Auburn Tigers

10 players who can most impact the 2015 playoff race

Published Sep. 2, 2015 9:00 a.m. ET

Bruce Feldman

Lots of questions will get sorted out over the next few weeks about which teams are College Football Playoff contenders and which are pretenders. Much of that will be determined by a handful of pivotal guys in key roles this fall. Aside from the QBs and the sure-fire stars, who are the guys most on the spot who could impact the 2015 playoff race? That’s the subject of this week’s Top 10:

1. O.J. Howard, Alabama, TE: Folks have gushed about his potential for a while, but the rangy 6-6, 242-pound junior caught only 17 passes in 2014. But now the great Amari Cooper is gone and the new ’Bama QB (whoever that will be) needs a go-to guy. Folks inside the Tide program believe Howard has the tools to be special. He’s had more work in OC Lane Kiffin’s offense to figure things out. Now it’s time to prove it.

2. Sammy Douglas, TCU, LB: Gary Patterson is as good a defensive coach as there is in college football, but he’s got his hands full replacing some very good players from last year’s defense. Most notably his top two tacklers in the Horned Frogs' 4-2-5 defense, strong-side LB Paul Dawson (136 tackles, 20 TFLs, 4 INTs) and Marcus Mallet. TCU is the only FBS school in the country without a linebacker on its roster who has started an FBS game. Patterson says his new backers are faster, and folks in Fort Worth are very excited about true freshmen Mike Freeze, Montrel Wilson and Alec Dunham, but none of them has played in a college game before. Ty Summers got hurt in the season opener last fall and is also in the mix. Junior Sammy Douglas, one of TCU’s top special teams players, is the only one who has seen much game action.

3. Grant Campbell, Baylor, MLB: For as much attention as Shawn Oakman gets, Bryce Hager didn’t get enough hype. The MLB piled up more than 300 tackles the past three years. His production and reliability will be tough to replace, but the BU coaches are optimistic the 6-1, 230-pound junior-college transfer who played a little in 2014 is ready. Art Briles says Campbell is playing fast and physical, and the guy has learned well from Hager. Better still, Oakman and Andrew Billings will cause so much havoc in front of him, Campbell should have a lot of opportunity to make plenty of plays.

4. Duke Williams, Auburn, WR: He played well last season and no one questions his talent, but Williams has been a question mark with some attitude issues since arriving, and those concerns increased after he was suspended for about a week in August for a “discipline” issue.

There are huge expectations for new starting QB Jeremy Johnson and this offense, and a big key will be having Williams as his go-to guy.

5. Vayante Copeland, Michigan State, CB: The Spartans have cranked out some stud CBs and in their ultra-aggressive Quarters defense, corners are especially crucial. MSU just lost a standout in Trae Waynes, but keep an eye on Copeland, a 6-0, 195-pound redshirt freshman who was a 400-meter state champ in high school. He reminds some of former MSU star Darqueze Dennard. Sources inside the program are very high on him as he’s a confident, very long corner who can tackle.

6. Delvon Simmons, USC, DL: I thought about putting RB Tre Madden here given how good Buck Allen was for the Trojans offense, but the biggest missing piece for USC in 2015 is up front on D with first-round NFL pick Leonard Williams gone. Even when he was only 75 percent healthy, he still gave rival offenses fits and took so much pressure off the rest of the front seven. Now, who steps up for USC on the D-line? The easy answer is everyone, but it probably starts with the 295-pound Texas Tech transfer who had 44 tackles and 2.5 TFLs last year. Even with Williams, the Trojans defense was shaky in 2014. If this team has hopes of making the playoff, Simmons and the other guys up front -- Antwaun Woods, Claude Pelon, Kenny Bigelow and Greg Townsend -- have to take a big step up. Word is Townsend, a former blue-chip recruit, is playing with a much bigger sense of urgency now and is primed for a breakout season.

7. KeiVarae Russell, Notre Dame, CB: He’s ND’s most athletic DB. He’s also got a year of rust to knock off, and it has shown in training camp where he struggled, especially trying to keep up with blazer Will Fuller. The Irish will see a bunch of speedy players who will test a corner, including the triple option game of Georgia Tech with stud QB Justin Thomas; Clemson’s explosive receiving corps; USC’s Adoree’ Jackson and Juju Smith-Schuster and Pitt’s Tyler Boyd.

8. Davon Godchaux, LSU, DL: This won’t be the typical Tiger caliber D-line with a bunch of werewolves, but Godchaux, a 295-pounder, is in that mold. He impressed as a true freshman last fall and made eight tackles in the bowl game against Notre Dame. He needs to continue to make big strides. Also keep an eye on freshman DE Arden Key, who is a long, explosive pass-rusher and a future star.

9. Jake Brendel, UCLA, C: A four-year starter, Brendel has been a Bruins captain since the 2013 season. It’s no secret UCLA has given up a ton of sacks the past few years (41 in 2014), and now with true freshman starting QB Josh Rosen, there will be even more pressure on the front to be sharper and get things cleaned up. In the one game Brendel missed in 2014, UCLA managed only seven points from the offense.

10. Aziz Shittu, Stanford, DT: A former 5-star recruit, the 6-3, 279-pounder from California missed much of last season with a knee injury. Now, Shittu is healthy and hopes to fill a huge need for a depleted Cardinal D-line. A psychology major who made the Pac-12 All-Academic second team in 2014, it’s pivotal that Shittu shine on the field as well in 2015 if Stanford hopes to overtake Oregon in the North and make a run at the playoff. Not only is the staff counting on him being disruptive in the trenches but also providing some leadership to sophomores Harrison Phillips and Solomon Thomas as they emerge.

Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FOX Sports 1. He is also a New York Times Bestselling author. His new book, The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks, came out in October, 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB and Facebook.