Ready for Some Football

It is that time of the year again, time for the start of college football.  Well, OK, we are two weeks in, but still, we are basically at the beginning.  What would the start of college football be without a preseason All-American list? Once again, I am here to give you my preseason All-Americans. As usual, there will be more than 11 a side, to account for the different types of formations (spread, three receiver set, 4-3, 3-4, etc). I explain some of my picks, while others I do not. Why? Because I can.  (Starters in capitals).

Offense

QB - MARCUS MARIOTA, Oregon; Jameis Winston, Florida State; Brett Hundley, UCLA - I was right leaving Johnny Manziell off last year's pre-season list despite coming off a Heisman trophy campaign, and I will ultimately be right for not having Winston starting this year.  Mariota runs the most dangerous offense in the NCCA, sorry Bryce Petty.  Hundley's UCLA could sneak into the playoff at the end of the season.

RB - TODD GURLEY, Georgia; MELVIN GORDON, Wisconsin; Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska; Duke Johnson, Miami - Possibly the easiest position to select multiple starters.  Gurley and Gordon are the best in the county hands down.  Abdullah showed last week just how he can affect, and turn around, a game.  Duke Johnson might be the most exciting player in the country, as he is a threat every time he touches the ball - running, receiving and returning.

WR - AMARI COOPER, Alabama; ANTWAN GOODLEY, Baylor; Tyler Lockett, Kansas State; Rashad Greene, Florida State; Stefon Diggs, Maryland - Cooper is a no-brainer, and Goodley could end with close to a million yards receiving this year.  Lockett and Greene are selected over Nelson Agholor of USC because of Lockett's experience being the primary, and only, weapon and Greene's numbers should skyrocket with the loss of all of Florida State's weapons to the NFL.  Diggs makes the team for his return capabilities.

TE - NICK O'LEARY, Florida State; O.J. Howard, Alabama - Probably the weakest spot on the team with Eric Ebron, Jace Amaro and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins all going to the NFL, but these two are the best of the lot, and are solid all-around tight ends.

OL - CEDRICK OGBEHI, Texas A and M (T); ANDRUS PEAT, Stanford (T); A.J. CANN, South Carolina (G); TREY JACKSON, Florida State (G);  HRONISS GRASU, Oregon (C); Reese Dismukes, Auburn; Brandon Scherff, Iowa - Ogbehi is the latest in a long line of Aggie Tackles, See Matthews, Jake; Joeckel, Luke.  Peat makes it because he exhibits the prototypical Stanford toughness that we have come to expect.  Grasu might be the hardest name to spell in this list.

Defense

DE - VIC BEASLEY, Clemson; SHILIQUE CALHOUN, Michigan State; Leonard Williams, USC; Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi - Beasley is one of the easiest selections to this list, while Calhoun leads a particularly tough Spartan defense.  Williams and Nkemdiche are both sophomores.

DT - MICHAEL BENNETT, Ohio State; CARL DAVIS, Iowa; Dante Fowler, Jr. Florida - Fowler is not a prototypical tackle, but Will Muschamp likes to line him up there for the speed advantage over interior lineman.

LB - RAMIK WILSON, Georgia; A.J. JOHNSON, Tennessee; DENZEL PERRYMAN, Miami; Myles Jack, UCLA; Eric Striker, Oklahoma; Trey DePriest, Alabama - Wilson led the SEC with 133 tackles (second place had 113), and is likely the leader of the best line backing corps in the country.  Jonson and Perryman led their teams with tackles last year, with Johnson having 324 in his career.  Jack might be the best two-way player in the country and DePriest is here because every team needs an Alabama linebacker.

CB - IFO EKPE-OLOMU, Oregon; VERNON HARGREAVES, III, Florida; Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech; P.J. Williams, Florida State - Ekpe-Olomu was an easy pick, and Hargreaves not far behind him.  Lots of interceptions would come from this backfield, if they could take the field together.

S - LANDON COLLINS, Alabama; CODY PREWITT, Mississippi; Derron Smith, Fresno State; Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State - The tight ends of the defense, in that this is probably the weakness of the team, and if that is the case, your team is pretty darned good.

Special Teams

K - ROBERTO AGUAYO, Florida State - Nobody else is even close.

P - DREW KASER, Texas A and M - Again, nobody is even really close.

KR/PR - RYAN SWITZER, North Carolina; TY MONTGOMERY, Stanford - With these two guys, along with Duke Johnson and Stefon Diggs on the roster, this team will be scary in the return game.