College Football 2012: Breaking Down ESPN's 'CFB Live' Preseason Top 25

ESPN released its College Football Live Preseason Top 25 on Tuesday. Spring just ended, and we're all staring summer in the face just waiting for September—so, this is a nice addition to the college football platter.

USC takes the top spot with LSU, Alabama and Oregon behind it.

B/R's Adam Jacobi gave his spin on where the Big Ten sits in the rankings, which is in an interesting spot to say the least.

As Jacobi points out, the Big Ten does land five teams in the rankings, but its first team does not show up until Michigan at the 10th spot. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Ohio State all clustered between 12th and 20th is a strong showing.

The Big Ten is right behind the SEC in terms of total teams in, although five of the SEC's six teams are ahead of the first Big Ten squad on the list. 

South Carolina, the No. 8 team, seems a bit too high. Question marks about Marcus Lattimore and replacing both Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore on defense swirl around the team's personnel situations.

Throw in the fact that Ellis Johnson, the man who orchestrated that stout defensive unit, is now gone to Southern Miss, and it would seem fitting to be a bit less bullish on the Gamecocks.

With respect to other teams that draw eyebrow-raising numbers, there are three teams that finished 2011 in the Top 10: Stanford, Boise State and Oklahoma State.

All three lose major cogs in their system. Andrew Luck, Kellen Moore and Brandon Weeden were all big-time quarterbacks that helped propel their teams to major success.

Stanford loses a lot of pieces on both sides of the ball, and it's tough to see it as the 15th-best squad in the nation as it breaks in new linemen, new defenders and a new quarterback.

For the Broncos and Cowboys, their rankings are less lofty. If both teams succeed with their new personnel, they have room to climb. But if things are shaky, they will drop quickly.

No harm, no foul there as a measure of respect to start the season.

As for the snubs, both Belk Bowl participants come to mind.

North Carolina State, the game's winner, is set to challenge Florida State and Clemson in the Atlantic with the return of Mike Glennon. The Wolfpack are not on most people's radars right now, but they should be.

Tom O'Brien has a team that will move the ball on offense, and with Mike Archer and Jon Tenuta running the defense, it's capable of making things happen.

Louisville is the second team that should see its name creeping toward the Top 25. Teddy Bridgewater is in that Casey Pachall-class of quarterbacks who are set to emerge in 2012, and his team should contend for a Big East championship.

All in all, the list is not bad.

We've got months left to restructure and revise our Top 25s before the season, as freshman show up big in camp, injuries inevitably happen and teams have to deal with unforeseen issues.