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Way-Too-Early Preseason Ranking


Rockerbraves
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Click here to get the entire Top 25. Brian it looks like your Iowa Hawkeyes are back at #16! :wacko:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/stor...&id=3893994

 

ESPN.com Mark Schlabach's Way-Too-Early Top 10 for 2009

 

1. Florida Gators - The Gators not only kept quarterback Tim Tebow, who will return for his senior season, they also persuaded star linebacker Brandon Spikes to return to school. With Spikes back, the defending national champions will return their entire starting defense from the 2008 season. In fact, Florida will return every player from its two-deep depth chart on defense. Replacing three offensive linemen and speedy receiver Percy Harvin won't be easy, but coach Urban Meyer has help coming from a top-five recruiting class. With so few questions heading into the offseason, Meyer can spend even more time contemplating how many points his team will score against Tennessee in the fall.

 

2. Oklahoma Sooners - The Sooners lost to Florida 24-14 in the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game, but they've probably been college football's biggest winners since then. Oklahoma persuaded Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford to return for his junior season and also kept star tight end Jermaine Gresham, which might have been a bigger surprise. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and offensive tackle Trent Williams also passed up entering the NFL draft as underclassmen, leaving the Sooners poised to battle Texas in the Big 12 South once again.

 

3. Texas Longhorns - Quarterback Colt McCoy and four offensive linemen will be back to lead a high-octane passing offense, but the Longhorns have to run the football better in the coming season. Incoming freshman Chris Whaley, the only running back the Longhorns recruited this year, might be counted on to shore up the running game. The 6-foot-3, 239-pound runner will battle Fozzy Whittaker and Vondrell McGee to become Texas' featured back in the 2009 season. The losses on defense are significant -- four starting defensive linemen will have to be replaced, including All-American end Brian Orakpo. Cornerback Ryan Palmer also is leaving, but three defensive backs return to what was a much-improved secondary in 2008.

 

4. Alabama Crimson Tide - Alabama fans probably realized how difficult it will be to replace All-American left tackle Andre Smith and center Antoine Caldwell during the Sugar Bowl, when Utah's defense whipped the offensive line in the Tide's 31-17 loss. Quarterback John Parker Wilson and All-SEC safety Rashad Johnson also will have to be replaced, but most of Alabama's stingy defense will return. The schedule will be a little easier than it was last season, as the Crimson Tide will play South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU at home but won't play Florida or Georgia during the regular season.

 

5. Virginia Tech Hokies - The 2008 season was supposed to be a rebuilding one for the Hokies, but they finished 10-4 and won the ACC championship. After beating Cincinnati 20-7 in the FedEx Orange Bowl, Virginia Tech will be a big favorite to win its fourth ACC title in only its sixth season in the league. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor must become a better passer, but tailback Darren Evans should be even better after running for 1,265 yards with 11 touchdowns as a freshman. The Hokies were one of the youngest teams in the country last season and were aiming toward 2009 to become national title contenders.

 

6. USC Trojans - By blasting Penn State 38-24 in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the Trojans improved to 6-1 in BCS bowl games during the Pete Carroll era. USC also won at least 11 games (by finishing 12-1) and won the Pac-10 championship for the seventh consecutive season. To match those feats in 2009, the Trojans will have to replace most of their defense -- their entire linebacker corps and standout defensive ends Clay Matthews and Kyle Moore -- and find quarterback Mark Sanchez's successor. Sanchez surprised USC coaches by bypassing his senior season for the NFL draft, but there are three capable candidates to replace him on campus. Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain, sophomore Aaron Corp and freshman Matt Barkley will compete for the starting quarterback job. Barkley, the top-rated player in the ESPNU 150, has already enrolled at USC.

 

7. Ohio State Buckeyes - The Buckeyes suffered heavy personnel losses from the team that lost to Texas 24-21 in the Fiesta Bowl. Linebackers James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, receiver Brian Robiskie and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins were seniors last season. Then tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells and receiver Brian Hartline decided to skip their senior seasons and enter the NFL draft. Terrelle Pryor should improve in his second season as a starting quarterback, and the Ohio State coaches feel confident about tailback Dan Herron, who filled in well when Wells was hurt in 2008. Pryor must become a better passer during the offseason, and the receiver corps will have to be rebuilt. There won't be much time for the Buckeyes to jell, however, as USC will play in the Horseshoe on Sept. 12.

 

8. LSU Tigers - The 2007 national champions will look to bounce back from a disappointing 8-5 finish last season. Sophomore Jordan Jefferson looked like LSU's quarterback of the future in the Tigers' 38-3 rout of Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. LSU hired former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis, who inherits a unit that surrendered 30 points or more in four games in 2008. Tackle Charles Alexander, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, will be the only returning starter on the defensive line. Coach Les Miles might turn to incoming freshmen Sam Montgomery and Josh Downs for immediate help. They were part of a recruiting class that was ranked No. 1 in the country by ESPN.com. LSU lost two offensive linemen and receiver Demetrius Byrd, but Brandon LaFell will return after initially saying he would enter the NFL draft. LSU's 2009 schedule includes potential road traps at Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss.

 

9. Penn State Nittany Lions - The Nittany Lions expect to return only 11 starters from the team that lost to USC in the Rose Bowl, but quarterback Daryll Clark and tailback Evan Royster will give them a chance to compete for the Big Ten championship in 2009. Three very good offensive linemen, including All-Big Ten center A.Q. Shipley, will have to be replaced. So will standout receivers Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood. Coach Joe Paterno probably isn't counting on incoming freshmen Justin Brown and Shawney Kersey to help right away, but they might have to play immediately. Losing All-Big Ten defensive end Aaron Maybin to the NFL draft will hurt the defense, but linebacker Sean Lee will return from a knee injury that caused him to miss all of last season.

 

10. Oklahoma State Cowboys - Will the Cowboys take the next step and become legitimate contenders in the Big 12 South? Oklahoma State has one of college football's best three-headed monsters in quarterback Zac Robinson, tailback Kendall Hunter and receiver Dez Bryant. Two offensive linemen and tight end Brandon Pettigrew will have to be replaced. Three starters are gone from the secondary, which might not be a bad thing because Oklahoma State's defense was scorched by many of the Big 12's best offenses in 2008. Coach Mike Gundy lured Miami defensive coordinator Bill Young back to his alma mater. Oklahoma State will open the season Sept. 5 against Georgia in Stillwater, Okla.

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