Updated Preseason College Football Top 25 for 2012

With the BCS national championship game in the books, the focus will now shift to the preseason Top 25 rankings in the college football world.

In the past week or so, some big names have committed to staying in school which will change past predictions of the preseason Top 25.

Those of note include Landry Jones of Oklahoma, Montee Ball of Wisconsin and Tyler Eifert of Notre Dame.

Now, preseason rankings don't hold a ton of merit in the grand scheme of things, see Florida State in the 2011 preseason rankings, but they're still fun to do.

(Disclaimer: Rankings are under the assumption that Robert Griffin III is going pro.)

No. 25 Baylor Bears

If Robert Griffin III returns, the Baylor Bears will be ranked much higher, but the likelihood of that happening is not great.

Losing RG3 and senior receiver Kendall Wright will hurt the Bears in 2012, but with the Big 12 in a likely down year with so many stars jumping to the NFL, they should find themselves right in the middle of things.

The defense should also improve under second-year coordinator Phil Bennett.

No. 24 TCU Horned Frogs

TCU, like Boise State, always seems to find themselves in the mix every year, but the move to the Big 12 should keep them out of the BCS conversation in 2012.

However, the Horned Frogs should still be competitive in what's likely to be a down year in the Big 12. 

With quarterback Casey Pachall back for his junior season, the Horned Frogs should have a good showing in the Big 12 in their first season with the conference. 

The Horned Frogs should field a solid defense despite losing linebacker Tank Carder and a few secondary starters.

No. 23 Louisville Cardinals

As just a  true freshman, Teddy Bridgewater had a pretty impressive season.

In his second season, he will only get better and will lead what looks to be the best team in the Big East in 2012.

If automatic qualifiers stick around and West Virginia heads to the Big 12, Bridgewater could find himself playing in the Orange Bowl in January of 2013.

No. 22 Washington Huskies

What we saw from the Huskies in their bowl game against Baylor should give their fans hope in 2012.

They will not be on the level of USC and Oregon, but they should be competitive in the Pac-12.

Keith Price has a spectacular season in just his first year starting, and he will only get better.

We could have ourselves the second coming of RG3 in Washington. 

21. Kansas State Wildcats

With Collin Klein returning for his senior season, the Wildcats should find themselves in the mix in the Big 12 once again in 2012.

But they will catch no one by surprise next season as teams will know much better what to prepare for with the versatile Klein.

The Wildcats will have to replace some key starters on defense, David Garrett and Ray Kibble, which could hurt their defensive production in 2012. 

20. West Virginia Mountaineers

It's yet to be seen what conference the Mountaineers will play in for 2012, but they should be a solid team either way. 

Geno Smith should provide the offense a nice spark in the passing game in his senior season with his speedy receivers, but they have to work on their defense.

Their record will be better if they remain in the Big East, but the faster they can get to the Big 12, the better. 

No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers

With Russell Wilson out of years of eligibility, the Badgers will not be as good as they were in 2011, but they got some good news this week when Montee Ball announced he was returning to Madison. 

Look for the Badgers to ride Ball throughout the 2012 season, as they hope a replacement can be found for Wilson who can even do half the things he did.

The Badgers may find themselves in the mix in the Big Ten but don't expect them to win the Big Ten championship two years in a row. 

No. 18 Boise State Broncos

The Boise State Broncos will have many holes to fill, the biggest at quarterback with Kellen Moore leaving, but they always find a way to keep themselves in the thick of things.

With another easy Mountain West schedule, they could potentially find themselves creating BCS conversation at the end of the season before entering the Big East in 2013.

As long as Chris Petersen wears the head set for the Broncos, it will be hard to count them out. 

No. 17 Texas Longhorns

With one of  the better defenses in college football, the Texas Longhorns could be much higher in the rankings if we knew where their offense would come from.

Both Case McCoy and David Ash were inconsistent all year long as they could never find a passing game. The best route for the Longhorns would be to get back to running the ball a lot, but their running backs couldn't stay healthy in 2011.

The Longhorns will eventually get back to prominence, but I don't think it will be in 2012.

Look for them to finish slightly better than they did in 2011. 

No. 16 Michigan State Spartans

Losing Kirk Cousins is going to be tough for Michigan State, but with one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, they should stay in the picture for the Big Ten championship.

With a tough non-conference schedule that includes Boise State and Notre Dame, we will find out what the Spartans are made of early on.

No. 15 Notre Dame Irish

As long as the Irish can figure out their quarterback situation, they could challenge for a BCS Bowl berth in 2012.

With good news coming in droves in South Bend, Manti Te'o and Tyler Eifert both returning, the Irish won't be losing many impact players other than Michael Floyd. 

Whether it be Tommy Rees or Andrew Hendrix, Brian Kelly needs to work hard with them to make sure they're ready to quarterback his team in the fall. 

No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks

Losing Alshon Jeffrey is definitely going to hurt, but the Gamecocks didn't really have much of a passing game with him on the team.

The big key for the Gamecocks will be a healthy Marcus Lattimore in 2012.

If he can come back healthy, he could compete for the Heisman Trophy. Quarterback Connor Shaw also played well down the stretch.

Despite losing Stephen Gilmore and a few others on defense, the Gamecocks should field a good defense in 2012 and be in the running for the SEC East title.

No. 13 Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers never seem to win pretty, but they always seem to win games, and that will continue to be the same with Taylor Martinez returning in 2012.

Martinez is one of those quarterbacks who makes you rip out your hair but always seems to win games.

With Michigan as the favorite to win the Leaders Division of the Big Ten, the Cornhuskers will be the second-best team in that division.

They should have a solid defense, and if Martinez can do more right than wrong, the Cornhuskers should be pretty good. 

No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes

The hire of Urban Meyer will be huge for the Buckeyes in 2012 as he already has the perfect quarterback to run his system in Braxton Miller.

If the team can get in the mindset that they have something to play for, they could be on of the best in the Big Ten.

Unfortunately, they don't really have anything to play for as they are banned from the postseason in 2012 but expect Meyer's first year to be a successful one. 

No. 11 Clemson Tigers

Clemson had one of the most electric offensive attacks in 2011, and all of the weapons are returning for the 2012 season.

Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and Andre Ellington will all be back.

With the three-headed monster on offense, the big question mark for the Tigers will be the defense.

If the defense can play half decent in the ACC, they could play for the conference championship once again. 

No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks

This ranking is completely contingent on Tyler Wilson returning next season after filing papers for a draft grade with the NFL.

If Wilson does return, the SEC could be even better in 2012 than it was in 2011 with four legitimate national championship contenders.

But if Wilson goes to the NFL, which he very well may, the Razorbacks are no longer a Top 10 preseason team in 2012.

No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech probably should have never been in the Sugar Bowl in 2011, after losing the ACC championship game to Clemson, but they should challenge for a second consecutive berth in 2012.

With Logan Thomas entering his second season as a starter, the offense should be much improved and the defense was one of the best in the nation in 2011, which should carry over.

The Hokies will likely challenge Clemson and Florida State for the 2012 ACC Championship. 

No. 8 Michigan Wolverines

Michigan hoped bringing in Brady Hoke would return the program to prominence, but I don't think they thought it would happen this fast.

Fresh off a Sugar Bowl victory, the Wolverines will find themselves ranked in the preseason Top 10.

After years of having horrible defenses, the Wolverines shed the past under Hoke and welcome back dynamic playmaker, Denard Robinson, at the quarterback position. 

With Russell Wilson headed to the NFL, the Wolverines should go toe-to-toe with Ohio State to see who is the Big Ten's best team. 

No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs

In the first half of the 2011 SEC Championship Game, Georgia gave LSU everything they could handle before getting blown out in the second half, and you can expect them to be in the thick of things in 2012.

With Aaron Murray entering his junior season, he will likely be the best quarterback in the conference and could put up huge numbers for the Bulldogs. 

In addition to Murray, the Bulldogs will field one of the top defenses in the country to make them one of the top challengers for the SEC title and early favorite to win the SEC East. 

No. 6 Florida State Seminoles

Florida State was probably the most disappointing team of 2011, but with another year of experience under their belt, they should be the top team in the ACC in 2012.

Injuries played a big factor in the downfall of the Seminoles in 2011, and if E.J. Manuel and company can stay healthy, they could compete for a national championship.

The Seminoles had a lot of underclassmen on defense, as well, in 2011, and with another year of experience, they should only improve on that side of the ball. 

No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners

Despite fizzling at the end of the 2011 season, the return of Landry Jones solidifies Oklahoma has a Top-Five preseason team in 2012.

Jones, at times, showed why he was in the Heisman Trophy race early on but also made you scratch your head.

The loss of lead receiver Ryan Broyles seemed to affect him a lot, but with the spring to prepare without Broyles, Jones should get comfortable with his other receivers.

If the defense can hold up and not have any performances like that against Texas Tech in 2011, the Sooners should be the class of the Big 12 in 2012. 

No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama is another team losing a lot, but the growth of A.J. McCarron and a loaded recruiting class, that should keep the Crimson Tide in the thick of things.

Losing guys like Trent Richardson, Dre Kirkpatrick and Courtney Upshaw will definitely hurt this team, but they have capable replacements in the reserves.

One of the key guys in 2011 will be running back Dee Hart.

If he can come back from an ACL injury that kept him out for 2011, the Tide's offense should be one of the best in the SEC, and 'Bama always fields a good defense.

No. 3 Oregon Ducks

LaMichael James heading to the NFL won't hurt the Oregon Ducks nearly as much as one would think as they have De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner to step in and be effective.

The Ducks have claimed the Pac-12 championship three years in a row and will go head-to-head with USC as the two front-runners in the conference in 2012.

Offensively, the Ducks should be just as explosive in 2012 as they have been in the past, and as long as their defense can be average, they should win a ton of games. 

No. 2 USC Trojans

If not for its postseason ban, USC likely would have been in a BCS bowl this year.

That ban goes away in 2012, and the Trojans will have high hopes of playing for the BCS national championship.

With Matt Barkley returning, the Trojans will likely be the favorite in the Pac-12 and have as good a chance as anyone to play for the national title.

Barkley also has his top receiver Robert Woods returning as well as many other weapons. The defense got a boost as well when safety T.J. McDonald announced he was returning for his senior season.

Lane Kiffin and co. will have their best chance yet to return the USC college football program to the top of the ranks in 2012. 

No. 1 LSU Tigers

Despite losing both Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson as well as many key defensive players, the LSU Tigers will open up the 2012 season as the No. 1 team in the country.

Les Miles has the Tigers stocked with talent and Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu will be back for his junior season to lead the defense.

The No. 1 rated QB in the 2012 recruiting class, Gunner Kiel, just committed to play in Baton Rouge and could step in and play right away if he performs well enough in spring ball.

Just because they're No. 1 doesn't crown them though, just ask Oklahoma.