College Football Teams That Will Take a Step Back This Season

Believe it or not, the college football season starts this Saturday. We will be treated to a game between two historic programs in the University of Miami and Florida, followed by a full slate of games a week later. Everyone will keeping an eye on who will make the playoff. With that being said, here's who will be taking a step back this season.

• Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Notre Dame lost offensive starters in wide receiver Miles Boykin, tight end Alize Mack, and running back Dexter Williams. They also have challenging road games at Georgia and Michigan (not to mention a tough test at Stanford). Considering the offense was ranked 63rd in points scored last season (31.3), it'll be tough to duplicate their success from last season, even with Ian Book back.
  
• Oklahoma Sooners: Oklahoma made the postseason last year behind Kyler Murray's sheer athleticism. However, they were defensively anemic (124th in total defense with 5,825 total yards allowed). Granted, the Big 12 looks weaker this season. However, Oklahoma's lack of a defense may be their undoing their season.
  
• Washington Huskies: Washington lost a good chunk of starters, especially on defense, from last season. They also don't know what they'll get from Jacob Eason. Will he be better than Jake Browning was? They do have a fairly tame schedule and a running back tandem that features Salvon Ahmed. But don't be surprised if Washington takes a step back this season, especially with Utah's strong defensive line and Oregon's talented roster.
  
• Texas A&M Aggies: Jimbo Fisher has a knack for recruiting and the classes he's brought in at A&M are no different. However, the SEC West is loaded once again and teams like Alabama, LSU, and Georgia roam the SEC. The Aggies could get lost in the fracas and succumb to their tough schedule (a third of their opponents they face this season are in the top ten, including Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson).