College Football: Preseason Top 25 Projections

UCF is riding the longest winning streak in the country after finishing 2017 with the only undefeated record in the country. Last year’s top Group of Five team has a chance to keep the winning ways going in 2018. While they finished behind Boise State in the preseason Coaches Poll, the Knights will likely jump over the Broncos in the first release of the AP Top 25.

Scott Frost is no longer patrolling the sidelines, it must be noted. But in Josh Heupel the Knights landed another hot up-and-coming coach who made his name on the offensive side of the ball. The former Heisman winner arrives in Orlando after two years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Missouri. He inherits a great quarterback in McKenzie Milton, who is the most efficient passer returning from last year and could make a dark-horse Heisman run.

Shaquem Griffin and Mike Hughes are no small losses on defense. They highlight a unit that must be rebuilt at all levels in 2018. New defensive coordinator Randy Shannon will need to lean on veterans like Tre Neal, Kyle Gibson, and Pat Jasinski to lead the unit this year. But after finishing the year 52nd in scoring defense and 93rd in yards allowed, the unit only needs to be decent for this year’s offense to keep them piling up wins and in the national running.