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
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