Kirk Herbstreit picks his favorites for the 2018 season, from superstars to coaches, hotels and restaurants, plus predictions for conference champions and the College Football Playoff.
Ultimate game-changer
Bryce Love, Stanford
Clemson defensive line
A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
Nick Bosa, Ohio State
Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
Most exciting player
Trace McSorley, Penn State
Travis Etienne, Clemson
Marquise Brown, Oklahoma
Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
Best tandems
Will Grier/David Sills, West Virginia
Montez Sweat/Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
Rashan Gary/Chase Winovich, Michigan
Tyree Jackson/Anthony Johnson, Buffalo
Michael Pinckney/Shaquille Quarterman, Miami
Throwback players
Damien Harris, Alabama
Joe Bachie, Michigan State
Devin White, LSU
Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington
Ben Banogu, TCU
Breakout star
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
D'Andre Swift, Georgia
Tarik Black, Michigan
Dez Fitzpatrick, Louisville
D'Andre Walker, Georgia
Rodney Dangerfield ('no respect')
Brian Lewerke, Michigan State
Myles Gaskin, Washington
Aeris Williams, Mississippi State
AJ Dillon, Boston College
Ryan Finley, NC State
Best-kept secret
David Montgomery, Iowa State
Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
Andrew Wingard, Wyoming
Manny Wilkins, Arizona State
Justice Hansen, Arkansas State
All-intangible
Ed Oliver, Houston
Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
Christian Wilkins, Clemson
Joe Bachie, Michigan State
Sam Ehlinger, Texas
Most unselfish players
Tommy Stevens, Penn State
Chandler Cox, Auburn
Zach Abey, Navy
Josh Jacobs, Alabama
Dare Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt
Ultimate Herbie
Bryce Love, Stanford
Khari Willis, Michigan State
Trace McSorley, Penn State
Damien Harris, Alabama
Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
Biggest shoes to fill
Miles Sanders, Penn State
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
JT Daniels, USC
Jawon Pass, Louisville
Monty Rice, Georgia
Welcome back
Demetris Robertson, Georgia
Tarik Black, Michigan
John Reid, Penn State
Trey Adams, Washington
Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
Games I'm most looking forward to
Ohio State at Penn State
Auburn vs. Washington
Florida at Mississippi State
UCLA at Oregon
Michigan at Michigan State
Best celebrity CFB fan
Matthew McConaughey, Texas
Will Ferrell, USC
Kenny Chesney, Tennessee
Snoop Dogg, USC
Alex Rodriguez, Miami
Best atmosphere
Penn State White Out
Death Valley, Clemson
Husky Stadium, Washington
Death Valley at night, LSU
Kinnick Stadium, Iowa
Best pass-rushers
Nick Bosa, Ohio State
Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
Montez Sweat, Mississippi State
Austin Bryant, Clemson
Chase Winovich, Michigan
Impact head-coaching hires
Scott Frost, Nebraska
Chip Kelly, UCLA
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Dan Mullen, Florida
Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State/Willie Taggart, Florida State
Impact coordinator hires
Todd Grantham, Florida
Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Walt Bell, Florida State
Alex Grinch, Ohio State
Ricky Rahne, Penn State
Ballers
A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
Hunter Renfrow, Clemson
Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma
Greedy Williams, LSU
Joe Giles-Harris, Duke
Enforcers
Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
Taylor Rapp, Washington
Devin Bush, Michigan
Devin White, LSU
Joe Bachie, Michigan State
Question marks that aren't actually questions
Alabama QB
Penn St RB
Georgia RB
Oklahoma QB
Michigan QB
Best student sections
Penn State
Wisconsin
South Carolina
LSU
Utah
Best hotels
HotelRED, Madison, Wisconsin
The Graduate, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Abernathy, Clemson, South Carolina
Hotel at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
The Atherton, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Most explosive player
Bryce Love, Stanford
Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
Travis Etienne, Clemson
KaVontae Turpin, TCU
McKenzie Milton, UCF
Best-looking field
Rose Bowl (in a league of its own)
Beaver Stadium, Penn State
Tiger Stadium, LSU
Sanford Stadium, Georgia
Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State
Best bands
Ohio State
Florida A&M
Michigan
Wisconsin
Ohio University
Best freshmen
Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Justin Shorter, Penn State
Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
JT Daniels, USC
Surprise teams
Florida
Kansas State
Utah
Missouri
Nebraska
Teams taking a slight step back
Washington State
LSU
UCF
UAB
Central Michigan
Favorite restaurants
Giuseppe's, Columbus, Ohio
The Smokin' Pig, Pendleton, South Carolina
Jeff Ruby's, Louisville, Kentucky
Sotto Sotto, Atlanta, Georgia
Chuck's Fish, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
College Football Playoff
Alabama
Clemson
Penn State
Washington
National champion
Alabama over Clemson
Conference champions
ACC
Clemson over Miami
Sleeper: Duke
Big 12
Oklahoma over TCU
Sleeper: Kansas State
Big Ten
Penn State over Wisconsin
Sleeper: Minnesota
Pac-12
Washington over Utah
Sleeper: Arizona
SEC
Alabama over Georgia
Sleeper: Missouri
AAC
Memphis over UCF
Sleeper: Temple
C-USA
Florida Atlantic over Louisiana Tech
Sleeper: Old Dominion
MAC
Ohio over Northern Illinois
Sleeper: Buffalo
MWC
Boise State over San Diego State
Sleeper: Wyoming
Sun Belt
Arkansas State over Appalachian State
Sleeper: Georgia Southern