Way too early odds for next year's CFB championship

Some teams rebuild every year. For Alabama, it's known as reloading. The reigning national champs have two strong quarterback options in Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa returning and hope to have running back Damien Harris for his senior season. The defense loses significant players like Rashaan Evans but has plenty of talent where that came from for coach Nick Saban to shape.

Clemson fell short to Alabama in the CFP semifinals, but quarterback Kelly Bryant will have a full year of starting under his belt and young running back Travis Etienne could be even better after averaging 7.2 yards per carry in his freshman season. Head coach Dabo Swinney hopes to make it four straight College Football Playoff appearances.

Anytime Urban Meyer's team misses the College Football Playoff, it's a disappointing year, but the Buckeyes have plenty of talent for next season. Replacing quarterback J.T. Barrett won't be easy, but star running back J.K. Dobbins should be able to shoulder some of the load after already rushing for more than 1,400 yards in his freshman season.

Head coach Kirby Smart has already established his program as a force to be reckoned with, just falling short in the CFP Championship Game vs. Alabama, and he brings an elite recruiting class next season. Despite losing the incredible running back duo of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, the Bulldogs have plenty of running backs behind them and the expectation that quarterback Jake Fromm will take a giant leap forward with one year of experience under his belt.

Jim Harbaugh's team had a very disappointing year at 8-5 due to injuries at quarterback. The team has options at the position next year with Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey, and the defense isn't far away from being elite, averaging the 13th fewest points per game this season.

How do you replace Saquon Barkley? James Franklin will face that question in 2018 as he tries to prove that his program can remain elite for the long haul. Quarterback Trace McSorley will be a legitimate Heisman candidate in his senior season, and running back Miles Sanders did show flashes behind Barkley this season.

Baker Mayfield will finally be gone, but head coach Lincoln Riley has the college football world talking after making the College Football Playoff in his first season in the post-Bob Stoops era. The Sooners will likely turn to former top Texas A&M recruit Kyler Murray at quarterback, who has even more athleticism than Mayfield, and running back Rodney Anderson will return after rushing for 1,161 yards this season.

Head coach Mark Dantonio successfully orchestrated a turnaround after the Spartans struggled last season, finishing the 2017 campaign at 10-3. Michigan State got a solid year out of quarterback Brian Lewerke, who should be able to take another step forward in his second year as a starter.

Longhorns fans are optimistic with the work head coach Tom Herman did in his first season, returning to a bowl and finishing 7-6. Herman has a two-headed monster at quarterback between Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele, but the Longhorns will need to establish a better running game. The loss of linebacker Malik Jefferson will also be costly to the defense.

Head coach Mark Richt has Miami on the right path through two seasons, with the Hurricanes nearly challenging for the College Football Playoff in only his second year. The offense still needs to take a step forward, but the return of quarterback Malik Rosier and running back Travis Homer will help.

The Badgers had another elite defense in 2017 but lost their shot at the College Football Playoff by losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Running back Jonathan Taylor had a historic freshman season, rushing for nearly 2,000 yards, and will somehow try to build on that next year.

Coach Gus Malzahn is off the hot seat after an excellent season, though the Tigers were upset by UCF in the Peach Bowl. The return of Jarrett Stidham does give the team some comfort at quarterback, arguably something the Tigers haven't had since Cam Newton.

Washington is coming off of a somewhat disappointing 10-3 season, but the Huskies could rebound next year if running back Myles Gaskin elects to return. Head coach Chris Petersen's defense did show improvement this year, allowing only 16.1 points per game.

The Tigers fired Les Miles because they wanted to compete for national championships, but that didn't happen in Ed Orgeron's first full year. Orgeron is now 15-6 in his time as the head coach in Baton Rouge. Retaining defense coordinator Dave Aranda was a win for LSU, but there are huge questions on offense with the loss of quarterback Danny Etling and departure of NFL-bound running back Derrius Guice.

Sam Darnold and the Trojans failed to meet the lofty expectations in 2017, and now head coach Clay Helton must reshuffle the deck.The offense is also set to lose running back Ronald Jones and leading receiver Deontay Burnett.

The transition from Frank Beamer to Justin Fuente has been smooth, with Fuente's teams going 19-8 in his first two seasons. Despite the success, the Hokies haven't been on the CFP radar. They struggled to muster much offense in 2017, but that was to be expected starting freshman Josh Jackson at quarterback. They hope the versatile Jackson can take a step forward next season.

The Seminoles' season was doomed when they lost star quarterback Deondre Francois in the first game of the season, but even considering that fact, they were extreme underachievers. The change from head coach Jimbo Fisher to former Western Kentucky, USF and Oregon head coach Willie Taggart could add renewed life to the program.

Head coach Brian Kelly saved his job with a 10-3 season, getting far better defensive play. The loss of defensive coordinator Mike Elko to Texas A&M could be costly, and the loss of running back Josh Adams won't help the offense.

Despite a 7-6 season, the Mountaineers are really looking up due to the emergence of Florida transfer Will Grier at quarterback. He threw for nearly 3,500 yards and 34 touchdowns in only 11 games and is a dark-horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy next season.

Stanford's five losses were the most in the David Shaw era, and running back Bryce Love could declare for the NFL Draft after rushing for more than 2,100 yards. The Cardinal defense must improve after only ranking 35th in points allowed.

The expectations will be sky high for new head coach Jimbo Fisher after signing a 10-year, $75 million contract to move on from Florida State. The defense must be addressed, and the team trusts that former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko is the right man for the job.

It's been tough sledding for the Gators since Urban Meyer left, now on their third head coach this decade after hiring Dan Mullen away from Mississippi State. The Gators aren't in a situation that can be fixed overnight after going 4-7, but Mullen does have some promising young pieces like quarterback Feleipe Franks and running back Malik Davis.

The Horned Frogs rebounded from a six-win season to go 11-3 in 2017, showing a strong defense in the high-scoring Big 12. The team will have to undergo another transition on offense, losing quarterback Kenny Hill, but is excited about backup Shawn Robinson and top quarterback recruit Justin Rogers.

It's difficult to overcome two head coaching changes in two years, but the Ducks are hoping for a smoother transition by promoting Mario Cristobal. Of course, the team didn't have a very good showing in the Las Vegas Bowl under Cristobal and is set to lose running back Royce Freeman after he rushed for more than 5,600 yards over four seasons.