Post Spring College Football Top 25: Dawgs and Trojans Top Rankings

Taking a look at the post spring top 25, I refuse to put Ohio State back at number one. As talented as the Buckeyes are, when you lose two straight championship games and get dominated in the process, I just can't justify giving you the number one ranking again.

The Dawgs look like a loaded team, but has a tough schedule to navigate through. Is this the year Richt puts it all together?

USC is also looking dominant again, with Sanchez at QB and Joe McKnight looking to make you forget about Reggie Bush.

Here's how my post spring rankings shake out.

1. Georgia- Great backfield of Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, athletes all over the field, especially in the secondary. Biggest hurdle facing the Dawgs is the brutal schedule with road games at Auburn, at LSU, and at Arizona State, not to mention Tennessee and Florida along the way. The Dawgs will face 9 bowl teams from last year. If they navigate that schedule they will no doubt be in the championship game. Even a loss with that schedule should put them in there considering what conference they play in.

2. USC- Mark Sanchez takes over the reigns at QB and should have plenty of receivers to throw to and Reggie Bush clone Joe McKnight looks like the next Trojan superstar. Everson Griffin leads a talented defense as well.

3. Ohio State- The Buckeyes might be the most talented team in the nation with 18 returning starters, but when you get embarrassed two years in a row in the BCS title game, you have to earn it this time. A September 13th trip to play mighty USC is exactly how you send a message early in the season.

4. Oklahoma- The Sooners return maybe the best OL in the nation led by Duke Robinson, and with Sam Bradford and their stable of running backs to lead the offense, look for the Sooners to be an explosive team again in '08.

5. Florida- Returning Heisman winner Tim Tebow doesn't hurt, and adding USC transfer RB Emmanuel Moody should help the run game and take pressure off of Tebow. Watch out for Chris Rainey, a Percy Harvin type player, the Gators should be tough to stop. Defense should be much improved as well.

6. Missouri- Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin return to lead a high powered Tiger team that also brings back 10 starters on defense. They also catch a break since they don't play Oklahoma or Texas Tech this year.

7. Clemson- Cullen Harper, James Davis, CJ Spiller, and Aaron Kelly all return to what should be an exciting Clemson offense. They need to replace some starters on defense but they have recruited well. Opener against Alabama in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta will set the tone. Lose that one and watch out.

8. Texas- Biggest offseason addition wasn't any player, it was bringing in defensive coordinator Will Muschamp from Auburn. This exciting young coach should energize a average defense and make the Longhorns a Big 12 title contender again. Having Colt McCoy doesn't hurt, need to find a replacement for Jamal Charles though. 

9. Auburn- The Tigers are bringing in a new offensive and defensive coordinator. Paul Rhoads from Pitt on the defensive side and spread guru Tony Franklin from Troy on the offensive side. Normally that would be a problem but Tuberville has a way of keeping things consistent. They return what might be the best OL in the SEC, a good stable of running backs like always, and have a great home schedule with LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia all coming to Jordan Hare. Tough road games at West Virginia and Alabama.

10. LSU- Even without Ryan Perrilloux, the Bayou Tigers are loaded with talent, especially on both lines. All the quarterback needs to do is manage the game, because it will be tough as always to score on LSU and they have plenty of offensive weapons to win games. Better catch the new quarterback early.

11. Texas Tech- This should be Mike Leach's best team. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree back on offense is a deadly duo, and Leach should have his best defense he's ever had with the help of some JUCO kids.

12. West Virginia- Rich Rodriguez, gone. Steve Slaton, gone. Darius Reynaud, gone. Owen Schmitt, gone. New coach Bill Stewart will have his hands full replacing those guys, but with Pat White and Noel Devine in your backfield anything is possible. Defense will take some hits, but should be good enough to navigate the Big East.

13. Tennessee- The Vols are bringing in a new offensive coordinator to replace departed David Cutcliffe. Jonathan Crompton looks to take over the reigns at QB and has the ability to win, they have a solid backs, solid receivers, and maybe the best safety duo in the nation in Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley.

14. Arizona State- Dennis Erickson looks to build on his 10-3 record of last year and prove it wasn't a fluke. Returning Rudy Carpenter helps, so does ramping up the defense.

15. BYU- The Cougars return QB Max Hall and have a good offense again. They shouldn't have a lot of trouble with the Mountain West either.

16. Illinois- Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn look to lead this Illini team to another great season. Losing Mendenhall and J Leman will definitely hurt, but Zook's recruiting should start to show more this year.

17. Virginia Tech- The Hokies always find a way to be good and this year shouldn't be an exception. They will have to decide what to do at QB with Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, but both are talented. Losing Brandon Ore will hurt though. Need to replace some studs on defense.

18. Wisconsin- The Badgers are still looking for a QB to replace Stocco, but they always seem to come up with a solid one. The backs will be good with PJ Hill and Zach Brown. Travis Beckum is coming back and is the best tight end in the nation.

19. Kansas- Todd Reesing looks to show that the Jayhawks are here to stay in '08, but he'll have to do it without some key players from last year including Aquib Talib and Marcus Henry. They also face a tough schedule with road games at South Florida and Oklahoma.

20. Pittsburgh- Will the Panthers ever get over the hump and win the Big East again? They will have a solid defense this year with the leading tackler in the nation from last year at linebacker. They also return running back Lesean McCoy who they will need to be big time.

21. Oregon- Replacing Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart won't be easy, but Justin Roper went a long way to making Duck fans feel better about the QB position in the bowl game, and Jeremiah Johnson and sleeper back Legarrette Blount should be more than adequate to make the Ducks successful.

22. Fresno State- The Bulldogs are bringing back 10 starters on offense and will always play that tough aggressive style of play on defense. Also face a tough non-conference schedule...but what's new there.

23. South Florida- Matt Grothe returns as the Bulls QB and he should have a more experience team this time around. Losing Mike Jenkins will hurt at corner, but defensive end sack artist George Selvie will lead the defense.

24. Alabama- This may be a surprise pick, but the Tide should be a team that gets better as the season goes on. They return QB John Parker Wilson, if he stays consistent with his play the new offense should be fine. They have a good stable of backs led by Terry Grant and Glen Coffee. Watch out for some true freshman to come in and get early playing time on both sides of the ball and make an immediate impact.

25. Cincinnati- The Bearcats lose Ben Mauk, but they still have Dustin Grutza who was the starting QB a few years ago and has experience. Defense should continue to be solid under Brian Kelly.