2010 College Football Preseason Top 25.....BUT

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Making a National Championship pick this year is a struggle. Go ahead and try, it's not easy. Last year you chose between Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, or maybe Alabama if you were crazy like a fox (like this guy--will post my 2009 predictions for everybody to marvel at--just ignore my NFL picks). All the same teams are back, but with major questions to answer. I can think of at least one clear cut reason not to pick each and every team to win it all (and I'll prove it here in a bit), which leads me to believe we could be looking at the 2010 National Champion in possession of a loss (never fun-because too much is decided by preseason polls). Alabama is considered the favorite (although I've heard few people actually pick them to win it--Ohio St and Oklahoma are the two teams I've been hearing the most) almost by default. The College Gameday preview had 3 analysts pick six different teams to reach the National Championship game. This is precisely what you want going into a season.

This Top 25 list is not reflective of my final predictions (coming soon!). With each team I will give the main reason (BUT...) I am hesitant to place the preseason crown atop their head. Every team is flawed, which means the difference could arise from a source we're completely unaware of, which is always fun. On to the rankings....

1. Ohio St- Could be Terrell Pryor's breakout year, BUT...can he be trusted? Also two tough road games at Wisconsin and Iowa stand in the way.

2. Alabama- Return near everybody on offense, BUT...return only 1 starter from their dominating defense of 2009.

3. Boise St- 49-4 under head coach Chris Peterson, BUT...the odds aren't in their favor. It's difficult to go undefeated, you need breaks along the way, and sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. How motivated did everybody stay coming off last year's success?

4. Oregon- Was my National Champion pick, BUT...returning Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli got booted from the team (now at Ole Miss) amidst team-wide discipline issues.

5. Oklahoma- The chic pick to fulfill the Big 12's annual losing position in the National Championship, BUT...common sense stands in their way. They lost three Top-5 picks to the NFL Draft off a team that lost five games.

6. Virginia Tech- 12th year senior Tyrod Taylor returns along with 1,655 yard rusher Ryan Williams, BUT...lose 8 starters on defense. First week matchup against Boise St should be a doozy. Mark your calendars-Sept. 7th.

7. Iowa- Should have the best defensive line in the country, BUT...high expectations have derailed the Hawkeyes before.

8. Florida- Urban Meyer got over his Post-Tebowum Depression, BUT...losing Tebow was probably worth getting depressed.

9. Nebraska- Mucho preseason love from pundits and friends (somewhat scary to me), BUT...do they have a Quarterback worthy of the praise? Are we all underestimating the impact of losing Ndominant Suh.

10. Wisconsin- Return 10 starters on offense, BUT...only 5 on defense. Maybe overachieved a little bit last year, which could leave them vulnerable to underachievement.

11. Miami- Super recruiting class is all entering their junior years, BUT...Jacory Harris (my annual "athletic" QB that I've fallen for) faded down the stretch last year and threw 17 interceptions.

12. TCU- Bring back most from the offense from last year's near-undefeated team, BUT...lose their two best players from defense. Also, tough to go undefeated (see Boise St).

13. Georgia Tech- Add Al Groh as Defensive Coordinator and join the biggest fad in College Football this year by moving to the 3-4 defense (copyright: Alabama), BUT...lost two top draft picks on each side of the ball. Annually underrated because the national media hates the option.

14. Texas- Probably lower than anybody else has them this preseason, BUT...Garrett Gilbert hasn't shown me enough to think he'll be ready this season. They lost a lot from last year.

15. Arkansas- My favorite pro-prospect Quarterback, Ryan Mallett, leads them, BUT...is the rest of the team up to speed with the SEC?

16. Oregon St- Love the lil' squirtster, Jacquizz Rodgers, BUT...have zero experience at Quarterback.

17. Auburn- Return 8 starters on offense and defense, BUT...have zero experience at Quarterback.

18. Clemson- Nasty defensive line (easy way to raise my expectations), BUT...must replace all-everything C.J. Spiller.

19. Houston- Return 8 starters on offense along with QB Case Keenum (who only threw 44 TD's last year), BUT...their defense will most likely be terrible.

20. Florida St- Return all five offensive linemen along with QB Christian Ponder, BUT...it's been a while since the Seminoles were any good.

21. Georgia- Joining the 3-4 party, BUT...might not be enough talent to pull off the move. Also, looking at starting a freshman at QB.

22. Stanford- Return 8 starters on offense including a McGillicuddy, BUT...I'm not sold on Andrew Luck (the near-consensus belief to be the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft) yet.

23. North Carolina- Was all set to make them my surprise team this year, BUT...two different scandals being investigated means eligibility issues are anybody's guess.

24. Pittsburgh- Running Back Dion Lewis is the real deal, BUT...(say it with me) have zero experience at Quarterback. And they're still coached by Wannnnnnnnnnnnny.

25. Nevada- Slipped them in there because of Colin Kaepernick's game, BUT...probably have little business making the list.

Final Thoughts on Nebraska as well as 2010 College Football predictions coming this week!!!

His Dirkness

2010 College Football Preview: Big 12 South Edition

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Baylor~~12 Returning Starters

This year could be their best chance to break a 16 year streak with no bowl games. It's impossible not to cheer for Lil' Baylor.

Quarterback: Robert Griffin- Back after missing all of last year with a torn ACL. He excelled as a freshman in 2008, accounting for 28 touchdowns. He is as exciting as anybody in the conference.

Player to Watch: Derek Epperson, P- Must be something in the water in Waco, because Baylor always has awesome punters.

Oklahoma~~11 Returning Starters

Hard to believe a team could be ranked so high after losing 3 Top-5 draft picks last year, especially when that team lost five games. Common sense alert! However, the Sooners reload each and every year, and their questions might not be any louder than the other top teams in the conference.

Quarterback: Landry Jones- Thrusted into the lineup as a freshman last year when Samuel Bradford went down with injuries. Fared well against the bad teams, but shaky against the good teams. Lee Corso picked him to win the heisman (lowercase).

Player to Watch: Travis Lewis, LB- The junior led the Sooner defense in tackles as a freshman and a sophomore.

Oklahoma St~~5 Returning Starters

We should find out just how much of a man head coach Mike Gundy is this year, as an exodus of starters leave the program. Yoda says...Get the program back to the level it was, and a good coach they may have.

Quarterback: Brandon Weeden- A 26 year old former baseball player. Yet to be determined how much Weinke he has in him.

Player to Watch: Kendall Hunter, RB- The senior Running Back was hurt throughout much of last year, but ran for 1,555 yards as a sophomore in 2008.

Texas~~10 Returning Starters

Word has it the Longhorns are abandoning the spread offense for a more prototypical running offense, with an emphasis on setting up the playaction pass. One of the teams with a lot to replace, including Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley on offense and Sergio Kindle and Earl Thomas on defense.

Quarterback: The man, the myth, the legend: Garret Gilbert- You remember him from last year's National Championship. He has won his last 30 starts at QB, winning Texas state high school titles in 2007 and 2008.

Player to Watch: Curtis Brown, CB- Senior leader of what should be a dominating secondary.

Texas A&M~~16 Returning Starters

Seems like everybody is anointing the Aggies as the surprise team of the league this year. The same question is raised as with Colorado, with ten starters back from a terrible defense: Is that a good thing?

Quarterback: Jerrod Johnson- Most people's selection for all-conference QB. He's big, strong, and fast, and put up good numbers last year with most of his weapons back in tact this season.

Player to Watch: Von Miller, OLB- Switches from Defensive End to Outside Linebacker in the new 3-4 defense. He had 17 sacks last year. Will be a top draft pick next year in a coveted position (hear that Chiefs?).

Texas Tech~~13 Returning Starters

So ol' Mikey Leach got fired. Word is they're talking about running the ball and actually playing defense this year. I dunno how the fans are gonna feel about that down in Lubbock. Or how this guy is gonna feel….

Or this guy…

How do I sign up to become the Texas Tech bell ringer?

Quarterback: Taylor Potts- The moustached man won the job over girly man, Steven Sheffield. Is any position in the country going to be less predictable than the new Texas Tech Quarterback? I say no.

Player to Watch: Adam James- New coach, Tommy Tuberville, better make sure to tuck James in every night and read him a bedtime story, or else his daddy might get him fired too. 

2010 College Football Preview: Big 12 North Edition

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The College Football Preview Extravaganza is underway. I had been getting a bit crazy with the NFL, but what can I say, I love everything about it. That being said, I might be more excited for College Football this year, especially in my main rooting interest, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Expectations are high in Big Red Country in what could be a wide open 2010 season. 

The Big 12 has gone through something of an era change, losing the likes of Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Mike Leach, Todd Reesing, Mark Mangino, and the man-beast himself, Ndamukong Suh. This is only the first step in the preview process that will rock your world before things get kicked off on Thursday. Seriously, College Football starts Thursday!!

I'm gonna get you up to date on all things Big 12 with a brief overview of each team, starting with the North, including a look at their Quarterback (lot of new faces) as well as another player to keep your eye on throughout the season. Predictions coming later this week. Lets do this…

Colorado~~15 Returning Starters

Return all 5 Offensive Line starters from a team that gave up a Big 12 high, 44 sacks, which raises the common College Football question: Is it a good thing to bring back a bunch of starters that underperformed? I know my boy, Lil' Bert Ladd thinks so, he's really confident that Colorado is the surprise team of the conference this year.

Quarterback: Tyler Hansen- Beat out the coach's son, Cody Hawkins, for the starting gig. This raises another interesting question: How hard is it for Dan Hawkins to tell his son just how bad he is?

Player to Watch: Nate Solder, LT- CBSSportsline.com has him ranked as the 2nd best Offensive Tackle prospect (11th best overall) for the 2011 NFL Draft.

Iowa St~~12 Returning Starters

Paul Rhoads did a great coaching job last year, taking a rather pedestrian squad to a bowl game victory and a winning record, including a win in Lincoln over Nebraska. That's about the gold standard for this program, unlikely to ever have a shot at conference supremacy.

Quarterback: Austen Arnaud- Decent QB, who can run a little bit, will provide Senior leadership.

Player to Watch: Alexander Robinson, RB- Sparkplug Senior that ran for 1,195 yards last year.

Kansas~~11 Returning Starters

Nebraska great, Turner Gill, takes over the reigns in Lawrence, and immediately has to deal with a bugaboo of injuries in the preseason (as well as me hitting on his daughter constantly in effort to join the family). Season has to be considered a success with a trip to a bowl game with all the transition occurring at 11th and Maine.

Quarterback: Kale Pick 6- Remember him? The man that Mangino inexplicably replaced Reesing with last year, leading to his eventual firing. He better not throw many INT's or else that nickname might just stick around.

Player to Watch: Olaitan Oguntodu, S, #44- I see you O'Lightning! I see you Double O! I see you boy. My former neighbor (The Tiburon 3!) in Lawrence finds himself atop the depth chart at Safety this year. He is one of the nicest gents I've ever come across, and deserves everybody's support this year. Keep your eye on him.

Kansas St~~10 Returning Starters

A theory that I support throughout all forms of football is the overachieving team gaining higher expectations and underachieving the next year. Lets call it the 90's Chiefs Theory. I'm not sure if it's fully applicable in this situation, but I'm going to apply it. Another team where reaching a bowl game would equal a successful season.

Quarterback: Carson Coffman- Not sure if Chase's little brother's name is set in stone just yet, but he most likely gets the job first.

Player to Watch: Daniel Thomas, RB- The team, the whole team, and nothing but the team. Honestly haven't heard of another player on the team.

Missouri~~15 Returning Starters

The biggest competitors with the Huskers for the Big 12 North crown, should be improved from last year. Returning Running Back, Derrick Washington, has been suspended indefinitely for digital penetration. Yea, go ahead and urban dictionary that one.

Quarterback: Blaine Gabbert- You think Gabbert remembers the Blackshirts from last year?

I wish the same curse on him that I did on fellow Nebraska spurner, Josh Freeman. And yes, by that I mean becoming a future millionaire 1st round draft pick.

Player to Watch: Aldon Smith, DE- Was unanimous Big 12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 with 11.5 sacks.

Nebraska~~15 Returning Starters

Much more to come on an All Nebraska preview later this week…

Quarterback: 'The Wildman' Zac Lee- There is lots of talk of a Quarterback competition, but as long as the Huskers are winning, Lee will be the QB. Supposedly played all last year with a bum shoulder, and thrived in the bowl game once finally receiving rest.

Player to Watch: Dejon 'Bones' Gomes/Eric Hagg- Much sexier names but I wanted to rep the unheralded. The Blackshirts killed the spread offense last year due to these hybrid nickleback/safety types that could cover the slot receiver as well as stop the run.