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College Football Playoff: 5 Teams Who Can Win 2015 Title Without Top QB

By Michael Collins

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Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus plays with the College Playoff trophy after the game against the Oregon Ducks for the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The College Football Playoff has become like the postseason in practically any other sport – just get there, and then you have as good a shot as anyone. Getting there is the problem for some teams, however.

RELATED: 10 Teams Who Will Miss Their Starting Quarterback

If you’re going to become one of the top four teams in the nation by the end of the regular season, traditional logic dictates that you need a top-notch signal caller under center…a Heisman hopeful, a golden child, the next number one draft pick.

Not so, not in today’s college football landscape.

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    • Teams are running a variety of offenses now, with everything from a traditional pro-style, to variations on the old option attack, all the way to the newfangled read-option. Quarterbacks can have a huge part to play in some of these offenses, while in others, they simply need to (forgive me, I know) manage the game and play as mistake-free as possible.

    There are a handful of teams out there who can potentially make the playoffs and even a run to the national championship if they have just that – a game manager.

    Normally, LSU would absolutely be included in this list, but with a new defensive coordinator and a defense that has been completely re-tooled after players leaving for the NFL, they’ll need a lot more work to become playoff ready this season.

    Kansas State would also be a good candidate for this list, however they lack the overall depth and play in a very tough conference, lining up against TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma. If the Ohio State Buckeyes want to repeat as national champs, they’ll need a big season from Cardale Jones (or any of his understudies).

    If you watch these following teams closely this season, they’ll rely heavily on just about everything besides their quarterback, and if the rest of the parts fall into place, they’ll be seeing their names at the top of the College Football Playoff committee’s standings.

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