Daily Blog •August 27, 2013
Schools have a lot of different methods in determining returning starters. I personally look at the individual starters for all 126 FBS teams. I determine only 11 starters from the previous year. Some schools have the criteria of 5 or more starts and therefore list 14 starters returning (as an example: 9 starters returning, 5 starters lost). I look at each position and determine my starters. Sometimes my criteria is not just 6 or more starts. As an example: at Nebraska a couple years ago year RB Marlon Lucky had 11 starts at the I-back position. His “backup” Roy Helu had 2 starts and Quentin Castille had 1. Determining the Nebraska RB position on the start basis would have a starter lost from the RB position. I look at the fact that Helu led the team in '08 with 803 yds rush while Lucky was a distant second at 517. Castille almost topped Lucky’s numbers with 467. Each of the 3 had almost identical carries. With the top rusher back and 1,373 of the teams 1,910 RB yds (72%) I graded that unit as a starter returning.

In the magazine I list what I feel is the most accurate starters returning chart in the country on each team’s right page. Since the magazine was published in May there have been some teams which have lost some returning starters for different reasons. Here in today’s blog I am providing you with a single chart that lists all 126 teams so you can see the starters returning at a glance and in RED I list the teams who have lost starters since May. If you’re wondering who was lost, check out my complete list of injuries on the front page of PhilSteele.com which we update daily.

An * means the QB is returning (note: Akron is the only tm that has lost its returning st'r at QB).

2013 Starters Adjusted

    Mag Lost Adjust     Mag Lost Adjust
Air Force Off 4 0 4 Nebraska Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 6 0 6   Def 4 0 4
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 0 0 0
Akron Off 7 0 7 Nevada Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Alabama Off 6* 0 6* New Mexico Off 6 0 6
  Def 7 0 7   Def 4 1 4
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Arizona Off 6 0 6 New Mexico St Off 7 1 6
  Def 11 0 11   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Arizona St Off 7* 0 7* North Carolina Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 8 0 8   Def 7 1 6
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Arkansas Off 4 0 4 NC State Off 5 0 5
  Def 8 0 8   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Arkansas St Off 6 0 6 North Texas Off 9* 0 9*
  Def 5 0 5   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Army Off 7 0 7 Northern Illinois Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 8 0 8   Def 4 0 4
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Auburn Off 7 0 7 Northwestern Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 8 1 7   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Ball St Off 7* 0 7* Notre Dame Off 6* 1 5
  Def 6 0 6   Def 8 1 7
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Baylor Off 5 0 5 Ohio Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Boise St Off 5* 0 5* Ohio St Off 9* 0 9*
  Def 4 0 4   Def 4 0 4
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Boston College Off 8* 0 8* Oklahoma Off 7 0 7
  Def 10 0 10   Def 4 0 4
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Bowling Green Off 10* 2 8* Oklahoma St Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 9 0 9   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 0 0 0
Buffalo Off 9* 0 9* Old Dominion Off 9* 0 9*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
BYU Off 8 0 8 Oregon Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 4 1 3   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 0 0 0
California Off 5 0 5 Oregon St Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 6 0 6   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Central Michigan Off 6 0 6 Penn St Off 8 0 8
  Def 7 0 7   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Cincinnati Off 7* 0 7* Pittsburgh Off 5 1 4
  Def 6 0 6   Def 8 1 7
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Clemson Off 6* 0 6* Purdue Off 5 1 4
  Def 6 0 6   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Colorado Off 7 0 7 Rice Off 9* 0 9*
  Def 9 0 9   Def 10 1 9
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Colorado St Off 9* 0 9* Rutgers Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 8 0 8   Def 4 0 4
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Connecticut Off 8* 0 8* San Diego St Off 6 0 6
  Def 5 0 5   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Duke Off 7 0 7 San Jose St Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
East Carolina Off 9* 1 8* SMU Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 9 0 9   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Eastern Michigan Off 8* 0 8* South Alabama Off 9* 0 7*
  Def 5 0 5   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
FIU Off 4* 1 3* South Carolina Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 4 0 4   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Florida Off 6* 0 6* Southern Miss Off 4 0 4
  Def 4 0 4   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Florida Atlantic Off 6 0 6 Stanford Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 9 0 9   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Florida St Off 7 0 7 Syracuse Off 6 0 6
  Def 4 0 4   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Fresno St Off 8* 0 8* TCU Off 7* 1 6*
  Def 8 1 7   Def 9 1 8
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 2 0 2
Georgia Off 9* 0 9* Temple Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 3 0 3   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 0 0 0
Georgia St Off 9 0 9 Tennessee Off 5 0 5
  Def 7 0 7   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Georgia Tech Off 7 0 7 Texas Off 10* 0 10*
  Def 8 0 8   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Hawaii Off 8* 0 8* Texas A&M Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 8 0 8   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Houston Off 10* 2 8* Texas St Off 7 0 7
  Def 5 0 5   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Idaho Off 7 0 7 Texas Tech Off 5 0 5
  Def 3 0 3   Def 8 1 7
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 2 0 2
Illinois Off 8* 0 8* Toledo Off 9* 0 9*
  Def 4 0 4   Def 4 0 4
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Indiana Off 10* 1 9* Troy Off 4* 0 4*
  Def 9 1 8   Def 5 2 3
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Iowa Off 6 0 6 Tulane Off 9 0 9
  Def 7 0 7   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Iowa St Off 5 0 5 Tulsa Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 4 0 4   Def 3 0 3
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Kansas Off 5 0 5 UAB Off 8* 1 7*
  Def 4 0 4   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Kansas St Off 8 0 8 UCF Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 2 0 2   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Kent St Off 6 0 6 UCLA Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 5 0 5   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Kentucky Off 7* 0 7* ULM Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Louisiana Off 7* 0 7* UNLV Off 9* 0 9*
  Def 6 0 6   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Louisiana Tech Off 3 0 3 USC Off 8 0 8
  Def 4 0 4   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Louisville Off 6* 0 6* USF Off 6 0 6
  Def 10 0 10   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 0 0 0
LSU Off 8* 0 8* Utah Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 4 0 4   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 0 0 0
Marshall Off 8* 0 8* Utah St Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1
Maryland Off 7* 1 6* UTEP Off 7 0 7
  Def 5 0 5   Def 5 0 5
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 0 0 0
Massachusetts Off 4* 0 4* UTSA Off 10* 0 10*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Memphis Off 8* 0 8* Vanderbilt Off 7 0 7
  Def 8 0 8   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 1 0 1
Miami, Fl Off 10* 0 10* Virginia Off 9 0 9
  Def 8 0 8   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 1 0 1
Miami, Oh Off 8 2 6 Virginia Tech Off 6* 0 6*
  Def 6 0 6   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 2 0 2
Michigan Off 6* 0 6* Wake Forest Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 6 0 6   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Michigan St Off 8* 1 7* Washington Off 10* 0 10*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 8 0 8
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Middle Tennessee Off 9* 0 9* Washington St Off 7 0 7
  Def 7 0 7   Def 9 0 9
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Minnesota Off 10* 1 9* West Virginia Off 3 0 3
  Def 6 0 6   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 0 0 0
Ole Miss Off 9* 0 9* Western Michigan Off 5* 1 4*
  Def 10 0 10   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 0 0 0   K/P 2 0 2
Mississippi St Off 7* 0 7* Wisconsin Off 8* 0 8*
  Def 5 0 5   Def 6 0 6
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Missouri Off 8* 0 8* WKU Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 6 0 6   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 1 0 1   K/P 2 0 2
Navy Off 6* 0 6* Wyoming Off 7* 0 7*
  Def 7 0 7   Def 7 0 7
  K/P 2 0 2   K/P 1 0 1


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