Five years ago, this was a fairly simple exercise: Rank Alabama either No. 1 or 2, then drop Ohio State, Clemson or Georgia immediately before or after. Look like a genius 365 days later.
But these days, it takes the GDP of a small country to keep a roster intact in college football. Ohio State spent the money to do it in 2024. Penn State is trying to do it in 2025.
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The Nittany Lions, who very nearly reached this year’s national championship game, are my early No. 1 for next season. I’m skeptical they can actually pull it off, but on paper, James Franklin’s team deserves that status given how
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