Can't Wait For Saturday | Next Peyton Manning? Not so fast. But Vols have another potential star QB

Greetings from "Can't Wait For Saturday," your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He'll give you his views each day on the game he loves

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Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,

The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.

Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.

And away we go ...

14. Tennessee SEC

What's to like?

If you watch the Citrus Bowl, you saw Tennessee's next great quarterback. Nico Iamaleava lead a 35-0 victory against Iowa, a game that certainly got the attention of SEC defensive coordinators. He was a five-star recruit who is taking charge of Josh Heupel's offense in what will still be his freshman season. ... Squirrel White and Bru McCoy lead a talented group of receivers. ... Three starters are back on the offensive line. ... Defensive end James Pearce Jr. is coming off a 10-sack season. ... Jackson Ross, the team's returning punter, can boot it with either foot. Of course, he is Australian. ... League powers Texas, Mississippi and Missouri aren't on the schedule.

Reasons to worry

Only three starters are back on defense. And the entire secondary is new. Against the teams Tennessee will see there will be some high-scoring games. ... Heupel filled some needs with the transfer portal, but the Vols also lost 15 players. ... With consecutive strong seasons, Tennessee has raised the expectation level for the fan base that fills giant Neyland Stadium. That is a good thing as long as the Vols keep winning. ... The nonconference schedule includes a neutral-site game in Charlotte against NC State. In the SEC, the Vols travel to Oklahoma and Georgia and host Alabama. That's plenty.

Previous

50. Maryland Big Ten

49. Colorado Big 12

48. Georgia Tech ACC

47. Tulane American

46. UCF Big 12

45. South Florida American

44. Appalachian State Sun Belt

43. Rutgers Big Ten

42. Virginia Tech ACC

41. Texas Tech Big 12

40. Liberty Conference USA

39. South Carolina SEC

38. Washington Big Ten

37. North Carolina ACC

36. Boise State Mountain West

35. Memphis American

34. Kentucky SEC

33. Nebraska Big Ten

32. Florida SEC

31. Auburn SEC

30. SMU ACC

29. Wisconsin Big Ten

28. West Virginia Big 12

27. Iowa State Big 12

26. NC State ACC

25. Iowa Big Ten

24. Arizona Big 12

23. Louisville ACC--July 13

22. Southern California Big Ten

21. Kansas State Big 12

20. Texas A&M SEC--July 16

19. Kansas Big 12--July 17

18. Miami ACC

17. Oklahoma SEC

16. Clemson ACC

15. Oklahoma State Big 12