College Football Pre-Season Rankings 10-14

Now we get to the teams that have a legitimate shot of making a BCS bowl if things roll their way during the season. These teams start of the season in a great spot, because if anything was proven last season it was the fact that it doesn't matter where you start its where you finish.

14. Auburn

Kodi Burns and transfer Chris Todd look to lead the Tigers attack this season. The Tigers look to showcase a a high tempo offense this year similar to the one Troy runs. Usually the expectations would not be so high with a new offense being put in, but there's no reason the Tigers can't be in the middle of the SEC title chase in a year when almost everyone in the West is rebuilding in some way.

The defense has the potential to be every bit as strong as last season's group that led the league in points allowed and was second overall. The defensive line has a is not star studded, but should still be solid. Replacing Quentin Groves, Pat Sims and Josh Thompson will not be easy, but Antonio Coleman and Sen'Derrick look up to the challenge. With all three starting linebackers returning, the Auburn run defense should be fine as long as Raven Gray, Mike Blanc and Jake Ricks hold things down.

13. West Virginia
Even after putting up 1,335 yards on the ground, throwing for 1,724 yards, and totaling 28 touchdowns, the Mountaineers might need more from QB Patrick White this season. Without playmakers Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, and Darius Reynaud, West Virginia is searching for weapons for its dynamic quarterback. The most likely to step up is RB Noel Devine, who erupted for 627 yards and six touchdowns on only 73 carries as a rookie.

The defense was a big factor for the Mountaineers success last season, allowing just 300 yards and 18 points a game. The problem this year may just be living up to expectations. It will be hard for West Virginia to catch anyone by surprise this season as they go into the season as an early favorite to win the Big East.

12. Tennessee

Tennessee will look different without quarterback Erik Ainge and coordinator David Cutcliffe. The Vols will troy out a strong team with plenty of athletes and enough talent to beat anyone in the SEC. Four starters return to an offensive line that only gave up four sacks. That's four sacks on the entire season. Guard Anthony Parker is the best of the bunch and should be looking at All-SEC honors when its tiem to hand out post season hardware. The same can be siad for running back Arian Foster. If you don't know who he is, by the time the season is half way through, you will. Foster is on the border of superstar status. After pounding out 1,193 yards on the ground and 14 total touchdowns as a junior, Foster will be the main part of the offense.
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he strength of the defense will be led by a ball hawking and hard hitting secondary. The unit will be led by all frosh playmaker Eric Berry. The front seven will be under the microscope after not really producing the way it has in the past. This task will not be easy considering they lost Jared Mayo to the NFL draft. Look for the defensive line to finally live up to their lofty expectations this year.

11. Texas Tech

If experience means the world from one year to the next in college football, then this veteran team should go crazy. With ten starters returning to the nation's second most prolific offense, Texas Tech hopes to be able to outscore anybody they play. Graham Harrell is a three-year starter and the leader of the nation's best passing attack. He had two games last year with under 400 passing yards. The only loss on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver Danny Amendola. However, with sophomore Michael Crabtree, who caught 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns as a freshman, Eric Morris and Edward Britton returning, finding downfield targets will not be a problem for Harrell.

The Red Raider defense will need to be well conditioned because the offense will be scoring early and often. On paper the Red Raiders don't appear to be anything special, and that might be the way they like it. While it doesn't have the talent to be among the best in the Big 12, the defensive line is stacked and the backers and secondary have the speed to run an aggressive style that should do just enough. A BCS game is not out of reach for this team.

10. Wisconsin
The Badgers head into the season looking to stake a claim to the Big Ten title and possibly much more. Th strength of the Badgers attack is the ground game. Junior P.J. Hill rushed for over 1200 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns. Hill is a big load coming out of the backfield at 225 pounds and the Badgers have some backs to keep fresh legs to keep pounding away at opposing defenses. Zach Brown and Lance Smith are both capable of stepping in, but Hill will be the lead back. The offensive line is loaded with experience which gives the unit the opportunity to keep the ball moving on the ground. This is very important considering the quarterback situation is shaky at best. There really isn't much separating Allan Evridge and Dustin Sherer. Their basic job will be to manage the game and hand the ball off and get out of the way.

Injuries took a lot of the sting out of the Badger defense last season. The defense returns six starters and looks to rebound from a modest showing. The loss of Jack Ikegwuonu is a big hit to the defense as a unit and not just the secondary. The defense will look to a youth movement to get them by before old injuries heal up and the upper classmen return.
The Badgers toughest games come early in the season when they go to Michigan to start their Big Ten schedule and then host Ohio State the following week. The Badgers catch a break this year as they play Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium where they have always been strong.