National college football writer has TCU high in his Top 10 for 2018

TCU is the best team in the Big 12 heading into the 2018 college football season.

At least that's how Stewart Mandel of The Athletic feels about coach Gary Patterson's group.

In his latest preseason top 25 poll for the upcoming season, Mandel ranks the Horned Frogs as the eighth best team in the country. He sites the potential emergence of sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson, as well as talented receiving corps and another stout defense.

While Patterson did bring in his strongest recruiting class in school history this past Spring, there are concerns about how TCU will replace several starters along the offensive line (a point which Mandel acknowledges).

TCU's ranking is the highest of any team in the Big 12, including Oklahoma, who slides in at No. 11. The Sooners have won the last three Big 12 regular-season titles as well as the conference's championship game for the 2017 season.

The last time a team other than Oklahoma won the Big 12 regular-season crown was back in 2014, when the Horned Frogs finished 12-1 overall and 8-1 in the conference.

Here is Mandel's Top 25:

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Ohio State

4. Wisconsin

5. Washington

6. Georgia

7. Michigan State

8. TCU

You can see Mandel's full on The Athletic.

This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 1:16 PM with the headline "National college football writer has TCU high in his Top 10 for 2018."