Who doesn't do a Top 25 these days? Well, I have been getting an itch for a football fix lately, so I broke down and made a Top 25 like everyone and their dog does, but why not?
It's always fun to speculate and make lists. Here's my Top 25 for Spring Football...
1. Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs absolutely dominated Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and are now getting hype as the best team in America by many writers and I'm jumping on that bandwagon. The Bulldogs are loaded with QB Matt Stafford, RB Knowshon Moreno, who are both Heisman contenders. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are young but very quick and athletic with no seniors on the projected starting lineup going into the spring.
2. USC Trojans
Last year was a let down for the Trojans as they were predicted to be one of the best teams in the history of college football, but they failed to live up to the hype, as their play was lethargic in the first half of the season, resulting in losses to Stanford and Oregon.
The Trojans still won the Pac-10 outright and won the Rose Bowl in dominant fashion against Illinois. Just another ho-hum year in the land of Troy. Expect sophomore RB Joe McKnight with a full year of training with the program to establish himself as one of the best players in college football in 2008.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
WR Malcolm Kelly left for the NFL, but seniors Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson remain on an offense led by sophomore Sam Bradford. Bradford had one of the best seasons statistically as a freshman last year, so expect great production again with Bradford's entire offensive line returning, all of whom are seniors, most notably guard Duke Robinson.
4. Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns have a total of 12 starters returning from a team that won 10 games for their seventh straight season. The offense still looks loaded even with the losses of WR Limas Sweed and RB Jamaal Charles to the NFL. The Horns are ready to make a run in the difficult Big 12 South division and regain the top spot yet again.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
18 starters return on a team that lost in the National Championship game, but don't expect that to put the Buckeyes in a downward spiral. They will be even better and are the favorites in the Big Ten. Senior Todd Boeckman has a year as starter under his belt and the confidence is there. Chris "Beanie" Wells at tailback and LB James Laurinaitis anchoring the defense. Ohio State will yet again be around the top of the polls next season. And hey, they have Michigan in Columbus.
6. Arizona State Sun Devils
Last spring, I had ASU as one of the surprise teams in college football, and I even said they had a chance of starting 7-0 in their first seven games. That prediction came to fruition in Dennis Erickson's first year and the Sleeping Giant in the desert looks to use that national momentum they gained last season into a Pac-10 title, something that has eluded them since the Jake "The Snake" Plummer days back in 1996.
QB Rudy Carpenter returns under center for his senior season along with RB Keegan Herring and all of their top three wide receivers. The Sun Devils have some losses at offensive line that need to be addressed, but this team will still put up tons of points and will give Georgia a run for their money on September 20th.
7. LSU Tigers
The defending National Champs are reeling after suspending projected starting QB Ryan Perriloux for all of spring, but I would expect Perriloux to be back come fall. So, watch for former Harvard gunslinger Andrew Hatch to be running the Tiger offense this spring.
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The third team from the Big 12 South in my Top 10. The Red Raiders have very few losses and return Biletnikoff winner WR Michael Crabtree who I predicted last season to have a breakout year. A total of 10 starters return from the nation's No. 1 passing offense and they shouldn't lose a beat in 2008. Expect more yards from this pass-happy Mike Leach offense.
9. Missouri Tigers
Last year, the Tigers caught everyone off guard, but this year they will be a known commodity. The running game is a concern but there is some experience in senior Jimmy Jackson who ran for 331 yards on 67 attempts last year in the Tigers school-record 12-win season and Cotton Bowl win.
10. Florida Gators
Emmanuel Moody takes over at Running Back for a offense that has relied on the legs of Heisman winner Tim Tebow and departed WR Andre Caldwell. The Gators finally have a legitimate running back threat in the Urban Meyer era. On defense, the Gators look to be really stout even with the loss of Derrick Harvey to the NFL. DT Javier Estopinan is the lone senior on a defense that has plenty of experience.
11. Virginia Tech Hokies
The two QB system should be in full force this season in Blacksburg with Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, who both had bright moments in a season that ended in a disappointing loss to Kansas in the Orange Bowl. Four of the five starting offensive lineman from last year return to give the two QBs plenty of protection as the Hokies look to defend their ACC crown.
12. BYU Cougars
BYU has had back-to-back 11-win seasons and has came close to crashing the BCS in both those years. But some early non-conference losses have done the Cougars in. Games at Washington and against UCLA at home are games BYU needs to win to prove to people that the Cougars are a legitimate BCS team. With 10 offensive starters returning on a offense that had a 3,842-yard passer in Max Hall and a 1,600 all-purpose yard running back, Harvey Unga, the Cougars could run the table and be the next "mid-major" to crash the BCS party.
13. Clemson Tigers
The Tigers have had a great off-season thus far with an outstanding recruiting class highlighted by DE DaQuan Bowers who is one of the best recruits in the class of 2008. He doesn't come until the fall but he should help a team that continues to fall short when expectations are placed upon them. This year, there are 16 starters returning including RBs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Davis opted to return for his season and is hungry for a ACC crown along with all of Death Valley.
14. Wisconsin Badgers
One of my National Championship favorites last year, the Badgers struggled on the road in the Big Ten, dropping three games and lost to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. This season, Wisconsin will continue to live up to its reputation as a power on the ground with junior RB P.J. Hill and FB Chris Pressley. Both are guys you don't want to get hit by. Allan Evridge, the former K-State QB, will be the man at the helm this season with Tyler Donovan departing.
15. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks gained some momentum for '08 after destroying South Florida in the Sun Bowl, 56-21. Dennis Dixon and the athletic specimen Jonathan Stewart but to fill their voids are talented QB Justin Roper a 6'6 195-pound junior who had four TD passes in the bowl and RB Jeremiah Johnson who has had over 1,000 yards rushing in his three years in Eugene.
16. Tennessee Volunteers
QB Erik Ainge never quite lived up to his hype in his four years in Knoxville and now it looks to be Jonathan Crompton who has the early edge going into spring. The defense for the Vols gets a big boost in safety Demetrice Morley who was suspended the entire 2007 season but is back, and adds to a defense that is already stock-piled with talent that includes DB Eric Berry who was a freshman All-American and Rico McCoy at linebacker.
17. Auburn Tigers
Auburn started their spring practices today and the QB derby to replace departed Brandon Cox is the top question for spring with four guys vying for the nod. Junior Chris Todd, sophomore Kodi Burns, sophomore Neil Caudle and true freshman DeRon Furr are the contenders, my guess would be Kodi Burns. He is a multi-dimensional athlete and will have an outstanding offensive line to protect for him this season, all five starters from last year return.
18. Miami Hurricanes
This might surprise many, but the Canes are ready to get back to being the intimidating program they once were. Randy Shannon is in his second year as head coach and already feels the pressure to win in South Beach. Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman are gone so that leaves redshirt freshman Robert Marve as the top candidate to take over a Miami offense that has struggled in recent years. But this team will still be outstanding on defense. If Marve can make plays on offense and get the ball to many of his playmakers the Canes should have a pleasant bounceback season.
19. Fresno State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are well-known for their scheduling approach, "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere." Well that's really nice and all but when you haven't won an outright WAC title you need to reconsider the approach. None the less, the Bulldogs have 17 total starters returning. This team is definitely Top 20 worthy in terms of talent but at the end of the season they very well might be 8-4 due to the difficult scheduling approach that includes @ UCLA, @ Kansas State, Wisconsin (home) and @ Toledo. The Bulldogs also have only five home games, which is always tough.
20. Illinois Fighting Illini
Ron Zook and his great recruiting classes have been paying off instantly in Champagne, culminating in a Rose Bowl appearance last year, but Illinois realized they weren't anywhere near the elite of the college football world after being man-handled by USC. Illinois loses stud RB Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL but "Juice" Williams is back at QB along with outstanding the freshman last season, Arrelious Benn. A total of 13 starters return for the Illini including Will Davis and Vontae Davis on Defense.
21. Kansas Jayhawks
Similiar to Missouri, the Jayhawks are a known commodity now so it will be interesting to see how they respond to having a bullseye on their backs after winning the Orange Bowl. Todd Reesing returns and is just one of many talented QBs in the Big XII next season.
22. West Virginia Mountaineers
The loss of Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt are big losses but QB Pat White is still in the fold and is still one of the premiere talents in the nation. Bill Stewart takes over as head coach as Mountaineers fans look to finally move on from the Rich Rodriguez nonsense. Stewart was a great hire because he won't leave the program, this is his dream job. West Virginia is still the favorite in the Big East.
23. Boise State Broncos
RB Ian Johnson returns for what seems to be his 10th year in Boise and the Broncos will be breaking in a new QB, Michael Coughlin. You would think Boise is gonna stop producing after all these years, but I don't think it happens this year. Boise has 13 starters returning and they're hungry to regain the WAC title once again.
24. Pitt Panthers
Dave Wannstedt has been landing some outstanding recruiting classes the past few years but now it's time to actually do something with the talent. Tailback LeSean McCoy is a potential Heisman contender; as a true freshman last season McCoy rushed for 1,328 yards and had 244 yards receiving.
25. Washington Huskies (SLEEPER)
Tyrone Willingham, for some odd reason, had to receive a vote of confidence to remain in Seattle and it was the wise move keeping him because Willingham and the Huskies should make great strides in the Pac-10 this season. QB Jake Locker is the west coast version of Tim Tebow with less hype and in my opinion more talented. The Huskies return 16 total starters and also had a stellar recruiting class highlighted by running back Chris Polk who had offers from a handful of Pac-10 schools. The Huskies are on the rise and with games like Oklahoma and BYU in Seattle U-Dub could make noise early.
Others who missed the cut: South Carolina, Florida State, Alabama, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, Michigan
Comments (28) Add a comment »
from 2 months ago
Oh boy! Here we go. Another preseason poll to take apart. I for one think that no poll should be allowed to be published until all the nonconference schedule is played out. Then we would have a realistic idea of who should be where. Welcome to college football 2008,you gotta love it.
from 2 months ago
WVU 22...what the hell, again no respect. I don't care if they lost a coach and a few starters on the defensive side of the ball or Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt. Remember they still have the fastest backfield in the country again with Pat White and Noel Devine. Also, to fill in for Owen will be Terrence Kearns a speedster that will play both tailback and fullback in various situations. This year will be just that much sweeter after we run through the Big East and destroy who ever we play in the Bowl Series.
As for your argument of Oklahoma's entire offensive line returning...in case you didn't know so is WVU's yes that's right the entire line. Also, that Oklahoma team that you are putting 19 spots in front of WV is the same team that 84% of the country said would beat WV in the Fiesta Bowl, right?
Thank god your picks mean nothing in the real world. After we start in the top ten and beat Auburn in the middle of the season then again everyone will see that we are still a team without the piece of shit Rich Rodriguez.
If Fresno State and Illinois start ahead of WV I will quit watching football...that is the stupidest picks I have ever seen.
from 2 months ago
Totally agree with ryan. Complete disrespect for the Mountaineers. They will at least be ranked in the top ten in the national preseason rankings.
from 2 months ago
"but I would expect Perriloux to be back come Fall. So watch for former Harvard gunslinger Andrew Hatch to be running the Tiger offense this spring."
So RP is back, but Hatch plays anyway? Please clarify. And if Hatch really is the guy, then the Tigers should be at 20 or so. Regardless, how can LSU be the number 2 SEC team and 7 overall? They lose over 20 seniors and their entire secondary, not to mention Dorsey and Highsmith.
from 2 months ago
Hatch??Give me a break..that guy is better than nobody but first of all Jarrett Lee will start above him and RP will start above everyone once he returns...hatch...jeez..
from 2 months ago
Give this guy a break will you everyone? This list is just a lark during the off season, we don't know enough now to make any serious predictions. Heck, we won't really know enough to make any predictions until about half-way through next season but that isn't going to stop any of us is it?
from 2 months ago
Thanks Mitch.
you do know "The Players" !
rankings? questionable but entertaining.thx
Wisc./Fresno /BYU ,maybe MIZZu=lill' tooo high.imo
from 2 months ago
Thanks Mitch.
you do know "The Players" !
rankings? questionable but entertaining.thx
Wisc./Fresno /BYU ,maybe MIZZu=lill' tooo high.imo
from 2 months ago
WVU is going to lose in Boulder in September so dont even worry about the rest of the season Ryan. You heard it here first.
from 2 months ago
Wow...
Mizzou needs to be higher...we're only returning like...EVERYONE!
from 2 months ago
Hey bozo, ever heard of a guy named Percy Harvin? Yeah, he plays for the Gators. You seem to have omitted him from your clever analysis.
from 2 months ago
You have to be joking about Washington or else a Husky fan. They haven't had a winning season since 2002. Locker is OK but not enough to carry this talentless team to the top 25.
from 2 months ago
As SMQ pointed out, Georgia's statistics are not as golden as the hype surrounding their lofty pre-season status. Boise State and BYU should be ranked higher. Where is Cincinnati in your Top-25, since they return the some talent as well and should have been ranked significantly higher than Michigan last year given not only their stats but accomplishments. Tennessee and Texas will likely under achieve again this year, given the majority of their players spend as much time in jail as they do on the practice field. Character wins and a lack of character equals failure to meet expectations.
The sleeper looks to be Auburn with their emerging offense under the direction of a new coordinator. If they can take care of the ball, look for Auburn to actual win the SEC as the defense will be as stout as ever.
Texas Tech in the Top-25 is almost laughable...their scheduling is woefully sinful since they beat up on Division I-AA programs and extremely week non-conference competition, not to mention Baylor. They almost have 7 to 8 guaranteed wins every season, and then look at what they do against legitimate competition. Kansas and Missouri are much better than Tech. Defense wins and the only reason Tech beat OU is OU beat themselves with turnovers. Hard to give their victory over Virginia in the bowl game much credibility since Virginia lost to Wyoming 23-3 and the ACC was 2-6 last year in bowl games and even more suspect versus the rest of the BCS.
I would take BYU, Fresno State or Boise State over Tech and even take the spread any day of the week. Try doing some actual research on your own instead of listening to all the hype from the major networks. Overall a nice article though I disagree with your listings.
from 2 months ago
I found this article very interesting considering where most teams should be ranked based on last years performance.
http://www.ncaa-schedule.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2008/1/20_The_Final_Analysis%3A__The_quality_opponent_(QOF-factor)_rankings!.html
from 2 months ago
Seriuosly, this poll loses ALL credibility at #25. The Huskies have been cellar dwellars in the pac10 for a couple years now and Willingham has done NOTHING to change that. They'll be lucky to make it to 9th in the conference above STANFORD. Tye has done nothing but be overrated every season since his one good year coaching the trees. The rest of the rankings are all fluff after I saw this debacle.
PS - Go Beavers.
from 2 months ago
I don't know if UW will make the top 25, but I would not recommend overlooking UW if any of your favorite teams play them next year.
The only reason UW will not be in the Top 25 is that they play a Top 10 team almost every other week like they did last year. On the off weeks they play top 20 teams almost every week. UW lost a number of close games to very good teams last year. They will lose a number of close games to very good teams this year. And they will beat some very good teams this year.
My favorite team plays them in Seattle in about week 2. That will be a great game and I am quite nervous about it.
Go Cougars
BYU 38 UW 37
You heard it here.
from 2 months ago
The Huskies should make a splash. Yes it is true that Montlake Jake has more talent then Tim Tebow and will show it in the coming years.
Go Dawgs!
from 2 months ago
UW lost all starting wr's, starting RB and starts a QB with a sub 50% completion rate and plays an absolute brutal schedule. No way they surprise.
from 2 months ago
I'm just hoping the splash they make isn't immediately followed by a flushing sound. But, while I'm expecting a winning season and a bowl (no pun intended) game, I think a Top 25 finish is a little fanciful.
from 2 months ago
Are you from Texas?
Someone once asked me that
before I could answer ...they said
opinions in Texas are like cowboy hats - everybody's got one
unless yawr talkin' bout boooots
then y'all got twoooo
from 2 months ago
wow this is the most rediculous poll I have ever read....not only based on the rankings but those who missed the cuts. Who on earth thinks that Michigan will come anywhere near the top 25. Please someone give me the insight on michigan.
from 2 months ago
This is possibly the worst preseason list I have seen to date. Mizzou should be the highest rated Big 12 team. Texas and OU in the top 5 ahead of Mizzou? You're off your rocker. Ohio State should also be ahead of both of Texas and OU. They return a ton and have had great recruiting classes.
from 2 months ago
Better watch out for them Buckeyes, they will be at the top of the polls again this year. A string of bad luck will end this year for the Bucks!! No more getting to the BCS National Championship two years in a row and losing both years!
from 2 months ago
I'm a Husky fan and have been my whole life. But to put he Huskies in the top 25 is a serious reach. I hope the win 6 or 7 games and that would be a best case scenerio. To leave out West Virginia after what the did to Oklahoma is a travisty. How many teams can make Oklahoma look slow?
from about 1 month ago
WVU will be good, but won't sneak up on anyone next year as teams outside the Pac-10 and SEC start to realize the spread option offense really works and they need to gameplan for it.
As for the Huskies, top-25 is a stretch, but if you'll recall, the Fighting Illini had a hell of a turnaround this year and look a lot like the huskies. No winning season since the early 2000s. A freshman QB with a sub 50% completion percentage, a running back that was new to being the workhorse of the team. A brand new corps of receivers, one of which a freshman(regis benn) and cumberland switched postions (sounds like Curtis Shaw, Chris Polk, Jermaine Kearse, Kavario Middleton). And the Illini were bolstered by a solid recruiting class, as the huskies will be. The main difference will be that the huskies play a much harder schedule both in and out of conference, but they look a lot alike so don't be shocked by a good season of ruining other teams' BCS hopes and a good bowl finish. Also, UW does have a 2,000 yard passer and 1,000 yard rusher(984 actually) in Locker whereas Juice Williams of ILL wasn't anywhere near that.
from about 1 month ago
And I accidentally clicked on post and post anonymously so there's a double up here...sorry
from about 1 month ago
WVU will be good, but won't sneak up on anyone next year as teams outside the Pac-10 and SEC start to realize the spread option offense really works and they need to gameplan for it.
As for the Huskies, top-25 is a stretch, but if you'll recall, the Fighting Illini had a hell of a turnaround this year and look a lot like the huskies. No winning season since the early 2000s. A freshman QB with a sub 50% completion percentage, a running back that was new to being the workhorse of the team. A brand new corps of receivers, one of which a freshman(regis benn) and cumberland switched postions (sounds like Curtis Shaw, Chris Polk, Jermaine Kearse, Kavario Middleton). And the Illini were bolstered by a solid recruiting class, as the huskies will be. The main difference will be that the huskies play a much harder schedule both in and out of conference, but they look a lot alike so don't be shocked by a good season of ruining other teams' BCS hopes and a good bowl finish. Also, UW does have a 2,000 yard passer and 1,000 yard rusher(984 actually) in Locker whereas Juice Williams of ILL wasn't anywhere near that.
from about 1 month ago
Hey jr, are you kidding, locker is way better than tebow, he runs through linebackers, and defensive linemen, hes also got a cannon arm and when he gets accuracy down, the huskies will be in contention for a bcs (next year, year after that), you would be suprised how good the huskies were last year with a terrible d, they almost beat hawaii and usc, they were in contention with osu and asu for awhile and they pounded cal and boise state, and that was with last years team
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