College Football Predictions: Which New Regimes Will Have Toughest Year?

The college football season is within sight. As fall camps around the country figure out their starters, fine-tune their strengths and weaknesses, and plan their national championship attacks, some teams are starting fresh with newly appointed head coaches and staff.

The following is a list ranking six major programs who have dealt with head coaching changes in the offseason, ranking which regime will have the toughest season in 2010.

6. Florida State Seminoles

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 22: Florida State Seminoles Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher speaks with his quarterback Christian Ponder #7 during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on October 22, 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Car

After the emotional departure of longtime coach Bobby Bowden, new head coach Jimbo Fisher was promoted from within and is looking to do what Bowden could not in 2009—win key games.

In 2009, the Seminoles gave up 30 points or more in losses to Miami (Fla), Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Florida.

Fisher inherits nine starters on offense and six on defense for 2010, where they are the popular pick to win the ACC. Among the offensive returners are the entire offensive line and Heisman-worthy quarterback Christian Ponder.

Ponder will continue to thrive in the Seminole offense due to the fact that Fisher has been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida State his entire collegiate career.

One big question mark for Florida State is their defense, which was among the worst in 2009 (94th). Florida State is looking to solve this problem with the recent hire of Mark Stoops (brother of Bob and Mike Stoops) from Arizona as the new defensive coordinator. Stoops fared well with his time with the Arizona Wildcats, bringing them back to relevance in 2009, and will likely do the same for the Seminoles.

If the Seminoles can get through their tough out-of-conference schedule of BYU, Florida, and at Oklahoma, Fisher's new regime could be one of the best in the country.

5. Cincinnati Bearcats

Quarterback Tony Pike is gone, as well as receiver Mardy Gilyard and head coach Brian Kelly.

New head coach Butch Jones had great success when he was at Central Michigan. His offensive scheme should fit in nicely for quarterback Zach Collaros, who showed some greatness in 2009 when Pike sustained an injury.

Jones is inheriting an excellent program from Kelly and giving it his own personal touch. The main difference is bringing in a tougher, more physical style of play to Cincinnati.

The defense will need some work, seeing as only five starters are returning. While Cincy may not be back to attempt another undefeated regular season, they do have the talent to lead the Big East once again.

While only 12 total starters are returning in 2010, all 12 of them were starters on a team that was an Alabama or Texas loss away from playing in the national championship last season, and this team is not going to drop off the grid after last year's success.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly undoubtedly landed his dream job after leading the Cincinnati Bearcats to four straight bowl appearances and an overall record of 34-6 while at the school.

Kelly looks to bring Notre Dame back to the national spotlight, but it may not come as soon as he hopes.

The Fighting Irish must improve drastically on defense, where they ranked in the bottom half of the country in all major defensive categories—not to mention giving up more yards than 1-11 Miami (Ohio), 3-9 Colorado State, and 2-10 Maryland in 2009.

The Irish return six offensive players and nine on defense for 2010. While this may be good for the defensive side of the ball, the loss of leading passer Jimmy Clausen and star receiver Golden Tate will take a large chunk of the offense away.

One thing the Irish have in their favor is a mediocre schedule in 2010. They have only three true road games, as the other two are against Army and Navy at neutral locations.

3. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Tommy Tuberville

Texas Tech had a nasty divorce with their former head coach Mike Leach, with Tommy Tuberville gleefully taking the reins as the Red Raiders' new coach.

Tuberville inherits some great talent at the skill positions, including their star senior quarterback Taylor Potts, who very well could end up in the Heisman talk if the Red Raiders can pull off some wins in the Big 12 South.

The Red Raiders' first-year head coach also brings something to the table that Leach could not—great defensive knowledge. The 2009 Tech defense was their missing element, keeping them out of contention for the Big 12 crown.

The Red Raiders also have a new offensive coordinator in Neal Brown, a former coordinator at Troy. Brown, at 29 years old, is the youngest offensive coordinator in the FBS and has been dubbed an offensive wizard after leading Troy to be ranked third nationally in total offense in the 2009 season.

It will be interesting as to how Tuberville and Brown's new offensive scheme will play out in 2010. The staff has the talent; it's just a matter of surviving the powerhouse schools of the Big 12.

2. USC Trojans

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 01: Head coach Lane Kiffin gives instructions in the offensive huddle during the USC Trojans spring game on May 1, 2010 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The jury is still out on Lane Kiffin, and at this point, it is anyone's guess as to how he will fare at USC. The bottom line is that USC still has tremendous talent that any coach would be able to do justice with, troubled past or not.

The Trojans will not be competing for the national championship, or any bowl for that matter, for the next two years, but that's only going to add fuel to the fire for their regular season games.

NCAA sanctions aside, the Trojans look to redeem themselves in 2010.

Starting quarterback Matt Barkley started the 2009 season strong, gaining a win over Ohio State in the 'Shoe, though his season slowly declined from there. Without tailback Joe McKnight and receiver Damian Williams, Barkley must improve drastically if the Trojans are to be successful.

The struggling Trojan defense will return six starters but will likely miss departed safety Taylor Mays and defensive end Everson Griffen.

Kiffin is out to prove himself as a worthy head coach in Troy, and despite the fact they cannot participate in the postseason, the Trojans are going to come out strong to send a message to the rest of the country.

1. Tennessee Volunteers

Derek Dooley left his head coaching position at Louisiana Tech after Lane Kiffin bolted to USC to fill the vacancy left at Tennessee—a spot that most coaches do not desire.

Tennessee is a brutal job, just like most in the SEC: unbelievable expectations, small in-state recruiting, a horrendous schedule every year, and battling it out with such names as Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, etc. with recruiting.

While the new hire may sound relieving, the Vols still have a ways until possibly returning to dominance. Put these factors into consideration: The Vols are on their third head coach in three years, players are learning their fifth offense in six years, and their best quarterback has, at best, 10 throws in Division I football.

Add to the list that the NCAA is interested in "speaking" with assistant coaches at Tennessee about Kiffin's recruiting tactics, and it could be a long year(s) for the Vols.