Top 25
1) Oklahoma- Despite the loss of starting WLB, Travis Lewis, the Sooners arguably have the most talent of anyone in the country. Landry Jones is being hyped up as a potential Heisman candidate and throwing to Ryan Broyles will only help that. Watch for tough tests though against Florida St. and Missouri in September, a loss in one of those games could take Oklahoma out of the national title race before it even really begins.
2) Oregon- After coming painfully close to a National Championship, the Ducks are back and will once again feature one of the most electrifying offenses in the country. Led by Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and Cliff Harris, Oregon is primed for another run at the title. We will find out early on what path these aspirations will take given the season opener with LSU at Cowboys Stadium, which is the best non-conference game of the year.
3) LSU- Ditto for Oregon, the showdown in Arlington on Saturday night could ultimately take the loser out of the national title race extremely early. In recent days, however, the game got even tougher for LSU with the suspension of QB Jordan Jefferson who could miss the entire season. Jarrett Lee, who has more interceptions than touchdowns in his career is the new starter and must be ready to be thrown into the fire right away. Nonetheless, LSU still has tons of talent, but this ranking is shaky at best for right now.
4) Florida St.- After 5 sub-par seasons by Seminole standards, Jimbo Fisher has restocked the talent cupboard and appears primed for a run at the ACC and possibly national title. The aspirations depend on how E.J. Manuel fills Christian Ponder's shoes and develops as a legitimate starting QB. Everett Dawkins leads the defense and with Oklahoma coming to Tallahassee on September 17, the national title hopes could hinge on one game.
5) Stanford- This ranking would have been a lot lower had Andrew Luck not decided to come back for one more season on the Farm. A surefire #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Luck is back to lead the Cardinal and take one more shot at the title. Combined with arguably the best offensive line in the country, an improving defense and a favorable schedule that includes only 3 ranked teams, Stanford is a real threat to make it to New Orleans.
6) Wisconsin- Following the transfer of Russell Wilson from NC State, the Badgers championship hopes instantly improved. Coupled with James White and Montee Ball running, this may be the best backfield in the country. The turmoil at Ohio St. makes the Badgers a heavy favorite in the Leaders division of the Big 10 and sets up a potential preview of the inaugural conference title game on October 1 when Nebraska comes to Camp Randall.
7) Alabama- The offense will revolve around Trent Richardson and the defense will be strong as usual, led by Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw. However, the big question remains how will A.J. McCarron handle the starting QB role in the SEC where defense is king. If he develops quickly and is viewed as a legitimate threat by opposing defenses, the Crimson Tide could be on their way to New Orleans although they must survive road dates with Florida, Mississippi St., Auburn and Penn St. along with home games against LSU and Arkansas.
8) Oklahoma St.- Cowboys fans know that Brandon Weeden and company will put up plenty of points on a weekly basis. The only thing currently keeping OSU from the Top 5 is a questionable defense that gave up points in bunches to Nebraska and Oklahoma last season. If this group can survive tough tests against Texas A&M, Arizona and Missouri, a trip to New Orleans could be on the line in the Bedlam Game against Oklahoma.
9) Texas A&M- Putting aside all talk of a move to the SEC, the Aggies are a real threat to Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. in the slimmed down Big 12. Similar to Oklahoma St., an explosive offense carries the team while the defense is suspect at times, although they showed flashes of brilliance last season. September 24 is the date to circle for Aggies fans as Oklahoma St. pays a visit to College Station and the loser takes an immediate backseat in the conference title race.
10) Nebraska- Is Taylor Martinez ready for primetime or headed for a sophomore slump? The answer to that question is unknown but it is certainly an important one. Jared Crick, Lavonte David and Alfonzo Dennard lead a stingy defense though it may not mean much if the offense can't produce points on a consistent basis. At best, this team wins a Big 10 title and is in the thick of the national title race and at worst, the offense struggles and the Cornhuskers fail to make the conference title game in their 1st season.
11) Boise St.- Making the jump to a new conference, especially one with a better reputation will give the Broncos more national respect. However, the offense must replace leading receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis and face a beefed up schedule that includes a road game at Georgia and a date with TCU on the blue turf. If Boise finishes undefeated, they will have earned it this time around. A national championship remains a long shot for this season but a BCS bowl berth is a distinct possibility.
12) South Carolina- Time for an encore of what was arguably the best season in school history as they reached their first SEC title game. This squad has a great chance to once again reach the title game and finish the job this time around. Connor Shaw will take over the reins at QB as Stephen Garcia can't seem to stay out of trouble. Shaw will be aided by the reigning NCAA freshman of the year, Marcus Lattimore and 6'4'' stud receiver Alshon Jeffery. The Gamecocks have a relatively favorable schedule, avoiding Alabama and LSU but they do have road games at Georgia, Mississippi St. and Auburn along with a home game vs. Spurrier's former school, Florida.
13) TCU- How does a school follow up a season that included a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin? Casey Pachall has been handed the keys to the offense and will attempt to follow in Andy Dalton's footsteps and lead the Horned Frogs to another MWC title. However, the schedule includes 4 very tough road games at newcomer Boise St, San Diego St., Air Force and a sneaky tough Baylor squad. Those games will provide good benchmarks for Pachall to measure his progress.
14) Virginia Tech- The Tyrod Taylor era has ended and Logan Thomas appears poised for a breakout year. The Hokies will feature a strong defense and good special teams for what seems like the umpteenth year in a row. Given lofty expectations each year, this team always finds a way to lose to a team it shouldn't. The version on this year schedule could come in the form of a tricky road date at East Carolina. As a whole though, the schedule is pretty manageable and we could see another Virginia Tech-FSU ACC title game.
15) Notre Dame- The Blue and Gold continue to climb the road on the way back to glory and this could be the year they return to a BCS bowl. Led by Dayne Crist, Michael Floyd and Manti Te'o, the Irish once again face a challenging schedule that includes the first night game at the Big House since 1927 and games with Stanford, USC, Michigan St and Maryland. Brian Kelly will have his team prepared though but the defense could hurt the progress of this team unless they show vast improvement against the better teams on the schedule.
16) Michigan St. -Last season seemed like a special one until it all came crashing down in a 37-6 dud of a loss to Iowa. Kirk Cousins returns for his senior year to lead the offense along with Mr. 2K, Edwin Baker and B.J. Cunningham. The schedule is tough though, given the road dates at Notre Dame, Ohio St. and Nebraska along with a visit by the Badgers to East Lansing. The talent is in place for this team to potentially make a run at the conference title and a berth in the title game likely hinges on the October 29 game at Nebraska.
17) Ohio St.- Not exactly the ranking that Buckeye fans are accustomed to but given all the turmoil and the gaping hole at quarterback, this team has slipped in the Big 10 hierarchy. RB Dan Herron and WR Devier Posey are suspended for the first 5 games of the season and the offense could really struggle over the course of the suspension. Joe Bauserman will get first crack at the starting job for QB but look for top recruit Braxton Miller to get his chance as well. The most compelling storyline surrounding the program is how the team will respond to all the changes within the program, including Luke Fickell replacing Jim Tressel.
18) Georgia- After a forgettable 6-7 campaign in 2010 that concluded with a loss to UCF in the Independence Bowl, Mark Richt's seat got a little bit hotter as the pressure is now on to have a winning season and possibly make an appearance in the SEC title game. Aaron Murray returns to lead the Bulldog attack and will have weapons to work with in hot-shot freshman RB, Isaiah Crowell and emerging TE Orson Charles. We will find out the first 2 weeks how improved the team is as they open with back-to-back home games against Boise St. and South Carolina.
19) Arkansas- Despite the loss of star RB Knile Davis for the season, this Razorbacks squad should still be pretty solid and will contend in the SEC. Tyler Wilson steps into the starting QB role and it should be a smooth transition, given his cameo against Auburn last year in relief of an injured Ryan Mallett. The team's top 3 receivers are back, but questions remain on defense for a unit that allowed nearly 24 points per game last season. Arkansas should be 3-0 heading into a treacherous 3 game stretch of a game at Alabama and home dates vs. Texas A&M and Auburn.
20) Mississippi St.- Dan Mullen continues to put his stamp on this rising program. After exceeding expectations with a 9-4 campaign in 2010, the question remains how will the Bulldogs respond to lofty expectations this year by their standards? The team's top passer, runner and receiver are all back to lead an improving offense but the heart and soul of the team is a defense that ranked 21st in the nation in points allowed last year. Typical of the SEC, the schedule includes road games at Auburn, Georgia and Arkansas along with home dates vs. LSU and Alabama, thus is life in the toughest conference in the country.
21) Missouri- Life after Blaine Gabbert begins for a team looking to build off of a 10-3 season. James Franklin is now the starting QB and he will have weapons to work with in RB De'Vion Moore, WR T.J. Moe and top NFL prospect TE Michael Egnew. A defense that allowed just 16 points per game last season returns only 6 starters so it will be interesting to see how the replacements step in and lead the unit. The schedule features 4 tough road tests at Arizona St., Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Baylor along with a home game vs. Oklahoma St. The main question is how quickly will Franklin develop into a QB who can be counted on each and every Saturday.
22) Auburn- Barrett Trotter may have the least envious job in the country, the job of replacing Heisman winner and National Champion Cam Newton. Undoubtedly, Michael Dyer will be the main attraction on offense so Trotter can at least get his feet wet before diving into the meat of a brutal schedule that includes road games at Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU. The defense loses the entire defensive line and secondary so a repeat is likely not in the cards for the Tigers this season. Although if Trotter becomes a productive quarterback and gets some experience, an 8 or 9 win season is a possibility.
23) West Virginia- QB Geno Smith is the heart and soul of this team and will work behind a solid offensive line that returns 4 starters. However, talent at the skill positions is weaker with the losses of Jock Sanders and Noel Devine. Despite those losses, the team still has an excellent chance to win a relatively weak Big East and play in a BCS bowl. The schedule only has 1 ranked team on it which comes in the form of a home game vs. LSU although there are tricky road games at Maryland and South Florida.
24) Penn St.- The Nittany Lions return a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball with 8 starters back on offense and 7 on defense. However, uncertainty remains at the most important position, QB. Nobody, not even Joe Paterno is 100% who will start the season opener vs. Indiana St., Rob Bolden or Matt McGloin. Whoever the starter may be, they will have talent to work with in Derek Moye and Devon Smith along with RB Silas Redd. The schedule is tough though and the team will be battle tested as they face road games at Ohio St. and Wisconsin to go with home dates vs. Alabama and Nebraska. It will likely be another year before this team is ready to truly contend in the Big 10, the ceiling for this year may be 8 or 9 wins given the questions surrounding the quarterback position.
25) Florida- Will Muschamp is the new head man in Gainesville in year 2 of the Tim Tebow era. The good news is that the offense returns all the key players at the skill positions, but the bad news is that not all the players produced a whole lot last season. The defense returns just 5 starters but nonetheless, this team should be improved as John Brantley gets another year of experience in the offense. The team must travel to LSU, Auburn and South Carolina and host Alabama along with arch rival Florida St. The ceiling for this team is likely 8 or 9 wins as the SEC is absolutely loaded.
BCS Bowl Projections
Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma St. vs. Boise St.
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. Florida St.
National Championship: Oklahoma vs. Oregon
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