USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll: Team By Team Breakdown (Part I)

3. Ohio State (14) 11-2 1,392

The Buckeyes return an unbelievable 18 starters in 2008.  Reloaded is not a big enough word for that. 

As if practically bringing back the whole team weren't enough, Jim Tressel landed what was considered the No. 1 recruit in the nation in QB Terrelle Pryor.  Tressel has said he wants to return to a more spread-like offense, so we should expect to see Pryor used much like Tim Tebow and Ryan Perrilloux when they were backups. 

Todd Boeckman will handle the starting duties at QB with a year of experience under his belt, and will no doubt use his superstar running back "Beanie" Wells to move the chains.

The OSU defense will be anchored by Butkus award winner James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins, both of whom opted out of entering the NFL draft despite being strong prospects.

Prediction:  Will the third time be the charm for the Buckeyes? If they can knock off No. 2 USC in their first road trip of the season, they will be in great shape to go undefeated.  They just need to play convincing enough football to persuade the voters into giving them yet another shot at the crystal. 

4. Oklahoma (3) 11-3 1,329

Bob Stoops looks to take his Sooners on a title run after several seasons of not being invited to the dance.  Having QB Sam Bradford back as your team leader is a good start.  Bradford had one of the most impressive performances for a freshman in recent memory.

The talented Oklahoma offense is implementing a no-huddle scheme that is designed to keep defenses on their heels.  The veteran offensive line will need to lean on their experience to keep Bradford protected against some tough Big 12 defenses.

The Sooner defense will boast one of the nation’s best lines, but they are replacing two cornerbacks that opposing quarterbacks will try to exploit at every possible opportunity.

Prediction:  With the only significant out-of-conference contests being Cincinnati and Washington, the Sooners will have to steamroll through their conference schedule to stay in the national title hunt.  Their biggest test, believe it or not, will be when Mike Leach's high-flying Red Raiders of Texas Tech come to town.

5. Florida (5) 9-4 1,293

If Team Tebow played in any other conference but the SEC, we could probably print Florida's logo on the BCS title game tickets right now.  With a brutal schedule that includes contests against four preseason Top 25 teams, two of which who are in the top six, the Gators may need to rely on a late-season loss from a rival to make another title run.

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