The key storyline for every top 25 team

Nothing gold can stay, and the same could be said about All-American defensive linemen. Mainstays like Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell are gone and, all of a sudden, the unquestioned dominance of Clemson in the trenches is in doubt. Stepping into their places are some of the most talented defensive line prospects in the country, but they are unproven. Xavier Thomas and Justin Foster showed plenty of promise last season with 16.5 combined tackles for loss. In the middle, Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams will be leaned on stuff the run and set the tone. The team will need these young Tigers to step up if it wants to successfully defend its national championship.

Nick Saban remains the king of Alabama football, but there has been some turnover among his subjects. Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is now with Maryland, wide receivers coach Josh Gattis left to be the offensive coordinator at Michigan, offensive line coach Brent Key went to Georgia Tech in a lateral move and quarterback coach Dan Enos is now the offensive coordinator at Miami. The loss to Clemson in the national championship had offensive coaches jumping ship, which is odd considering the team still has Heisman Trophy finalist Tua Tagovailoa and a host of weapons who are more than capable of lighting up anyone in the country. Saban is known as a master taskmaster, but an exodus of this magnitude may even hurt his usually tightly run ship.

Speaking of Crimson Tide departures, Norman, Oklahoma, is getting a good one and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Jalen Hurts steps onto campus as the heir apparent to Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, who is now plying his trade in the NFL. Those are some big shoes to fill. Hurts may not have the proven arm Murray had, but he showed the durability to get the job done with his legs, gaining at least 850 rushing yards every year he was a full-time starter. Lincoln Riley’s offense thrives on a quarterback who can do it all, so Hurts’ performance is going to be looked at closely.

Quarterback Jake Fromm had a host of playmakers to choose from last year, which resulted in a top-15 offense. In 2019, there won’t be many proven players to lean on. Terry Godwin, Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman left for the NFL, and Jeremiah Holloman was kicked off the team, leaving the Bulldogs lean at wide receiver. While D’Andre Swift can get yards on the ground, Georgia is going to need someone to step up and get open to keep defenses honest if they start stacking the box. If the team wants to compete for a national championship again, it is going to need this offense to be dynamic and explosive.

When you lose a Heisman Trophy finalist like Dwayne Haskins, you’re not supposed to follow that up with the best quarterback prospect from the Class of 2018. Then again, not every team is Ohio State. Justin Fields fled his backup purgatory in Georgia for freedom in Columbus (sorry, Tate Martell), but there are still a lot of questions regarding what he can really do. Ohio State averaged 40 pass attempts per game, and that kind of volume is unlikely to change with offensive coordinator and interim head coach Ryan Day taking over full time. Fields needs to step up quickly if the Buckeyes want to continue competing at an elite level.

The Fighting Irish were a different team when Ian Book took over at quarterback, guiding them to a College Football Playoff berth. But can he get them there again? Book finished the year with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games. But with defensive losses and an unproven running game, he will need to step up to make things easier for Notre Dame, especially when it plays Michigan and Georgia. Can he be the star who carries the Fighting Irish this year?

Calvin Anderson, Elijah Rodriguez and Patrick Vahe are gone, taking over 110 games of starting experience between them. The team has a deep group that many feel can step up and keep Texas going. With a quarterback like Sam Ehlinger and a running back like Keaontay Ingram needing holes to run, the line is going to be a huge key. If the Longhorns want to be “back,” like Ehlinger exclaimed after winning the Sugar Bowl, they’re going to need those big uglies to perform well.

Franks has fought inconsistency during his career at Florida, but things seemed to click in 2018 when he threw for 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The team finished No. 7 in the AP Poll, but he will be the key if the Gators want to be playing for a national title in January. His deep ball has always been a weapon, but his decision making has helped the Gators the most. If he can continue to improve on that, and his accuracy, Florida will be a dangerous team in 2019.

Jim Harbaugh is not one to easily cede control to anyone, especially on offense. But when you hire the man who engineered one of the most explosive offenses in 2018, you kind of have to. Josh Gattis left Alabama after helping the Crimson Tide finish sixth in the country in yards per game and third in scoring. Now he is hoping to rejuvenate a team with his uptempo style and big-play potential. But when push comes to shove, will Harbaugh let Gattis do his thing, or will there be a power struggle that pushes the team apart?

Jim Leavitt did something no one thought was possible at Oregon: built a defense that matched the talent of the offense. The Ducks cut down on their points per game every year since Leavitt took over, but with his depature, it’s now Andy Avalos’ turn to keep the momentum going. Avalos inherits a defense with star linebacker Troy Dye and coveted five-star freshman Kayvon Thibodeaux but lost key players like Ugo Amadi, Justin Hollins and Jalen Jelks. The Ducks' success on defense will depend on how quickly Avalos can install his chaotic defense and help Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert get the ball on offense.

The Aggies lost a number of players, but the defense suffered the most losses. Daylon Mack, Kingsley Keke, Landis Durham, Tyrel Dodson, Otaro Alaka and Donovan Wilson are all gone, taking five of the six best tacklers and sack men from last year. Texas A&M was a top-50 defense last year, giving up 25.3 points per game. The team stands to give up a lot more points with those departures if it doesn't find players who can step up.

Joe Brady may not be a well-known name, but he could be by the end of the 2019 season. The Tigers' new offensive coordinator is exciting a lot of players, including quarterback Joe Burrow who declared the team would score a lot in the upcoming season. LSU’s offense isn’t known for putting up huge numbers traditionally, but Brady’s uptempo, no-huddle, run-pass option offense could change that. If the team can average more than 35 points per game, the SEC may become a shootout conference.

Every team loses important players, but no loss may have been greater to any team in the Pac-12 than Gardner Minshew. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner completed over 70 percent of his passes for 4,779 yards and 38 touchdowns. That’s a lot of production and leadership to replace. The Cougars are hoping Eastern Washington grad transfer Gage Gubrud has that same magic in him, but nothing is guaranteed. Washington State jumped from the 50^th best offense to 15^th with Minshew behind center, so Gubrud has his work cut out for him if he wants to keep the dangerous Cougar offensive attack on track.

Milton’s devastating injury last year left a huge void for the Knights to overcome. Darriel Mack Jr. filled in valiantly, helping the team finish undefeated heading into the Fiesta Bowl, where it could not overcome LSU. Whether UCF would have beat the Tigers with Milton will never be answered, but his impact and leadership are obviously invaluable to the team. He drove this team to elite levels, so it is important the Knights find a quarterback who can competently lead them while he’s out. A CFP berth may not be in the cards, but a third straight AAC championship is on the line.

Quarterback Eric Dungey helped put the Orange on the map last year, accounting for 3,622 total yards on offense and 33 touchdowns. Even though Syracuse finished No. 15 in the AP Poll, Tommy DeVito has a chance to take them further. DeVito has a highly touted arm that can get the ball to playmakers like Jamal Custis, Sean Riley and Taj Harris. The Orange have a chance to be a force in the ACC, but that all hinges on how far DeVito has improved since he came to the Orange in 2017.

For the last three years, McSorley has been the unquestioned leader of the Nittany Lions at the quarterback position. Replacing the intangibles he brought will be difficult but necessary to keep Penn State in the national conversation. That responsibility was supposed to fall to Tommy Stevens, but he entered the transfer portal instead. Now, third-stringer Sean Clifford is expected to take the reins. The former four-star recruit has had a strong spring, but whether he can handle the pressure of a Division I season is left to be determined.

Once the golden boy at Georgia, Eason found a new home in Seattle after being overshadowed by Jake Fromm and Justin Fields in Athens. With Washington’s Jake Browning now in the NFL, Eason will be looked to be his replacement. But there are still question marks about him. He got beat by the aforementioned quarterbacks at Georgia, and there are still questions of whether he can succeed with all eyes on him, a Washington native. Every move the big-armed quarterback makes will be heavily scrutinized.

Zack Moss was a stud for Utah before an injury derailed his 2018 season. He was expected to go to the NFL but chose to return to Salt Lake City to help the Utes go where no Utah team has gone before: the Rose Bowl or beyond. Moss was as dependable as they come before he got hurt, and the Utes will need that same running back if they want to climb to the top of the Pac-12. They will be holding their breath until fall to find out if he is still the man they can lean on.

When the best quarterback in program history leaves, that is a big hole to fill. Clayton Thorson put in over 10,000 passing yards for the Wildcats, but they might have an able replacement in Hunter Johnson. The Clemson transfer came into college football more highly touted than Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm and Tate Martell on some sites and has an elite, dual-threat skill set that makes him perfect for any system. But he has four other quarterbacks to contend with. If he is as good as everyone thinks he is, he should be able to be the starting quarterback and lead this team to wins.

For the first time in four years, Bryce Love will not be carrying the ball for Stanford. He added to the growing list of great Stanford running backs in recent years like Toby Gerhart and Christian McCaffrey, but who is next? Cameron Scarlett backed up Love efficiently last season, while Trevor Speights and Dorian Maddox didn’t do much. When they were rolling, a lot of the Stanford success was due to balanced offense built off the running game. The team is going to need someone to step up if it wants to get back to that level of achievement.

Running back Jonathan Taylor is back and bringing Heisman Trophy-level play, but who will be handing him the ball? Alex Hornibrook is gone, and if the offense doesn’t want to see an eight-man box every play, it is going to need a quarterback who can punish defenses for cheating. Backup Jack Coan and four-star freshman Graham Mertz will be vying for the spot, but whoever gets it will need to be solid for the Badgers for them to have any chance of winning the Big 10.

The Hawkeyes lost legendary defensive line coach Reese Morgan as well as the starting defensive line. They were a big reason the Hawkeyes finished with the 11^th-best scoring defense in the country, only giving up 17.8 points per game. Finding the pieces to replace them will not be easy.

The competition started with four players at the beginning of spring and is now down to two. Redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood and true freshman Bo Nix are the clear favorites to succeed Jarrett Stidham, and who wins will be a major key to 2019. The Tigers brought in running backs D.J. Williams and Mark-Antony Richards in their Class of 2019, but they will need a poised quarterback to distribute the ball accurately and effectively. Gatewood and Nix can take the team far if they’re able to do that.

Maurice Washington was supposed to be the guy, but his availability is no longer certain due to multiple legal charges. So who will step up and help Scott Frost get his Nebraska tenure back on track? It’s a crowded field, to say the least. Miles Jones and Jaylin Bradley are most likely the top of the five returning backs, but No. 1 JUCO running back transfer Dedrick Mills is a newcomer who may make the biggest impact. Whoever gets the job will be important to getting the Cornhuskers in the win column.

The Black Knights lost five players in their front seven, leaving the defense vulnerable for the upcoming season. To compound those losses, they have a new defensive coordinator, John Loose, who was an internal hire. Army’s defensive strategy last season was stopping teams on third and fourth down, but if the defense is giving up chunks of yards on first and second, that bend-not-break defense will not be so effective. It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments the team makes with a new coach and new personnel.