College Football's Top 10 Offensive Trios to Watch This Season

With the college football season less than two months away, it's time to start looking at which teams have the capability of lighting up the scoreboard. 

This list only features teams that have a trio of weapons on offense, so teams such as Texas (Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley) and Virginia Tech (Tyrod Taylor and Darren Evans) came up one playmaker short. 

And now, without further ado:

10. Nevada: QB Colin Kaepernick, RB Vai Taua, and RB Luke Lippincott

What? A WAC team not from Boise? Longtime head coach Chris Ault is hoping his dynamic offense can prevent Boise State from repeating as WAC champions and winning their fifth title in six years. 

Junior quarterback Colin Kaepernick will look to feed off the momentum he gained last season after completing 208 passes for 2,849 yards and 22 TDs. Kaepernick, the reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Year, will have help from running backs Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott. 

Lippincott, the 2007 WAC rushing leader, looks to bounce back after suffering a knee injury. 

In his sixth year of eligibility, Lippincott will try to improve on his stats from '07, when he rushed for 1,420 yards on 267 carries along with 15 touchdowns. However, his replacement Taua had even better numbers last season while he filled in for the injured back. Taua finished with 1,521 yards on 236 carries and 15 TDs.

The Wolf Pack open on the road at Notre Dame with a chance to gain some national attention as they try to unseat the reigning champion Broncos.

9. LSU: RB Charles Scott, WR Brandon LaFell, and WR Trindon Holliday

After failing to reach a double-digit win total for the first time since '04, coach Les Miles and crew will look to their offense to rebound against fellow SEC opponents Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. 

Sophomore Jordan Jefferson takes over at quarterback after Jarrett Lee proved to be just too mistake-prone last season. With the quarterback position still under question, the bulk of the offense falls onto the strong shoulders of running back Charles Scott. 

Scott, who finished with 1,174 yards last season on 217 carries and 18 TDs, will share time with Keiland Williams. Senior Brandon LaFell will be Jefferson's primary target entering the season after he finished his '08 campaign with 929 yards, eight touchdowns, and 63 receptions. 

Also, Mr. Versatile Trindon Holliday returns and will look to add onto his 2,229 career all-purpose yards. If the Tigers defense holds strong and Jefferson shows consistency, LSU should improve on their eight-win 2008 season.

8. Houston: QB Case Keenum, RB Bryce Beall, and WR Tyron Carrier

First a WAC team and now a Conference USA team? And it's not East Carolina? Unfortunately for C-USA members, quarterback Case Keenum plays for the Cougars. The reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year finished the '08 season with an astonishing 5,020 yards passing and 44 TDs.

Keenum's 5,020 yards even surpassed Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford's season total (4,720).

However, if Keenum's arm gets tired, he should have no problem handing off to sophomore Bryce Beall. Beall broke the school's freshman running record and finished third in the conference as he accumulated 1,247 yards including 13 touchdowns.

The player who accounted for over one-fifth of Keenum's 5020 yards last season returns as Tyron Carrier looks to build on his freshman season. Carrier, who like LSU's Holliday is also a track and field star, caught 80 passes for 1,026 yards and nine TDs as he made his case for fastest player in the conference.

Behind Keenum's arm, the Cougars will look to win their first conference title since 2006.

7. BYU: QB Max Hall, RB Harvey Unga, and TE Dennis Pitta 

Seventh might be a little low for the Cougars, who are led by Heisman candidate Max Hall. Hall, the 6'1", 201-lb. senior, returns after throwing for 3,957 yards and 35 TDs last season.

Hall, who ranked nationally in the top 10 last season in total offense, must find a new favorite target after the departure of Austin Collie. 

Senior tight end Dennis Pitta will try to make the search easier on Hall by looking to improve on his numbers from '08, in which he finished with 1,083 yards on 83 receptions along with six TDs. Pitta was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection in '08. 

While trying to find a new target, Hall should feel comfortable handing the ball off to junior Harvey Unga, who is looking to rush for 1,000 yards for the third straight season. Unga rushed for 1,132 yards last season and picked up 11 touchdowns along the way on 240 carries. 

The Cougars open up on Sept. 5 against Oklahoma in the Dallas Cowboys' new facility with a chance to gain national attention, along with shaking up the national title picture in the process.

6. Southern Miss: QB Austin Davis, RB Damion Fletcher, and WR DeAndre Brown

Another C-USA team? And still no East Carolina? Thanks to the return of senior running back Damion Fletcher, the Golden Eagles have a good chance of improving on their 4-4 conference record last season. 

Fletcher, one of the nation's best backs, finished the '08 season with 1,313 yards on 219 carries along with 10 TDs. Fletcher also caught 33 passes and finished as Conference USA's top rusher. 

The person handing off to Fletcher will be Austin Davis. Davis is coming off a stellar freshman season in which he threw for 3,134 yards and 23 touchdowns while trying to figure out coach Larry Fedora's no-huddle offense.

Davis's favorite target is also coming off an outstanding freshman season. Sophomore DeAndre Brown finished with 1,117 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as he helped the Golden Eagles break 36 school records and earn the school's 15th consecutive winning season. 

If Brown, who is recovering from a broken leg he suffered in last season's New Orleans Bowl, is fully healthy, the Golden Eagles may use another year of experience to break even more records and possibly even win a conference title.

5. USC: RB Stafon Johnson, RB C.J. Gable, and WR Damian Williams

If the quarterback battle was a bit clearer, the Trojans could easily have a top three offense. However, with the potential starter being a true freshman (Matt Barkley), the confidence level cannot be at 100 percent just yet. 

However, this is the USC Trojans were talking about here, and Pete Carroll is still the head coach there. With that being said, the '09 Trojans offense will be extremely powerful as usual, led by running backs Stafon Johnson and C.J. Gable. The duo combined for 1,322 yards last season along with 17 touchdowns. 

With those types of numbers, it doesn't matter who's throwing the ball. But whenever a starter is named, he will have junior Damian Williams to throw to. Williams had 869 receiving yards last season on 58 receptions and nine TDs. 

That's 26 touchdowns from three players, and we haven't even mentioned Joe McKnight yet (659, two).

An early rematch at Ohio State will determine just how high these Trojans can fly in '09.

4. Kansas: QB Todd Reesing, RB Jake Sharp, and WR Dezmon Briscoe

Coach Mark Mangino may have one of the most underrated players in the nation under center for him the season. Senior Todd Reesing returns to the Jayhawks after compiling 3,888 yards through the air last season on his way to throwing 32 touchdowns. Actually, Reesing's touchdown total decreased by one from the '07 season. 

If Reesing can put up similar numbers and survive against the two BCS Big 12 contenders (Oklahoma and Texas), he just might hear his name and the word "Heisman" mentioned in the same sentence. 

The Jayhawks' ground attack doesn't feature any early season Heisman candidates but does showcase a very productive back by the name of Jake Sharp. Kansas's run game struggled early on last season until Sharp was able to have a breakthrough game in the Jayhawks' Big 12 opener against Iowa State. 

Sharp went on to rush for 860 yards on 180 carries along with 12 TDs, all career highs.

The Jayhawks' air attack features one of the nation's best receivers in Dezmon Briscoe. Briscoe caught 92 passes for 1,407 yards and 15 TDs last season while averaging 27.4 yards per return on kick return duty. Briscoe had 14 receptions while helping the Jayhawks defeat Minnesota in last year's Insight Bowl.

Quarterback-turned-receiver Kerry Meier added 1,045 yards on 92 catches last season as well.

If Sharp can reach the 1,000-yard mark and Reesing is able to find Briscoe and Meier as often as he did last season, the Jayhawks may have a double-digit win total for only the second time in six years.

3. Florida: QB Tim Tebow, RB Chris Rainey, and RB Jeffrey Demps

Two words: Tim and Tebow. It's not every season that one player can almost singlehandedly dominate college football. Then again, Tebow has only been playing college football for four years.

Take your pick. If you want passing numbers, you get 2,746 yards on 192 completions and 30 TDs along with just four INTs. If you want rushing, you get 673 yards on 176 carries and 12 TDs. That's 42 TDs by one player. And yes, he's trying to tie the great Archie Griffin by winning his second Heisman trophy. 

The Gators also feature a double-headed ground attack of Chris Rainey and Jeffrey Demps. The two combined for 1,257 yards last season along with 11 touchdowns.

Also, there's tight end Aaron Hernandez, who caught 34 passes for 381 yards and five TDs—not to mention senior wide receiver Brandon James returns for a final season. 

The list of weapons the Gators possess goes on and on, and unfortunately for the SEC and the rest of the nation, that list is headed by a man named Tim Tebow.

2. Oklahoma: QB Sam Bradford, RB Chris Brown, and TE Jermaine Gresham

Any quarterback whose tight end is a preseason All-American is a happy quarterback. In the Sooners' case, it's the rich getting richer.

Reigning Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford resisted the temptation created by the NFL and returns to Norman for his junior season. Bradford put up video game-like numbers last season as he threw for 4,720 yards and 50—yes, 50—touchdowns.

The numbers continue to grow, as running back Chris Brown returns for his senior season after rushing for 20 TDs in '08 and piling up 1,220 yards.

But wait—there's more. 

Junior running back DeMarco Murray provides the Sooners with a double-headed ground attack as he rushed for 1,002 yards last season along with 14 TDs of his own. That's 84 touchdowns by just three players, and we're still not done.

As Bradford announced he was returning to school, tight end Jermaine Gresham was doing the same. Gresham brings with him 950 receiving yards, 66 receptions, and 14 TDs.

If the Sooners defense holds up and the team can win its Red River Rivalry game against Texas on Oct. 17, Bradford and company should get another chance at becoming BCS National Champions.

1. Oklahoma State: QB Zac Robinson, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Dez Bryant

When your offense features two Heisman trophy candidates and a quarterback who threw for over 3,000 yards last season, your team should already be penciled in as conference champions, right? Not when your team has to face Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford inside of a month.

Nevertheless, these Cowboys feature an offense that consists of numerous playmakers and scoring options. The player under center for the Cowboys has thrown for 6,233 yards in his career and rushed for another 1,553—and he's not done.

Senior Zac Robinson returns after throwing for 3,064 yards last season along with 25 touchdowns. The fact that he's considered the third-best quarterback in his conference shows how strong the quarterback position in the Big 12 is this season.

The player responsible for catching Robinson's passes is Heisman trophy candidate Dez Bryant. The 6'2", 215-lb. junior caught 87 passes last season for 1,480 yards and 19 TDs.

However, if Robinson gets tired of throwing to an All-American receiver, he can hand off to an All-American running back in Kendall Hunter. Hunter rushed 241 times last season for 1555 yards and 16 TDs. He finished as the Big 12's leading rusher by almost 30 yards.

The Cowboys finish up the month of October by facing two great quarterbacks in Baylor's Robert Griffin and Texas' McCoy. 

But if they somehow manage to survive, they'll get to finish up their campaign at Oklahoma with a chance to wreak havoc on the BCS system.

The one thing that is for certain, however, is that the scoreboard at Boone Pickens Stadium will be lit up on much more than just one occasion this season. 

There ya have it—a look at college football's most potent offenses for the upcoming season. As always, let the debating begin.