We may be several months away from the start of the season, but as with every year, there are a group of teams that have separated themselves to a point where we would be shocked in the national champion didn't come from that group.
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Well, ESPN's K.C. Joyner took a shot at establishing just what that group is for the 2016 season. Joyner, described as ESPN's "football scientist", went on the Paul Finebaum Show to reveal the 11 teams that are legitimate contenders this year.
.@KCJoynerTFS says @AlabamaFTBL @LSUfootball & @Vol_Football are 3 of the 11 legitimate title contenders in 2016 pic.twitter.com/CAuvEacnfN
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 10, 2016
The 11 teams: Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, Florida State, Houston, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, and Tennessee.
The big surprise there has to be the Houston Cougars. While Houston had a fantastic 13-1 season under coach Tom Herman in 2015, it would be a complete shock if they were even able to get into the College Football Playoff. They do have a great team, though, and they had a good recruiting class this season, so maybe Herman can pull off another miracle.
I'm sure Ohio State fans won't be too happy about the exclusion of their Buckeyes, either. Even though Ohio State is losing a lot of talent to the NFL Draft this year, they should still have a solid team in 2016 under quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Outside of that, it is really hard to argue against those teams if you are trying to pick a Top 11. Sure, maybe a team like Georgia or Michigan State is able to surprise everyone, but otherwise, it is safe to say that the 2016 national champion will likely come from those teams.
