10. Cal. Cal is a definite BCS threat this year, as they are returning 15 starters. We will get a good idea of just how good they are quickly, with early season tests against Tennessee and Minnesota.
9. Miami. With more experience under their belt, Miami’s offense should be much improved this season. Losing Moss and Moore in the first game of the season against Florida State is costly, but if they can make it past that they should do well.
8. Florida. QB Chris Leak finally doesn’t have to learn a new offense this year. He should be more comfortable this season with head coach Urban Meyer. They do have a tough schedule though, facing Alabama, LSU and Auburn all in consecutive weeks.
7. Auburn. When you return both your starting quarterback and starting tailback at a school like Auburn, you should have a solid team. They also have their toughest matchups at home this year.
6. LSU. LSU has one of the toughest schedules you could imagine, playing at Auburn, at Florida, and at Tennessee. Their defense should keep them in every game, and may just be enough to win.
5. West Virginia. Pat White may be the fastest quarterback in college football and their 1-2 punch at tailback in Slaton and Schmitt should prove to be hard to stop. I think the downfall for this team may be the fact they are in the lowly Big East, where the competition is suspect.
4. Notre Dame. For some reason it really pains me to have Notre Dame this high, but with their offensive talent and Weis’ gameplan make them hard to beat. If they can last through their schedule, they are a clear Top 5 team.
3. Southern Cal. Even thought they lost two Heisman trophy winners, USC has some serious talent on their team. Chauncey Washington will help ease the drop-off of losing Bush, and Booty and Sanchez are both nice options to replace Leinart. The linebackers on defense are solid, but the defense as a whole is a little questionable.
2. Ohio State. No one can really question their talent at offense. Troy Smith is the flashy quarterback on the No. 1 team, but he is no Vince Young. I was really impressed with Antonio Pittman last season, and he should have another excellant year. The big question mark here is their defense, as it seems like almost everyone left for the NFL.
1. Texas. Defending National Champs. Redshirt freshman Colt McCoy and true freshman Jevan Snead have impossible shoes to fill, but the zone read offense is well established in Texas and both of these QBs can run. The offensive line is one of the best in the nation, returning 3 starters including Plano East’s own Justin Blalock. Texas has ridiculous depth at running back, and Jamaal Charles is an early candidate for the Heisman Trophy. The defense has a lot of depth and is as fast as ever, and should be good enough to help the offense win games if needed.
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