Seminoles the sharp edge to Osceola's spear, ya dig?
20. Texas Longhorns
"And I think Bijan Robinson, I'm sorry for saying this, I think he's the best back in the country. If you really watch him, in the second half of last year, he was unstoppable." — our man Joel Klatt on "The No. 1-Ranked Show"
21. UCF Knights
All aboard the Gus Bus. It's getting ready to make a run at the American title.
22. TCU Horned Frogs
All Gary Patterson does is put defensive players into the NFL. Now, he has five-star tailback Zach Evans to carry the offensive load.
If you do not fear the Frogs, you're liable to get smacked.
Desmond Ridder has to be good enough to overcome what Cincy lost on defense, including one of the most talented defensive coordinators in the country to Notre Dame in Marcus Freeman.
I'm not a Ridder believer. So, go on, young blood. Style on me. Make me a believer.
24. USC Trojans
Former No. 1 player in the country Korey Foreman joins NFL first-round draft hopeful Drake Jackson on a defensive line that ought to take the lunch money of every offensive line it faces.
Iowa State looked past the Ragin' Cajuns last September and got done up. Then all the Cyclones did in 2020 is win the Fiesta Bowl.
And 98 percent of Louisiana's 2020 team is back, hungry and hunting. They'll start at 25, but they're liable to finish in the top 10.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young. Subscribe to "No. 1 Ranked Show w/ RJ Young" on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. He is not on a StepMill.