Colleg Football Pre-Season Rankings concluded

1. The Ohio State University

Sorry everyone, the Buckeyes are going to be good again. National title game good. There's still a very, very, doubtful fan base that figures Ohio State will get blasted by USC and couldn't give Georgia a good scrimmage. I, for one, don't feel that way. Look for the Buckeyes to again return to the BCS title game again this year.

Ten starters are back on offense and the one new face, OT Bryant Browning, will be a welcome addition. The offensive line is the best in the nation led by Alex Boone. The quarterback position is manned by senior Todd Boeckman. In his first season as the starter, Boeckman threw for 2,379 yards and 25 touchdowns. He did seem to fade at the end of the season, but another year under his belt should solve those problems. Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline lead one of the deepest groups of receivers in the Big Ten.
The star of the offense is Heisman trophy candidate Beanie Wells. He finished the season with 1,609 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. The backfield has nice depth with Mo Wells and Brandon Saine. Maurice Wells provide a different look with his smaller size, but his athleticism and speed provide a nice option for a third down back. Saine has tremendous speed and is useful in the passing game as he showcased in the loss against the Tigers.

The Ohio State defense is loaded. The front seven is the best in all of college football from top to bottom. Lawrence Wilson returns from injury and many had him pegged as better than Vernon Gholston before last season. Doug Worthington, Cameron Heyward, and Todd Denlinger round out the group. Little Animal (James Laurinaitis) is the heart of the Buckeye defense, and his style of play puts him in on almost every defensive play. If little Animal is the heart, then Marcus Freeman is the soul. In some circles he is considered the better pro prospect of the two. Malcolm Jenkins may be the top cornerback in the nation and is a leading candidate to win the Thorpe Award. He intercepted four passes last season and teams often choose to throw away from him. The one trouble area for the Buckeyes is the safety positions. Inconsistent play troubled them all season long, and it my look to continue unless someone steps up.

2. Georgia
Georgia's 2007 season was supposed to be a prelude to a breakout 2008 season. Unfortunately, no one told the Bulldogs. In 2007 the Bulldogs were in the national title hunt up until the last week of the season. After not being selected to play in the BCS title game, The Bulldogs went out and flat out embarrassed Hawaii. Look for the Bulldogs to again be in the hunt for a title again this year, and not be voted out.

Considering Georgia's history of great running backs, it's saying a whole lot that Knowshon Moreno may be the best Bulldog runner since Herschel Walker. The defense that finished in the top 20 in the nation gets nine starters back, Matthew Stafford is thought by many to be the best NFL quarterback prospect in college football, and the offensive line could grow to be among the best in school history.

With a majority of the impact players returning, the Bulldog 'D' might be even better this year. The front line must replace end Marcus Howard, but the other three starters return. If there was a weak spot in the defense last year it was at corner where sophomores Asher Allen and Prince Miller were fighting to stay afloat in the SEC. Now that they have adjusted, this could turn into strength real quick.

3. USC
Here is a big surprise; USC is going to be really good again. Granted the team hasn't won the national championship is a couple of years, USC is still USC and they will be in the thick of things all year.

It's really hard to find a weakness on the offensive side of the ball, but the O-line may be the weak link. Jeff Byers is set at left guard and Kristofer O'Dowd is a bet at center, but after that, it's up for grabs who will play the remaining spots on the line. The Trojans took a big hit when Matt Sanchez hurt his knee in spring ball, he looks ready to go but the training staff will look to get him back before the game against the Buckeyes. The amount of talent at running back is bananas. Last year's leading rusher, Chauncey Washington bolted, but Stafon and Joe McKnight return. McKnight has the look of the next great USC back. The receivers are just as talented, but have more to prove. Patrick Turner is supposed to be the next big time receiver, but he has yet to produce on that level.

The defense last year was amazing and this year they look even better. Linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga are back. Josh Pinkard, Kevin Thomas and Shareece Wright will man down the corners. Taylor Mays is a beast at safety plain and simple. He is built like a linebacker and runs like a corner. He will be looked at to lead the defensive backfield.
If the Trojans can get by the early season match-up against the Buckeyes, look for the Trojans to be playing for the National title in January.

4. Florida
I really don't think it is too much of a shot in the dark for the Gators to win it all and for Tim Tebow bagging his second Heisman. As far as his weapons go, Percy Harvin is a jack of all trades player for the Gators. Hopefully his heel injury will not keep him out too long. Since Tebow and Harvin were the top two rushers on the team last year, the running back position is often looked at as a weakness. Kestahn Moore returns as the starter, but Emmanuel Moody, a transfer from USC, has the fans' vote.

Like last year the main trouble spot for the Gators is their defense. The pass defense had as many holes as swiss cheeses last season. Having three underclassmen starting in the secondary was part of the problem, but this year they are all back and more experienced. Brandon Spikes is the star of a defensive unit that is capable of great things. The front line is set to start two freshman who will be looked upon to free up space for Spikes to roam in. If Omar Hunter and Matt Patchan fail to keep offensive linemen away from Spikes and his running mates, things may blow up in smoke real fast.

5. Oklahoma
Offense features an offense that will give opposing teams headaches before even lining up on the field. Sophomore quarterback Sam looks to improve on his 3,121 passing yards, 36 touchdowns debut season. The entire offensive line is back and running back DeMarco Murray is healthy. The receivers are led by Juauin Iglesias and tight end Jermaine Gresham and they look to wreck total chaos on their opposition.
There are just enough concerns on the defensive side of the ball to keep the Sooners from playing for BCS championship, but as long as they do what they set out to do and win conference, everything else might fall into place. The talent is there and the schedule isn't a killer.

6. LSU

Wow did this team reload in a hurry. Even without All-Universe DT Glenn Dorsey, the D line could be even better with Ricky Jean-Francois, who missed most of last year with academic issues, he will team with Al Woods, Marlon Favorite and Tyson Jackson on a stacked front line.

The offense will depend on the tested offensive line led by Ciron Black and Herman Johnson and the group of steady running backs. Keiland Williams is the team's top returning rusher, but Richard Murphy will look to push him hard for carries. As usual at LSU, the quarterback does not have to be a superstar; he just has to manage the game. The same can be expected from this year's starter, Jarrett Lee or Andrew Hatch. Overall there is enough talent here to win another National Championship, but a group of inexperienced players better be better by the time the conference games come around because this team may not get the same breaks it got last year.

7. Missouri

The Missouri Tigers bust through on the national scene last year by winning the Big XII North and staying around in the national championship chase until December when they lost to the conference championship game to Oklahoma. The Tigers boast 14 starters returning, a potent offense and one of the leagues best defenses.

Quarterback Chase Daniel threw for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior and will return again to lead Missouri. Daniel's favorite target, Jeremy Maclin, is back after having a remarkable freshman debut and other capable big play receivers will join him as well.

The Tiger's main strength is their defense. Stryker Sulak and Ziggy Hood do a good job getting disrupting opposing backfields and all three starting linebackers return, headed by Sean Weatherspoon. The secondary needs to replace a couple of starters, but William Moore returns and he looks to lead this unit on the field and off.

8. Clemson

Clemson is the early favorite to win the ACC title. While there are a few issues, the defense should be a beast of a unit, the skill players that the Tigers possess are the best in the ACC, and the time will never be better to finally turn the corner and become a premier powerhouse again. The question mark that will follow this team around is, "Can they handle the pressure?"

The Tigers offensive line is young and very raw, but that might not matter because of the talent at running back. RB James Davis and CJ Spiller form an almost unstoppable one-two punch out of the backfield (think of then as McFadden and Jones lite). QB Cullen Harperand WR Aaron Kelly, are near the top of their positions on a national level as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers return eight starters to a team that put the fear into every ACC team they faced last season. The pass defense was wonderful last year and the starting defensive backfield led by Michael Hamlin is all back to wreck havoc again

9. Texas

Coming off back-to-back 10 win seasons, the Texas Longhorns have very few areas to improve on to be get where many expect them to be. One big issue is the Longhorns lack of an elite secondary. The Big 12 may boast the best aerial show in all of college football, and the Longhorns need to find a way to slow someone down. On the plus side, the offense will have its own weapons that will give teams fits. Quarterback Colt McCoy will look to put up numbers like his freshman year again. Speedbacks Vondrell McGee and Foswhitt Whitaker will combine with Chris Ogbonnaya form a very capable trio of backs. The offensive line returns a year older and the Longhorn faithful are counting on them to provide protection and open up hole better that they did last season. The strength of this team lies with the offense, however the Texas defense has all the potential in the world to step up in a big way.