The fatal flaws of college football's top 5 teams

The upcoming college football season has no clear favorite, but features five teams with solid odds to win the College Football Playoff.

Each has loads of talent, but question marks surround all five programs.

Let’s take a closer look at why Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, and Oklahoma could all see their CFP title hopes derailed this year.

Alabama: Too much reloading

Nick Saban is arguably the greatest recruiter in the history of college football, as he has convinced endless five-star recruits to come to the program and sit behind other five-star recruits for a year or two. So the Crimson Tide often sees little drop-off year to year.

However, the amount of reloading on the offensive side of the ball is typically staggered. That is not the case this year, as Saban must replace his starting quarterback (Mac Jones), running back (Najee Harris), top two wide receivers (DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle), and his best offensive tackle (Alex Leatherwood). All five, along with stud cornerback Pat Surtain II, were first-round selections in the NFL Draft.

With the Miami Hurricanes scheduled to open the season, and a game at Florida in the third week, there will not be a grace period for the new starters. Saban must get it right from the jump against a loaded SEC West, or Alabama’s hopes for a national championship could quickly sputter out.

Clemson: Life after Trevor Lawrence

Like Alabama, the Tigers have to replace their starting quarterback and starting running back.

The loss of Travis Etienne should not be too difficult to overcome, but finding an heir to Trevor Lawrence is another story. In two games last year without Lawrence, DJ Uiagalelei led Clemson to a comeback victory against Boston College and lost to Notre Dame in double overtime.

Uiagalelei played well in both games, but the pressure was somewhat off in the backup role. Now he will lead Clemson into the season as a title contender, and he is not as polished yet as Lawrence.

With a game against Georgia to open the season, we will see early on how well he handles that pressure.

Ohio State: Back half of their defense

Last year’s Buckeyes defense struggled against passing offenses, Ohio State's front was not able to get to the quarterback. That is unlikely to change this season, which could be a problem against teams like Oregon, Penn State, and Indiana.

While the defense should be good enough to defeat the majority of teams on Ohio State's schedule, these issues will be more problematic this season, because they will put added pressure on whoever is taking snaps at quarterback. With C.J. Stroud already under pressure, because of the talent behind him, if he needs to keep up with bundles of points scored by the opposition, it could lead to frequent mistakes.

Given Ohio State’s weak schedule, a loss to Oregon could hurt the Buckeyes down the line. If they cannot stop the pass in the CFP, they could be watching the title game from home.

Georgia: JT Daniels lacks a go-to weapon

The loss of wide receiver George Pickens to an ACL injury leaves JT Daniels without a standout target in the passing game. In their four games together last year, Pickens caught 23 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Pickens was was a big reason Daniels looked so good prior to the quarterback's season-ending injury.

So much of what Georgia achieves this year will come down to whether Daniels can lead the offense to victories in games where the point totals rise. With an opening-weekend matchup against Clemson and an expected showdown with Alabama to decide the SEC Championship, the lack of a target he can count on in big moments could be the downfall for Daniels and the Bulldogs.

Oklahoma: Sooners can’t win come playoff time

Since 2015, the Sooners have played in four of the six CFPs. Their record in those appearances is 0-4, and current head coach Lincoln Riley has been blown out in two of his three games in charge.

Riley’s only close game was a double-overtime defeat, and since then, he has seen his teams fall behind 28-0 and 35-7 in the second quarter. Until he shows he can reach the title game, it is difficult to see him winning one.