Clemsons question marks on offense can be replaced with exclamation marks on defense, however. The Tigers have perhaps the best defensive line in college football. Preseason All-American Christian Wilkins had 12.5 tackles for a loss last year, and he will move back to the inside after playing on the end last season. Adding to his dominance will be Dexter Lawrence, a 340-pound 2016 monster who won ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year last year. Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant are solid on the other side. Clemson’s secondary has plenty of depth, and the Tigers should be able to keep fresh blood on the field. With so much incoming and returning talent, Clemson will win a lot of games just by virtue of shutting down opposing offenses. Defense is not the concern.

Kicker Greg Huegel hit 41 of 51 field goals over the past two seasons, but his kickoffs leave plenty of room for improvement. Punter Will Spiers should be an upgrade after logging an impressive spring performance, and last year the Tigers got just 36.7 yards per punt from Andy Teasdell. That will be an easy mark to top for Spiers.

Clemson may be expected to drop off by a lot of experts given the losses it incurred offensively, but the Tigers have an elite defense and have established themselves as a forceful program. The loss of Watson will not reverse the steam and momentum the program has gained. Perhaps it is expecting a bit much to see Clemson find its way back into the BCS playoffs given its question marks at quarterback, but the Tigers should pose a formidable threat to FSU in the chase for the ACC title. Of course, they will also have to leapfrog Auburn and Louisville, but the sheer amount of talent on the defensive end will keep Swinney’s crew in the mix with those other elite ACC programs.

Penn State has pretty much moved way past the Joe Paterno scandal. Maybe that is an understatement, following a season in which the school posted its fifth-highest scoring average in program history. Even after winning 11 games and such success, head coach James Franklin continues to raise the bar on a team talented enough to meet his expectations. Franklin is gunning after the 1994 team’s 47 point scoring average, and if trends continue in Pennsylvania, he just may pull that off. 

The Nittany Lions return star running back Saquon Barkley, the 2016 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, as well as QB Trace McSorley, the MVP of the Big Ten Championship. With its top two players returning, last year’s underdog Big Ten champions become this year’s favorites.

Barkley was sensational last season with nearly 1,500 yards and 18 TDs. He also had 306 all-purpose yards and three TDs in the Rose Bowl. McSorley set school records for passing yards, TDs, and total offense (3,979 yards). Penn State is a dominant offensive team. The Lions will have to do some work in replacing top receiver Chris Godwin, but Juwan Johnson should see an up-tick in targets, as well as DaeSean Hamilton and Said Blacknall. 
