FOOTBALL’S BACK! College Football Playoff era begins

By JOHN MARSHALL

AP College Football Writer

A new era in college football is here.

After years of deriding the BCS, fans will finally get what they – well, most of them –wanted with the new College Football Playoff.

It’s new, it’s exciting and, as was the case with the old system, will probably cause plenty of complaining since only four teams get a chance to play for the title.

To get you ready, we’ve got some of the top teams, players and games to keep an eye on as the season hurtles toward the Final Four in January.

PLAYOFF BASICS

So how will the new playoff system work? We’ve got a quick rundown:

Four teams get into the playoff, with the winners of the semifinals playing in the title game.

A 13-member selection committee will pick teams for the semifinals and selected other bowls. The committee will begin releasing rankings on Oct. 21 and end with the final matchups on Dec. 7.

The semifinals will rotate among six bowls: Rose, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach and Sugar. The Rose and Sugar bowls get the first two.

This year’s title game will be Jan. 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

TOP TEAMS

Florida State. Defending national champion, reigning Heisman Trophy winner – might as well start there.

Alabama. AJ McCarron may be gone, but the Tide is still strong.

Oregon. The Pac-12 hasn’t won a national title since USC in 2004. The flying Ducks have a chance to change that.

Oklahoma. The Sooners beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and have a menacing defense that returns most of its starters.

Auburn. Tigers played in final BCS title game and are still stocked, with Heisman Trophy contender Nick Marshall back under center.

TOP PLAYERS

Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State. Won the Heisman and a national championship as a freshman. Can play a little.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. A Heisman finalist, orchestrator of Oregon’s version of Duck Dynasty.

Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor. Bears set an NCAA scoring record last season. Might top it this season with Petty back.

Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA. Taking the two-way thing to a whole new level.

Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn. He won’t start the opener after being cited for marijuana possession. Once he gets rolling, watch out.

BEST GAMES

Michigan State at Oregon, Sept. 6. Best non-conference game of the season comes early, between two teams that could be in the hunt for coveted playoff spots.

Michigan at Notre Dame, Sept. 6. Could be the last one between these rivals until at least 2020. Should be a good one either way.

Stanford at Oregon, Nov. 1. A matchup that rarely fails to disappoint, though the Cardinal have won the past two.

Baylor at Oklahoma, Nov. 8. Video-game offense against aggressive defense should be a fun battle of wills.

Auburn at Alabama, Nov. 29. Not much chance of topping Auburn’s final-play, 109-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown last season, but the Iron Bowl rarely disappoints.

NUMBERS

18-5 Odds for Florida State to win the national championship, according to vegasinsider.com. Alabama is next best at 6-1.

8 SEC teams ranked in the AP preseason poll, matching its own record for most teams from one conference, set in 2011.

52.4 Points per game by Baylor last season, an NCAA record.

720 Combined weight of Damien Mama (370) and Zach Banner (350), the projected starters on the right side of Southern Cal’s offensive line.

1,690 Rushing yards last season by Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah, the FBS’ leading returning rusher.

4,662 Passing yards by Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, the leading returning passer in FBS.

NEW FACES

Several big-time programs will have new coaches at the helm. Here are a few:

Charlie Strong, Texas. After four years of mediocrity under Mack Brown, the Longhorns are hoping to make a Strong push under their new leader.

Steve Sarkisian, USC. Sark made the jump from one Pac-12 school (Washington) to another. USC fans hope he can right the Trojans’ horse after four chaotic years under Lane Kiffin.

Chris Petersen, Washington. Petersen turned down numerous opportunities to leave Boise State before bolting to Washington. He had success with the Broncos and now hopes to keep the Huskies rolling in the tough Pac-12 North.

Bobby Petrino, Louisville. Petrino is back at Louisville after making the most of his second chance – remember the motorcycle accident with his mistress? – at Western Kentucky.

James Franklin, Penn State. Bill O’Brien helped get the Nittany Lions back on track after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Franklin, the former Vanderbilt coach, will be charged with leading them back into prominence.

THE REPLACEMENTS

Several teams will be counting on new players in key positions. A few of the prominent ones:

J.T. Barrett, Ohio State. Replacing a Heisman Trophy favorite (Braxton Miller) is daunting enough, more so when you’ve never taken a college snap.

South Carolina, Darius English. The sophomore gets to fill the shoes of the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, Jadeveon Clowney.

Texas A&M, Kenny Hill. Takes over the reins from Johnny Football.

Alabama, (quarterback). Jacob Coker and Blake Sims are listed as the co-starters at QB. Whoever it is will have a lot to live up to after AJ McCarron led the Tide to consecutive national championships.