2009 College Football Early Look at the Potential Top 5

Once again, Tim Tebow returns to lead a loaded Gators team with eyes set on a third national title in four years. With only a few questions regarding personel, the Gators return a dominant defense (ranked in the top ten in '08) and a potent, dynamic offense that promises to be anything but predictable. However, with the SEC slowly getting stronger (particularly Ole Miss and Alabama in the West), look for Florida to find themselves struggling with more games than the experts would expect.

Okay, so Bob Stoops lost another big game and Juaquin Iglesias left for the NFL, but Sam Bradford returns and that is all that matters. Much like Florida, Oklahoma is built around a dynamic, Heisman-winning quarterback who can deliever. However, Oklahoma showed last season that in a pass-happy Big 12, they can sometimes give up points nearly as fast as they can score them. Stoops' forte is the defense, so look for him and Brent Venebles (defensive coordinator) to get the Sooners defense tuned up and the school aiming for another Big 12 title.

Unlike Oklahoma and Florida, USC lacks a headliner at quarterback with Mark Sanchez departing for the NFL after last year's campaign. However, no coach can reload and win faster than Pete Carroll. Mitch Mustain, who transfered from Arkansas, leads a group of regarded quarterbacks seeking to replace Sanchez, and USC boasts a group of running backs that still rank among the best in the nation. Unfortuantely, even Pete Carroll should find it hard to replace the incredible amount of talent that was lost to this year's NFL draft. However, as in years past, it should not take him very long.

Few teams rely on and rally around a player as much as Texas does with Colt McCoy. Millions watched in awe last year as, with a cool, calm disposition, he drove Texas to a last second touchdown against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl (much to my dismay). McCoy has always maintained that he wants to win a national championship, and with a powerful defense plus a veteran offensive line, he could very well lead the Longhorns to their first since 2005. Back-to-Back road games to Missouri and Oklahoma State could potentially be deadly, and the annual rivalry game against the Sooners is always a battle. With the Big 12 South shaping up to be a struggle again, Colt and the Longhorns are going to need to play as dominant as they did at times last year.

It might be safe to say that Nick Saban earned every dollar of his $4 million a year salary last year. His Crimson tide went 12-2 and reached the SEC title game, a year removed from a going 7-6 with losses to Mississippi State and U-L Monroe. To take the next step, Saban will have to cope with a new quarterback and a re-tooled offensive line. With a number one ranked recruiting class in 2008, Saban should have all the players he needs to rebuild and reload. Like with Florida, Bama will have to navigate through an increasingly deadly SEC. The Tide travel to Ole Miss and Auburn, and will host LSU and Tennessee back-to-back. Alabama should take advantage of a rebuilding SEC West and win a second division title.