January 21, 2016
2016 College Football
Top 25 Preview

Click on each team for breakdown

1. Clemson
2. Louisiana State
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Stanford
6. Florida State
7. Michigan
8. Iowa
9. Baylor
10. Michigan State
11. Ole Miss
12. Houston
13. Notre Dame
14. Tennessee
15. Ohio State
16. Louisville
17. Oklahoma State
18. North Carolina
19. TCU
20. Utah
21. Oregon
22. Wisconsin
23. Arkansas
24. Southern California
25. Georgia

How accurate is the
Early Bird Preview?

OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION

Arizona
Auburn
Boise State
Brigham Young
Florida
Miami FL
Mississippi State
Nebraska
Northwestern
Penn State
San Diego State
San Jose State
Temple
Texas
Texas A&M
UCLA
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech
Washington
Washington State

 

 

 
     
 
* DEPTH CHARTS were only designed as a simplistic gauge for listing players that departed and players that received the most playing experience (consistent starters). NationalChamps.net recognizes the importance of missing personnel data not listed such as redshirts, transfers, injuries, incoming recruits, back ups and alternates. Their coverage will begin with our full 2016 Preseason Preview due out this coming spring.
 
 

 


 

Is NationalChamps.net too early? Not quite.
The Early Bird Preview has predicted almost the same Top 10 the official AP Poll puts out eight months later in August. The selection process is not that difficult if you know what pollsters look for. We give you most of that information now.

 

DO NOT MISS THE POINT: NationalChamps.net is proud to once again present the annual Early Bird College Football Breakdown (15th season). For those of you concerned with the rankings and the fact this #16 team is better than that #9 team, then YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT! Our presentation was created as nothing more than a rough guide for listing whether key players return or depart as evident in our depth chart formatting. So many of the selections are evidently interchangeable and will adjust continuously until next season arrives.

So sit back, unbutton those tight pants from your holiday dinners and leftovers, and take this preview for what it's worth. We think you will gain much more by realizing that the rankings and their explicit accuracy are not the primary goal. This is not about predicting where these teams will finish by season's end, a flaw in logic many assume - it is about where each deserves to be ranked as the season starts.

However, in the 15th season of compiling this Early Bird Preview, NationalChamps.net has eerily predicted a very close result to what the official preseason polls will show come August. Returning starters and key losses are not hard to figure out. Unpredictable at this point, though, is just how early NFL departures and bowl game results tend to change these rankings more than any other aspect. We rank what we know and take the rest in stride.