Bleacher Report - Articles by Va Tech Fan

Virginia Tech Vs. Alabama: Week One Game Review

Va Tech Fan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:39:13 -0400

If you look at the stats from this game, just the stats, you'd think the score would be different. 34 points to 24 points doesn't correlate to 498 yards to 155 yards.

But that's exactly what happened last night in the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta.

Alabama won the game and they were the better team. They played tough, physical football the entire game, and a tired Hokie defense couldn't hold up late. The Tide outscored the Hokies 18-7 in the fourth quarter after a very eventful, but scoreless, third quarter.

The game started off with VT's offense sputtering and 'Bama taking advantage. Tiffin knocked in field goals from 49 yards and 34 yards to make it a 6-0 game.

Virginia Tech's offense had done nothing up to that point, but it wasn't needed. The next play, Dyrell Roberts returned a kickoff for 98 yards and a score. The play was set up by perfect blocks and Dyrell did the rest, stiff-arming a defender on the 10 before scoring six for Tech.

Later on, Tech's special teams added another crucial moment to the game. Ryan Williams muffed a punt and it was recovered by the Tide on the 16. 'Bama converted yet another field goal to make it 9-7.

The defenses of both teams then shut down their opposition's offense until, after an interception by Antonie Hopkins, Matt Waldron kicked in a 28-yard field goal. But right after VT took the lead, the Tide marched down the field and Roy Upchurch had a 19-yard rush for a touchdown.

The Hokies rallied back, and Tyrod Taylor had his first big pass play on a wheel route to RB Ryan Williams for 43 yards. Williams was later able to punch the ball in to make it 17-16 Hokies at the half.

The third quarter was the only scoreless quarter of the game. However, as Roy Upchurch broke into the open field for what would have been his second touchdown, Cody Grimm stripped him from behind, forcing a much needed turnover for the Hokies.

The fourth quarter, as previously said, was dominated by Alabama. The Tide scored on a six-yard Mark Ingram rush. Then, on the following kickoff, Davon Morgan, who bobbled the opening kickoff, fumbled again, and Alabama recovered.

This was the play that really sucked the life out of the VT crowd (trust me, I was there) and fired up the Alabama faithful.

The Hokies weren't out of it, as Dyrell Roberts had another great return and Ryan Williams broke a great 32-yard rush down the sideline for a score.

This made the score 27-24 Tide. McElroy later tossed his first and only touchdown of the game to Mark Ingram. This would prove to be enough, as the score ended 34-24.

Why, if Alabama dominated the stat columns so bad, did they not dominate the score board?

The answer is what I call the "hidden yardage." This is what "Beamerball" is really all about.

"Hidden yardage" is the kickoff yards, punt yards, penalty yards, and turnovers. If you add Virginia Tech's kickoff and punt return yards into their total yards, they exceed the 400 yard mark.

These are yards that people forget about. Without Dyrell Roberts' big kick returns, Virginia Tech wouldn't have been close in this one.

Then, look at the penalty yards each team accumulated. Alabama had 83 while VT had 45. That's a difference of 38 yards.

Now, let's look at turnovers.

Alabama's first turnover, the interception by McElroy to Antonie Hopkins, was inside Alabama's 20 yard line. This saved the Virginia Tech offense from traveling about 40 yards if Alabama had punted.

With the way they were playing last night, that wasn't too likely.

The Crimson Tide's other turnover was a fumble by Roy Upchurch after he had broken into the open field for a score. This strip certainly saved Virginia Tech three points, maybe even seven points, and brought the momentum back to the Hokies.

All this "hidden yardage" was in Virginia Tech's favor. It truly kept the Hokies in the game, and was the reason for their lead after three quarters. The reasons they didn't win were their two turnovers, and lack of offense and defense.

Virginia Tech's two turnovers were both fumbles on special teams. One was Ryan Williams muffing a punt, even when he called for a fair catch. The other was Davon Morgan fumbling the ball during a kickoff.

Both of these turnovers led directly to six points; without those points, it's a four point game. I firmly believe that without these turnovers it could have been a much different game.

With all these stats, the fact remains that Alabama was still the better team. They played more physical and had an excellent offensive game plan. They attacked Kam Chancellor in the secondary and wore down the defense by using a power running game.

On defense, Alabama played press man to man and mixed it up with lots of different blitzes that confused Tyrod Taylor and the Hokie offensive line. I saw numerous corner blitzes that caused the line to miss assignments and give Tyrod lots of pressure.

Alabama dominated both sides of the ball, but the third side was all Hokies. Special Teams was what kept the Hokies in the game.

Beamerball isn't perfect, but it's what Beamer built the Hokies upon. Tech showed some good things in the game and I'm positive they will build on them and have a very successful season.

The Tide are a different story. They executed a very good offensive and defensive game plan. They have one of the best defenses in the entire country, and their offense has lots of firepower.

Upchurch, Ingram, Jones, and McElroy all showed that they are big time players and I believe they have a chance to challenge for the national title for a second straight season.

The last two top-five ranked teams Virginia Tech played in the first two weeks of the season have gone on to win the national championship. These two teams were '04 USC and '07 LSU.

Can Alabama be the next team to do it?

Huge Blow For Hokies: Darren Evans Tears ACL

Va Tech Fan — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:44:06 -0400

It was officially announced today that Darren Evans tore his ACL in practice. He had sprained it during Friday's practice and was trying to go today.

Unfortunately things got ugly.

Evans was arguably VT's best offensive player last year. Evans rushed for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, as a red-shirt freshman. He also averaged 4.4 yards per carry.

This certainly hurts Virginia Tech's running game. However, it does open the door for red-shirt sophomore Josh Oglesby, red-shirt freshman Ryan Williams, and true freshman David Wilson.

There is a lot of hype surrounding Wilson and Williams, but starting experienced is something you can't replace. Now the only Virginia Tech running back to ever play in a game is Oglesby.

The focal point of Tech's offense is their running game, so this will be a huge blow to an offense that has struggled over the past few years.

Evans has already used a red-shirt, but should qualify for a medical red-shirt this season. Although it is unlikely he will be granted a sixth year.

This obviously hurts VT's chances in their opener against Alabama, who has one of the best run defenses in the country.

However, reports from practice are extremely positive about Williams, Wilson, and Oglesby. The young guys are going to have to step up and fill some very large shoes.

Alabama vs. Virginia Tech: Previewing the Defense

Va Tech Fan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:11:04 -0400

When you hear Alabama vs. Virginia Tech, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For me it's the tough, physical defenses. Alabama and Virginia Tech both had great defenses last year and will have great ones thing year. Virginia Tech's Bud Foster is the best defensive coordinator in the country and provides VT with an advantage, but is it enough? This is part two of my preview series. Part three will review coaching, special teams, and a prediction!

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Alabama vs. Virginia Tech: Previewing The Offense

Va Tech Fan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:22:00 -0400

For the article, I'm going to be previewing the offensive side of the ball for the upcoming Virginia Tech vs. Alabama game on September 5 in the Georgia Dome. This is part 1 of this preview series, as in part 2 I'll cover the defenses of the Chick-Fil-A College Football Kickoff. In this article I'll break down the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive lines of both Virginia Tech and Alabama.

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Lane Kiffin: Need I Say More?

Va Tech Fan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:41:15 -0400

Whether Lane Kiffin is a good coach or a bad coach is still undecided. What we do already know, though, is that he sure knows how to make headlines.

Kiffin was introduced on December 1 as the new Tennessee Volunteers football coach. He was to take over for the ousted and legendary Phillip Fulmer.

It didn't take long for Kiffin to make major headlines. First was Al Davis calling him a liar to the fans, players, and organization. Then his relationship with his employer got worse when Kiffin hired James Cregg, the former Raiders assistant coach, as one of his assistants for the Tennessee assistant coach jobs.

This was with two weeks left in the NFL season and drew sharp criticism from Tom Cable, the Raiders head coach.

After that came the recruiting violations.

First was the infamous allegation that Urban Meyer had violated NCAA rules, when in fact Lane himself had violated the rules. He said, "I'm going to turn Florida in right here in front of you. As Nu'Keese was here on campus, his phone keeps ringing. And so one of our coaches is sitting in the meeting with him and says, 'Who is that?' And he looks at the phone and says, 'Urban Meyer.'

"Just so you know, you can't call a recruit on another campus. But I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him." This led to a public reprimand and a public apology from Kiffin to the University of Florida.

He then mentioned Bryce Brown on a radio program which was another violation of the rules. He has committed six minor NCAA violations so far in his short stint as the Vols head coach.

He also had developed sour relationships with Pahokee High School, University of Georgia, University of Florida, and South Carolina over some comments he's made about these schools.

He also just recently committed a violation on ESPN's Outside the Lines which is currently being reviewed.

Meyer maybe a jerk, cheater, and an arrogant S.O.B. among other adjectives. However, one thing he has done well is excite the Vol faithful, and the program as a whole.

Tennessee signed the No. 10 ranked class according to Rivals.com, which is impressive considering he was hired after their season finished. Tennessee has also received much more national media attention, for better or worse.

He has also brought a dynamic, all-star staff along with him to Tennessee. This staff includes his father Monte Kiffin, genius of the Cover Two defense, Ed Orgeron, star recruiter who recruited some of the great players at USC in the mid 2000's.

He stole Alabama's main recruiter, Lance Thompson, away from Nick Saben. He was awarded the recruiter of the Year award in 2008.

There is no doubt that Lane strongly values the recruiting process.

Kiffin has rejuvenated the Rocky Top faithful and has started building a program. He had a great recruiting class and is building another one this year.

Although he has had some slip ups in the media, Kiffin has rejuvenated a down program. With all the exposure comes big responsibility. However, Lane will build a great program in Knoxville.

In my opinion it's not IF, but WHEN the Vols are back on top.

Virginia Tech Hokies Land Comit from 2010 DE

Va Tech Fan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:30:36 -0400

The Hokies landed a commitment today from start recruit Zach McCray. He is listed as the number nine defensive end in the country and is a top 100 player according to multiple sites.

He choose VT over LSU, Alabama, and UNC. McCray measures in at 6'5" 235 pounds and is the cousin of VT incoming freshman Logan Thomas.

Rivals Top 10, 2005: Where Are They Now?

Va Tech Fan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:05:30 -0400

One thing that is an always interesting subject of college football fans is recruiting rankings. But just how accurate are they? I'll take a closer look at the Rivals top 10 from 2005, and see how accurate they were in ranking these players.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=817

1. Derrick Williams, Penn State, WR - Derrick was a huge get for Penn State out of high school. He was effective, but he never lived up to his hype of being the No. 1 overall player. He was an All Big 10 first team selection this past year and was drafted in the third round by the Lions.

2. Patrick Turner, USC, WR - Turner was another highly touted WR coming out of high school. He also didn't live up to the hype. He was second team All Pac 10 last year, which was a disappointment for Turner. He was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

3. Eugene Monroe, Virginia, OT - Eugene definitely lived up to the hype. He played all four years that he was at Virginia and was unanimously voted First Team All ACC. He also had a UVA school record of 105 knockdowns in one season. He was drafted eighth overall by Jacksonville.

4. Melvin Alaeze, Maryland, DE - Melvin was troubled from the beginning as he was kicked out of Marland before playing a game. Then he followed Ron Zook to Illinois where he played in one game, but was then kicked off that team and is now serving eight years in prison.

5. Rey Maualuga, USC, LB - Some of his college achievements include:
2008 Bednarik Award
2008 CBS Sportsline.com Defensive Player of the Year
2008 Consensus All-American
3x First Team All-Pac-10 (2006-2008)
2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year

He was then taken in the second round by the Bengals in this past NFL draft.

6. Fred Rouse, Florida State, WR - Fred wanted to be the first player to skip college all together, but we all know that didn't work out. He has since been kicked out of FSU and UTEP and is playing for the FCS Texas Southern University.

7. Mark Sanchez, USC, QB - Sanchez started one full year for the Trojans and led them to the Rose Bowl. He was an All Pac 10 first team player and was selected fifth overall by the New York Jets.

8. Martellus Bennett, Texas A&M, TE - Martellus was a 6'7" beast who never fully developed as a college player. He had the raw ability, but was only a Big 12 Second Team selection once in 2006. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

9. Reginald Youngblood, Miami, OL - Injured most of his career and never really took off like he should have. He was surpassed by younger players and was a bust.

10. Jonathan Stewart, Oregon, RB - Stewart immediately burst onto the scene and was voted to the Pac 10 Freshman all conference team in 2005. He later became first team All Pac 10 in 2007 and then left for the NFL. He was drafted 13th overall by the Panthers and rushed for over 800 yards and for 10 touchdowns as a rookie.

Only five of these players were selected in the top two rounds of the NFL draft. These were the top 10 out of high school and were suppose to dominate college football. Whether it be legal problems, injuries, or just being a bust, five of these 10 players didn't have the college careers they should have had. This goes to show exactly how accurate recruiting rankings can be.

The Big East: NCAA Football Early Rankings

Va Tech Fan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:08:11 -0400

1. West Virginia—Coming of a thrilling bowl victory, WVU loses dual-threat QB Pat White, and Jarrett Brown, his backup, takes over. They will have small, speedy back Noel Divine back as he looks to lead the WVU backfield. The defense returns seven players and needs to take the next step if post-Pat White WVU wants to remain successful.

2. USF—USF has a very good, dual-threat, QB in Matt Grothe. They return DE George Selvie for his senior year, which is a huge plus for the Bulls. USF lost their starting RB and their top two receivers and must replace two lineman. There will be high expectation for USF and a Big East title is not out of the question.

3. Cincinnati—Cincy finished last year losing the Orange Bowl to VT, where Tony Pike threw four INTs. Last year Pike was fifth on the depth chart to start the season, this year he'll be first. Having a spring with the first team offense should definitely help with his development. Cincy's defense is their big question mark. They lose almost their entire senior defense. How the new comers play will determine a lot about how Cincy finishes out. WR Marshwan Gilyard is a star in the making, look for him to put up big numbers this year.

4. Rutgers—Under Greg Schiano the Rutgers program has rebounded and was suppose to compete last year, but a poor start put that on hold. WR Tiquan Underwood and QB Mike Teal graduated. Rutgers needs to find some fire power on offense and to shore up a secondary that will have to replace three starters.

5. Connecticut—Donald Brown declared for the NFL and with the graduation of QB Tyler Lorenzen, UCONN will be much like Rutgers; trying to find firepower on offense. UCONN looks to be in a rebuilding year.

6. Pittsburgh—The loss of Shady McCoy will be huge for Pittsburgh. They need to find some production from other areas of the offense to be successful. The Sun bowl showed us exactly how good, or bad, Pitt was when Shady wasn't doing anything. Hopefully the Panthers can find someone or else it could be a big let down year for the Panthers.

7. Louisville—Steve Kragthorpe needs a good year this year, or else he could be on his way out. Right now Tyler Wolfe looks to be the starting QB for the Cardinals. Louisville hasn't had a good year since their Orange Bowl win and this will be a crucial one for Kragthorpe.

8. Syracuse—The Cuse fired coach Greg Robinson after a 3-9 season. Cuse returns eight players on the defensive side, and that could be a good point for the Orange Men. It looks like another tough year for the Orange.

Early Ranking of the SEC

Va Tech Fan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:01:01 -0400

1. UF- UF returns lots from its national championship winning team. Tim Tebow is back for his senior year and UF returns a lot from a very fast, good defense that held OU to 14 points. The only real question for UF is how they can replace Percy Harvin. They do have Chris Rainey and Jeffery Demps behind him and they should fit in nicely.

2. Alabama- Alabama has had a recent resurgence since Nick Saban has taken over. They have been recruiting with the best in the country and have some of the best young talent in the country. WR Julio Jones will continue to get better and should be an all-SEC WR. Bama loses Rashad Johnson and QB John Parker Wilson, so how good their replacements are will determine how they do in the SEC-West.

3. LSU- LSU hopes that QB Jordan Jefferson can keep his momentum up from last year's Chick-fil-a bowl and help this very talented LSU Offense that seemed to only be missing a QB last year. LSU must replace three D lineman and their D must play at a much higher level consistently if they want to make it to Atlanta, this time a month before last year!

4. Ole Miss- Ole Miss has a very experienced and proven QB in Jevan Snead. Also, Dexter McCluster returns, so the entire Ole Miss backfield will be back. Beast DE Greg Hardy will be back to terrorize the SEC QBs. No one will sleep on the Rebels this year and Houston Nutt is looking to prove that last year wasn't a fluke.

5. UGA- UGA loses QB Mathew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno. Those will be huge loses for this Georgia team that will need replacements Senior QB Joe Cox and Sophomore RB Caleb King to step up and make plays for this UGA offense. UGA will have a young D that will have only 4 seniors and an even younger line that should have only one senior. UGA's D was a big let-down last and will need to be much better this year.

6. USC- South Carolina will return QB Stephen Garcia. It is really simple for the Gamecocks. If the Ole' Ball Coach can get good play from the QB position then the Gamecocks could be a sleeper team in the East. However, I don't see it getting much better this year. Probably another 7-5, 8-4 season for USC.

7. Tennessee- As confident as Lane Kiffin is they won't beat UF. Johnathan Crompton returns for his senior year and should be experienced. Superstar S Eric Berry returns to anchor a defense that will start either all juniours or seniors. Berry is an amazing athlete that will give QBs fits this year.

8. Auburn- Montez Billlings and Ben Tate return hopeful to right the ship that went horribly wrong last year. The strangest hire of the year in young coach Gene Chizic will hope to build Auburn back up to where it was. QB Kodi Burns and Chris Todd return and will need much better play then the pitiful performances they had last year.

9. Arkansas- Arkansas could be the surprise team this year. Bobby Petrino got a huge boost last year when former Michigan QB Ryan Mallet transferred there. Mallet was one of the top pocket passing QB's a few years ago and should do well in the Petrino system.

10. Vanderbilt- They have three experienced QBs coming back and Bobby Johnson showed us last year that they can play with anyone. Vandy doesn't have the talent of other schools, but their D is good and should keep them in games as they make very few mistakes.

11. Kentucky- Huge 6'6" QB Mike Hartline hopes to make an impact this year as Sr. RB Tony Dixon comes back. Again UK has an experienced D, but QB play will be crucial. Seems like a trend between the bottom half of the SEC is that poor QB play has really hurt their teams in this conference with some of the toughest defenses in the country.

12. Mississippi State- The Bulldogs had a huge down year last year after a bowl appearance the year before. Sly Croom resigned and new coach Dan Mullen, former UF Offensive Coordinator, will have his hands full. MSU loses some key players and must bring in some better talent and really build the program from the ground up to start to compete in the SEC. He can bring a winning atmosphere to Mississippi, but this will not be the year.

Early Rankings: ACC Football

Va Tech Fan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:46:18 -0400

1. Virginia Tech

VT returns 16 starters overall, including QB Tyrod Taylor, RB Darren Evans, and all of their receivers. They were the seventh overall rated defense last year, but they are losing CB Victor "Macho" Harris and two linebackers

This will be tough to overcome, but Bud Foster is one of the best DCs in the country. I'm confident that VT's D will remain stingy, and the offense will steadily improve. However, the Hokies' success this year relies on VT's ability to throw the ball.

2. FSU

QB Christian Ponder return for the Noles and is looking to build on the good season he had last year. FSU loses big 6'6" WR Greg Carr, and speedster Preston Parker has been kicked off the team. Parker looked to have a huge role in FSU's offense next year, and a big key will be if a WR and also a new RB will step up.

Last year, Mickey Andrews' defense was very good. This year, they lose safety Myron Rolle. Also, CB Tony Carter graduated, and star DE Everett Brown left for the NFL. However, the Noles have tons of talent, and I'd look for the D to continue to impress.

3. GT

Paul Johnson's triple option offense did much more than expected last year and looks to do more this year. QB Josh Nesbitt and RBs Roddy Jones, Lucas Cox, and Jonathan Dwyer return to make the best backfield in the ACC. DE Michael Johnson won't be back, and GT will need to revamp its D-line. It's the only real defensive question mark.

4. UNC

Butch Davis will lead his most talented squad onto the field in '09. The loss of superstar WR Hakeem Nicks could loom large for UNC, as who will step up at WR is still a big question mark.

Overall, Butch has recruited well over the past few years, and this is the year where he should take that next step. Anything less than a Gator Bowl is a disappointment for UNC fans this year.

5. NCST

Russell Wilson returns for a talented State team that has a good coach in Tom O'Brien. The Wolfpack came on strong last year at the end of the season and look to build on their recent success. Look for the Wolfpack to be the surprise team in the ACC. I'll even go so far as to say they could win the Atlantic.

6. Clemson

Dabo Swinney takes over an already talented team. The biggest hurdle for Clemson to overcome is how QB Willy Korn can play in his first year of real starting time. Clemson returns C.J. Spiller, who should be the focal point for the Tigers offense. Da'Quan Bowers will be a star on the D. This could be a good year for the Tigers.

7. Miami

Miami is talented, but they have a brutal schedule their first four games, and they could very easily start off 0-4. I think that could result in a tough situation for Randy Shannon to overcome.

QB Jacory Harris is still young and needs to develop a better and bigger arm if he wants to compete against the tough ACC defenses. Miami's D will be good as always, but this could be a big letdown year for Miami.

8. BC

QB Chris Crane graduated, and freshman Dominique Davis transferred. Davis didn't play great in his limited action last year, and the remaining QBs don't look too good. BC returns its main running back Josh Haden. Frank Spaziani takes over as head coach, and their defense took a huge hit when Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with cancer.

The loss of DTs B.J. Raji and Ron Brace could loom large as they were the key of the tough BC run defense. Overall, BC's offense needs to step up and produce, or it could be a down year in the parity-filled ACC.

9. WF

Riley Skinner and Josh Adams return for the Deacs. However, the Deacons' talent isn't there compared with other ACC teams, but what Jim Grobe does with his group of players is always incredible. They are hard to predict, but in my opinion it'll be an average year in the ACC for the Demon Deacons.

10. Maryland

Chris Turner returns at QB for the Terps this year. His play will be crucial in their West Coast style attack. Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett should lead a very good Maryland running game.

The loss of WR Darrius Heyward-Bey will be HUGE for Maryland, as he was a very big deep threat and made a lot of players for the Terps over the years. Someone needs to pick up his productivity, or else it could be a long year for Maryland.

11. UVA

UVA will return Jameel Sewell, their QB who was suspended this past year. How well he does in this upcoming year will be crucial to their success.

Al Groh fired his son Mike, their offensive coordinator, and he was replaced by a spread guru. Their switch to the spread could take a few years, and with the loss of their star receiver Kevin Ogletree, UVA loses a lot on offense. However, Vic Hall in the Wild Wahoo could be an interesting formation to watch for.

UVA can be good, but I'd predict another season trying to creep into a bowl game at the end of the year.

12. Duke

Duke made progress last year beating UVA, and getting a good ACC win. However, Duke returns QB Thaddeus Lewis in his second season under QB genius David Cutcliffe. This could be a breakout year for the Dukies, getting two or three ACC wins...it's a process, and they have to start somewhere. Any improvement is good for the Dukies.

Early Look at College Football's Top 10

Va Tech Fan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 11:24:44 -0400

Hey, everyone. I'm going to be doing an early look at next year's pre-season top 10 in college football

1. Florida Gators- Consensus No. 1 in my mind. As the reigning national champs, they have a lot of momentum coming into next year. However, Florida loses five starters from the offense, including speedster Percy Harvin. Florida returns everyone from a D that was much improved and only looks to get better, as they held what some people said to be "the greatest offense ever" from Oklahoma to a mere 14 points in the national championship game.

The only question mark for UF is how big of a question mark losing Percy will be. With speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey also the same WR/RB mold, I don't see UF's loss of Percy Harvin as a big loss.

2. Texas- Texas ended last year holding off a resilient Ohio State team in the Fiesta Bowl. Heisman finalist Colt McCoy return to Texas and will be the focal point of their offense for next year. McCoy being a very good runner and passer for Texas should give defensive coordinators headaches for one more year.

Texas has a very weak non-conference schedule this year which sets up the Red River Rivalry as another crucial game if Texas is looking for another national title. Texas' major concern is their D, most notably the line, which will lose all four starters.

3. Oklahoma- Oklahoma lost in the national title to UF 24-14. However, the announced return of sophomore QB Sam Bradford for his junior season has once again put OU as one of the front runners for a repeat showing in the title game.

OU was led by the big guys up front. They had four seniors and one junior up front last year and only Big Trent Williams returns for OU. That is a big question mark weather Bradford will be allowed as much time to sit back and throw as he was last year.

4. USC- The term is often throw out that "they don't rebuild, they reload." That statement is not truer with anyone than Trojans of Southern Cal. USC loses LOTS from their Rose Bowl winning team, including QB Mark Sanchez, their entire LB crew and two starting DE's, Clay Matthews and Kyle Moore. Hard hitting safety Taylor Mays looks to lead a revived defense, which will be a big question mark for their big time showdown early in the season at Ohio State.

5. Alabama- Alabama was embarrassed in the Sugar Bowl to end the 2008 season against Utah. Andre Smith leaves the all-star Bama line, but big Mount Cody remains to anchor a huge powerful line. Bama also loses QB John Parker Wilson and start safety Rashad Johnson. However, the Tide returns WR Julio Jones, as they look to revenge their SEC Title and Sugar Bowl loses from a year ago.

6. Virginia Tech- VT is coming of their first BCS Bowl victory in a 20-7 victory over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. VT return 9 starters on offense and 7 on defense. They got over the BCS hump and are looking to build on their success.

VT loses CB Macho Harris, but they finished with the seventh best defense in the country and look to build on that. The question mark is the passing game as last year all the receivers were Freshman and Tyrod Taylor was very inconsistent at QB.

7. Ohio State- OSU is once again coming into the offseason with a big let-down. OSU has many loses on both sides of the ball. LB James Laurinaitis and RB Chris"Beanie" Wells aren't going to be back among other.

OSU has talent though, with RB Dan Herron taking over for Wells, and Tyrelle Prior now coming into his second season. OSU will have a big test early against USC, in a game where both teams will be replacing lots.

8. LSU- LSU had a very disappointing season last year, finishing it off against GT in the the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. They routed GT 38-3, and it could've been worse. Jordan Jefferson played very well in that game and he looked like a QB of the future for LSU.

However, LSU only return one D lineman from a defensive unit that was a huge let down from typical LSU defenses. Also, inconsistent QB play plagued LSU all last year, but if Jefferson can play well and manage the games with LSU's talent and the Mad Hatter (Les Miles) as coach, anything can happen.

9. Oklahoma State- OKST return Dez Bryant, Zack Robinson and Kendall Hunter. With this electric trio retuning, the offensive firepower will be in high supply. However, the Pokes defense (or lack there of) last year was the main issue. OKST loses two offensive lineman and three from their often burned secondary. Also, Miami's defensive coordinator Bill Young has been added to the staff hoping to make an immediate impact. Bottom line with OKST: If their D is good, just good, they'll have a chance to be great and sneak up for a Big 12 Title appearance.

10. Ole Miss- A resurgent Ole Miss Rebels were the surprise team in the SEC under coach Houston Nutt and QB Jevan Snead. Well, Snead and RB Dexter McCluster are back, as well as beast DE Greg Hardy. Ole Miss has talent and a very underrated coach in Nutt. Last year, they beat UF and TTU, two teams who had very potent offenses. If Ole Miss can defend like last year, they could compete with Alabama and LSU for a SEC West Title as well as a SEC Title.

Honorable Mention: Penn State, Oregon, GT, TCU, UGA