Pre-Season Rankings

[swardboy]

Where do you think OU will be?

[Big D Sooner]

I think around 3-5 probably. USC will probably be #1 because of how they played in the Rose Bowl.

[colleyvillesooner]

Top 6, probably 5 or 6

USC
LSU/OSU
UGA
LSU/OSU
OU
FLA

[KingDavid]

Top five. And given our now infamous BCS track record, we'd better hope we don't finish in a situation where there's a 3 team debate . . .

[OklahomaRed]

Not to be a downer here, but isn't WV returning a lot of starters? ;)

[BoulderSooner79]

OU definitely lost a few spots on next seasons rankings from the bowl performance and I say that's GOOD NEWS. I could put a chip on their shoulders a desire to prove something on the field.

[sendbaht]

10th

[fwsooner22]

I bet the poll voters are tired of our act.....and tired of being wrong about us......we are in the second 10 at best and if we are higher that is just WRONG.

I would have us below 6 teams that I can think of right off............USC, WVU, LSU, Ohio St., GA, and ya know how they love the horns......That would make us 8.....My bet is 8-10

[swardboy]

I was thinking that we'd be very fortunate to be in the top ten because of our losing bowl trend, plus the drubbing uwv gave us. Put our mercurial performance in the regular season (Colorado?) on top of that and we lose a lot of love.

Of course flying under the radar in 2008 would be good for us. I'm so tired of most teams playing the game of their life against us.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

The problem is we don't know who is leaving early, not just from OU but from other top teams. I read that Charles is leaving Texas and that a DE from Fla is going early. USC is going to lose some players,as will a number of the other top teams. I think Ohio St will lose Laurenitis (sp).

If no one leaves early we COULD be #1. Unless you think the effort in the Fiesta bowl is a better indication of the team than the year as a whole. My guess is we will probably be about #5 or #6. There won't be a regular season game on the schedule including the :texan: game where we won't be favored.

I'm not saying the last few bowl efforts don't concern me but our chances of getting to the title game next year are as good or better than anyones.

[Vic n Tulsa]

Top 6, probably 5 or 6

USC
LSU/OSU
UGA
LSU/OSU
OU
FLA

USC
LSU
Georgia
Florida
West Virginia
OU
Texas
Mizzouri
Kansas

[TexasLidig8r]

You have your offensive line back.
You have a record setting QB back.
You recruited well.
The vast majority of your defense is back.
Murray is a stud.
Even with Kelly probably going pro, your WR corp is very good.

1. USC
2. OU
3. Georgia
4. Ohio St.
5. West Virginia (if White and Slaton return)
6. Florida
7. Missouri
8. Michigan
9. Virginia Tech
10. Oregon

[The Maestro]

USC is losing a lot of studs on defense and Booty, when healthy, is obviously a lot better than Dirty Sanchez.

It will be a toss up like this year.

[soonernation]

10th


Give me the 9 teams ahead of OU.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

Give me the 9 teams ahead of OU.

I think anyone that has OU as low as 10th unless there are a lot of players leaving early is still reacting in anger/frustration to the Fiesta Bowl.

I know the games aren't played on paper but on paper with the players we have coming back we will have as much individual talent as anyone in the country. I don't think it is that farfetched that there isn't a lot of improvement after virtually the whole team is back next year.

I know the Fiesta Bowl sucked but the CCG was about as good as any team played all year.

[swardboy]

USC
LSU
Georgia
Florida
West Virginia
OU
Texas
Mizzouri
Kansas

It will be interesting to see how Misery and KansOZ fare after good bowl wins.

Hey! Wait a minute! What are you doing in a SoonerFAn.com thread without making a cheap shot at OU? Come Vic....come to the darkside.....

[KingDavid]

Give me the 9 teams ahead of OU.

You are asking for a sensible, well-reasoned reply from someone who clearly is not capable of pre-post thinking.

When someone posts something that idiotic, you really only have two choices:

A. Mock, or
B. Ignore

Or with a little skill, you can blend the two, like I'm doing now.:D

[KingDavid]

You have your offensive line back.
You have a record setting QB back.
You recruited well.
The vast majority of your defense is back.
Murray is a stud.
Even with Kelly probably going pro, your WR corp is very good.

1. USC
2. OU
3. Georgia
4. Ohio St.
5. West Virginia (if White and Slaton return)
6. Florida
7. Missouri
8. Michigan
9. Virginia Tech
10. Oregon

Anyone else notice a conspicuous absence Hook em from LID's posted top 10? Goodness, gracious, LID. Have you become the Nick Zep of the Longhorn Faithful, or what?

[TexasLidig8r]

lol...

Too many questions on defense for us. Losing our top 2 DTs... and even though our secondary is losing 3 of the 4, and 2 starting LBs, that in all likelihood is addition by subtraction.

Charles leaving for the NFL hurts running back depth.. big questions there.

It does help that apparently, we are about to sign Muschamp from Allbarn as the new DC.

We should be in the 12 - 15 range.

[swardboy]

lol...

Too many questions on defense for us. Losing our top 2 DTs... and even though our secondary is losing 3 of the 4, and 2 starting LBs, that in all likelihood is addition by subtraction.

Charles leaving for the NFL hurts running back depth.. big questions there.

It does help that apparently, we are about to sign Muschamp from Allbarn as the new DC.

We should be in the 12 - 15 range.

Is "wise Horn" a paradox or an oxymoron?

[KingDavid]

lol...

Too many questions on defense for us. Losing our top 2 DTs... and even though our secondary is losing 3 of the 4, and 2 starting LBs, that in all likelihood is addition by subtraction.

Charles leaving for the NFL hurts running back depth.. big questions there.

It does help that apparently, we are about to sign Muschamp from Allbarn as the new DC.

We should be in the 12 - 15 range.

You return the whole 0-line, an excellent QB, have good appeal after a strong bowl showing, and everyone you lose, save Charles and perhaps Sweed (who may be a wash with the other talent behind him - I think he's over-rated), will - as you say - be addition by subtraction.

Betcha a pizza you're no lower than ninth.

[wishbonesooner]

So Lid, how about McCoy? Was his soph year a fluke or just a bad luck season? He looked way better in the HB.

[OKC-SLC]

5

[sooner2b09]

I hope we are 118 out of the 119, with the only team behind us being UTerus, then we would have to earn our rank :P.

Truthfully i think 3rd or 4th

[TUSooner]

I think anybody who has given serious thought to this question at this time needs to be stabbed in the face!!
That includes the thread starter and all who posted serious answers. The line for your face-stabbing starts here ------> X

:rolleyes: :D

[stoopified]

USC is losing a lot of studs on defense and Booty, when healthy, is obviously a lot better than Dirty Sanchez.

It will be a toss up like this year.Booty was a senior.Is he 6th year eligible?

[TexasLidig8r]

So Lid, how about McCoy? Was his soph year a fluke or just a bad luck season? He looked way better in the HB.

He suffered from what I believe may inflict Bradford to a lesser extent next year... he tried to do too much. He forced passes, he thought he knew more than what he actually did and did not play smart.

Bradford will have a huge advantage over Colt in that your offensive line returns and you have playmakers in Murry and Iglesias and Kelly (if he returns).

Was Sweed overrated? Maybe. But, Sweed had the ability to stretch the field ... a trait that no other receiver possessed.

Having said that.. unlike a lot of Texas fans, I don't necessarily believe Colt is the be all end all quarterback.. he is very servicable but is a national championship caliber QB.. well.. ??????????

[redblood]

usc
lsu
osu
uga
wv
fla
ou
ks
miz
tx

[cvsooner]

Booty was a senior.Is he 6th year eligible?

No. He's done and gone. Now we'll see a competition between Sanchez and Mitch Mustain. My money's on Mustain. Sanchez has been something of a bust.

[swardboy]

I think anybody who has given serious thought to this question at this time needs to be stabbed in the face!!
That includes the thread starter and all who posted serious answers. The line for your face-stabbing starts here ------> X

:rolleyes: :D

Shhhh....I'm trying to get the board on to a positive note. It's working I think...don't tell anybody though.

[insuranceman_22]

We'll be top 3.....
usc
OU or Georgia #2 & #3

[KingDavid]

I think he's as good as billed, but a little small (short, really). Good kid, too. Next year will tell the story. I think he's championship caliber, but he's not a championship maker, obviously. You only get one of those every quarter century and you already had yours!


He suffered from what I believe may inflict Bradford to a lesser extent next year... he tried to do too much. He forced passes, he thought he knew more than what he actually did and did not play smart.

Bradford will have a huge advantage over Colt in that your offensive line returns and you have playmakers in Murry and Iglesias and Kelly (if he returns).

Was Sweed overrated? Maybe. But, Sweed had the ability to stretch the field ... a trait that no other receiver possessed.

Having said that.. unlike a lot of Texas fans, I don't necessarily believe Colt is the be all end all quarterback.. he is very servicable but is a national championship caliber QB.. well.. ??????????

[cvsooner]

My guess: we'll be between 7 and 10, depending on if Kelly and/or Smith turn pro.

[The Maestro]

Booty was a senior.Is he 6th year eligible?

That's my point. No more Booty for USC. That hurts their chances.

[josh09]

1. USC
2. LSU
3. Georgia
4. OU
5. Mizzou

[AllAboutThe'O']

Before Wednesday night, I picked OU to play Georgia in the BCS title game next season.

Which is still a possibility. But I'm going to play it safe and go with this preseason top five:
1. Georgia
2. USC
3. Ohio State
4. OU
5. Florida

[No1Better]

We'll be the best team outside of the top 5 all year.

[AZSOONER]

Top 5 unless we lose some juniors to the draft.

[bri]

Wherever we are, you people will think it's too low and everyone else will think it's too high.

[Sco]

OU definitely lost a few spots on next seasons rankings from the bowl performance and I say that's GOOD NEWS. I could put a chip on their shoulders a desire to prove something on the field.

Deja vu? I feel like I've heard this a few times lately...

[bri]

Does this mean we're bringing back the "FINISH" t-shirts? :D

[insuranceman_22]

Wherever we are, you people will think it's too low and everyone else will think it's too high.

You have a point there....:D

[azzbakwardz]

We may get some backlash from WV, but, at the beginning of the seaon (07) we werent picked to be where we finished by a lot of people. So, with that being out there....7-10, but would be surprised if we were lower than that.
usc
ga
Ost
lsu
mizz
kan
vt
pic em...other than top five who really knows
left wv out for spite lol

[hink4769]

I think voters will remember how many key players we lost for the fiesta bowl to injuries and stupidity. If Murray makes a full recovery that will help because people know he's a stud. I'm not sure USC should be #1 with a complete unknown at QB. Also there's no reason we shouldn't be the top ranked team in the Big 12. It would be a travesty if KU or Mizzou were ranked ahead of us.

[adoniijahsooner]

People talk about the bowl game in terms of what happen to OU, not in terms of us being frauds. We will be rated pretty high in the preseason, and with a year of experience, I expect this team to actually be focused throughout the year. 1-5

[CORNholio]

You have your offensive line back.
You have a record setting QB back.
You recruited well.
The vast majority of your defense is back.
Murray is a stud.
Even with Kelly probably going pro, your WR corp is very good.

1. USC
2. OU
3. Georgia
4. Ohio St.
5. West Virginia (if White and Slaton return)
6. Florida
7. Missouri
8. Michigan
9. Virginia Tech
10. Oregon

You don't think Texas will be top ten? Are you an anti-homer or did you just not watch the Holiday bowl?

[OU_Sooners75]

Top 6, probably 5 or 6

USC
LSU/OSU
UGA
LSU/OSU
OU
FLA


LSU won't be that high coming into the season. They lose a bulk of their starters from 2007.

the top 10 will probably look something like this....

1. OSU (Bulk of their team will be back)
2. UGA (Young team, key players return)
3. Florida (read Georgia)
4. Oklahoma (Read Georgia)
5. West Virginia (Devine will be better than Slaton, white staying)
6. USC (12 returning starters, need a new QB)
7. Virginia Tech (see georgia)
8. Kansas (Youngest team in the Big 12)
9. LSU (lose the bulk of their experience 19 players that have started a game this season)
10. Missouri or Texas

[hink4769]

I think (and hope) people will be questioning the Les Miles extension as the bulk of Nick Saban's players leave the program and they find themselves as a middling SEC program again.

[85sooners]

ou #1 baby!!

[Redgiant2]

Kansas and Texas will all be ahead of OU with that finish.

[hink4769]

Kansas and Texas will all be ahead of OU with that finish.
somebody's gotta be on crack to vote saxet ahead of OU. They lost to pitiful aTm at the end of the season.

[phead903]

Norman

[OU_Sooners75]

Kansas and Texas will all be ahead of OU with that finish.

Put the pipe down and step away from the keyboard.

Kansas maybe, Texas definitely not.

OU will be favored to win the Big 12 next season.

[rubyspirit]

Top 10 ... barely.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

People talk about the bowl game in terms of what happen to OU, not in terms of us being frauds. We will be rated pretty high in the preseason, and with a year of experience, I expect this team to actually be focused throughout the year. 1-5

Excellent point. All the criticism I've seen regarding OU is regarding being ill prepared for the bowl game, whether or not the team was focused etc. I've yet to see/hear anyone say that OU's talent was overrated. Certainly not the way they would have come down on say Kansas if they had lost soundly to VT.

Look even in 2005 after the game or which we do not speak after losing a Heisman QB and a bunch of other NFL talent we still were a preseason top 10 team. That effort made the Fiesta Bowl look like a masterpiece.

I don't think it is a fair stretch to think that the team next year will be better with another year's experience. A lot of the other teams finishing high this year are going to lose a bunch of players.

I'm not saying that we down have a BCS bowl monkey that we need to get off our back now but look at next years team on paper critically and see if the team really has any weaknesses.

QB Freshman TD record holder returns
RB Loaded, presuming Murray is healthy
OL one of the 2-3 best in the country
WR even if Kelly goes, very good, if Julio Jones comes, loaded
TE not really deep but Gresham is a star and Eldrige is a great blocker
DL Presuming Granger is back, good and deep not only at DT but also DE
LB Biggest question mark if Lofton leaves, otherwise still very good unit
DB Depends on Reggie Smith, but even without Smith returns a number of good players,

Really as far as talent next year's team might be the most talented in 20+ years.

[redpurple]

why would you want ou in the top 5? who cares what the standings say until the end. if they win their games things will go alright. id much rather them be a sleeper team than anything else.


by the way------look out for GA, i think they're also getting one of the best recruiting classes

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

why would you want ou in the top 5? who cares what the standings say until the end. if they win their games things will go alright. id much rather them be a sleeper team than anything else.


There in NO way that OU will be considered a sleeper team next year. I can't see how a team that is back-to-back Big 12 champs that has played in a BCS bowl 4 of the last 5 years is going to be considered anything but one of the top teams to watch.

As far as why would I want OU in the top 5? It has been proven a number of times that teams ranked high early in the year have an edge over teams ranked lower at the start of the year.

[Echoes]

Honestly, I do not think 10 is too far off guys... Some of you are acting like its crazy. I am likely to think 10 is more likely then 2 or 3, for sure. We suffered a horrid loss and looked downright pathetic much of the time. ESPN bashed us pretty hard after the loss. People watch that crap and are more likely to factor that in as much as what defensive starters are back. Furthermore, I do think our returning line is a strength, but others probably won't.

Anyways, I am thinking 8th.

Southern Cal
Georgia
LSU
Ohio State
WV
Florida
Mizzou
OU

However, for some reason i think people might slip in a Virginia school (Virginia, VT) or maybe another big12 school (Kansas, Texas) ahead of us. That could make us 10. I think the highest you could see us is possibly 7..

I'll stick with 8 :)

[Octavian]

5


It would be better had we not played the bowl game.

[hink4769]

Honestly, I do not think 10 is too far off guys... Some of you are acting like its crazy. I am likely to think 10 is more likely then 2 or 3, for sure. We suffered a horrid loss and looked downright pathetic much of the time. ESPN bashed us pretty hard after the loss. People watch that crap and are more likely to factor that in as much as what defensive starters are back. Furthermore, I do think our returning line is a strength, but others probably won't.

Anyways, I am thinking 8th.

Southern Cal
Georgia
LSU
Ohio State
WV
Florida
Mizzou
OU

However, for some reason i think people might slip in a Virginia school (Virginia, VT) or maybe another big12 school (Kansas, Texas) ahead of us. That could make us 10. I think the highest you could see us is possibly 7..

I'll stick with 8 :)
No way Mizzou is ranked ahead of us, we beat them twice, including creaming them in the CCG!!! We SHOULD be the #1 ranked Big 12 team. KU MIGHT be ranked higher, but I see them having a letdown year after their best season ever. Also, remember that USC plays Ohio St. next year, so the loser will have to run the table in conference to get to the NC game.
Just some other notes: LSU, Florida, and Georgia all play each other next season. Georgia's schedule looks brutal with several tough road games including out of conference @Arizona St.

[TexasLidig8r]

You don't think Texas will be top ten? Are you an anti-homer or did you just not watch the Holiday bowl?

I think the idiot sportswriters will put us around 8 - 9 but no, I don't believe we should be.

First, no continuity on the offensive line. Injuries decimated us this year and although a good nucleus is back, there is no game after game at the same position experience.

There is no proven game breaker at running back. Charles is gone, McGee is serviceable and the redshirt freshman we have are unknowns. Let's face it, do any of our returning running backs put the fear of God into you?

We have very good possession receivers returning.. Cosby, Shipley and then the youth.. but again, no "stretch the field" game breakers.

Were Colt's interceptions and inconsistent play an anomoly... or indicative of a player who has already reached his maximum potential?

On defense, 2 stud defensive tackles are gone. One replacement is very good, the other is unknown in terms of consistent talent.

Defensive backfield will be inexperienced and untested over the course of a season.

A lot of question marks for us next year.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

Honestly, I do not think 10 is too far off guys... Some of you are acting like its crazy. I am likely to think 10 is more likely then 2 or 3, for sure. We suffered a horrid loss and looked downright pathetic much of the time. ESPN bashed us pretty hard after the loss. People watch that crap and are more likely to factor that in as much as what defensive starters are back. Furthermore, I do think our returning line is a strength, but others probably won't.

Anyways, I am thinking 8th.

Southern Cal
Georgia
LSU
Ohio State
WV
Florida
Mizzou
OU

However, for some reason i think people might slip in a Virginia school (Virginia, VT) or maybe another big12 school (Kansas, Texas) ahead of us. That could make us 10. I think the highest you could see us is possibly 7..

I'll stick with 8 :)

LSU is going to lose a number of good players.

Ohio St doesn't have a ton of seniors but they could have as many as 4-5 players go early in the draft and at least 2 that certainly will. Also it doesn't mean that they won't be a strong team but I believe Ohio St goes to USC next year so if USC is the #1 team it is a fair assumption that Ohio St will lose at least that game.

Mizzou should still be good but I don't see them being as good as this year. They lose not only Rucker who was a real handful but also Temple and 3 offensive lineman including their two best. They also play @ Texas and @ Neb where they always struggle. I see MU as about 12th-15th but not top 7-8.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

Rivals has us 4th in their early prediction for 2008. MU was 5th. We will see how the rankings change after any people declare for the draft and the recruiting classes are finalized.

[hink4769]

Stewart Mandel's Early Top 10
1. UGA
2. OSU
3. OU
4. USC
5. Missouri
6. WVU
7. Florida
8. Kansas
9. LSU
10. Wisconsin
Also considered: Auburn, Clemson, Illinois, Texas Tech, Pitt (huh?!)

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

Stewart Mandel's Early Top 10
1. UGA
2. OSU
3. OU
4. USC
5. Missouri
6. WVU
7. Florida
8. Kansas
9. LSU
10. Wisconsin
Also considered: Auburn, Clemson, Illinois, Texas Tech, Pitt (huh?!)


WOW! TT considered for the top 10 but not Texas.

I'd bump MU down to about 10. I think people are overlooking losing not just Rucker but also 3 OL including a couple 4-year starters. Still think they will be good but those players will be missed.

Otherwise I don't think that list is much out of line.

[Scott D]

USC is losing a lot of studs on defense and Booty, when healthy, is obviously a lot better than Dirty Sanchez.

It will be a toss up like this year.

yeah but they've got Mitch "Super" Mustain waiting in the wings ;)

depending on which juniors make the bad decision to leave early from the OU roster, this team has top 5 talent. And the expectations that fans had for this year should be the expectations for next year. To a degree, this year's team overachieved. Now Bradford just needs to avoid having a soph. year like Colt McCoy's

[swardboy]

Rivals pre-season....WOW!

Rivals.com 2008 Preseason Top 25: Jan. 8

1. USC (http://usc.rivals.com/) (11-2)
Putting USC at the top is a safe pick because the Trojans annually win their conference, earn a BCS bid and play their best at the end of the season.

2. Georgia (http://uga.rivals.com/) (11-2)
Matthew Stafford (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=68896) and Knowshon Moreno (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=63839) will give the Bulldogs one of the nation's top quarterback/tailback duos.

3. Ohio State (http://ohiostate.rivals.com/) (11-2)
The Buckeyes' title hopes could depend on whether potential first-round picks Vernon Gholston (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=3774), James Laurinaitis (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=52943) and Malcolm Jenkins (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=52942) stay in school.

4. Oklahoma (http://oklahoma.rivals.com/) (11-3)
Quarterback Sam Bradford (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=64251) will try to build on his outstanding freshman campaign while leading a team that could return as many as 17 starters.

5. Missouri (http://missouri.rivals.com/) (12-2)
The Tigers should return three 2007 Rivals.com All-America selections in quarterback Chase Daniel (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=53305), wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=64419) and free safety William Moore (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=36360).

6. Florida (http://florida.rivals.com/) (9-4)
You know that offense will rack up some points, but the Gators' defense must get a whole lot better.

7. West Virginia (http://westvirginia.rivals.com/) (11-2)
The Mountaineers hope the expected returns of Pat White (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=38504), Steve Slaton (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=52728) and Noel Devine (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=385204) on offense will compensate for heavy graduation losses on defense.

8. LSU (http://lsu.rivals.com/) (12-2)
The Tigers lose tons of talent on both sides of the ball, but they have plenty of former four- and five-star prospects ready to replace them.

9. Auburn (http://auburn.rivals.com/) (9-4)
Auburn's biggest losses are on the sideline, as they must adjust to a new offense and find a replacement for departed defensive coordinator Will Muschamp (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Coach=1731).

10. Clemson (http://clemson.rivals.com/) (9-4)
With so much talent back on offense and defense, the Tigers can't come up short in a big situation again. Can they?

11. Kansas (http://kansas.rivals.com/) (12-1)
The Jayhawks could be even stronger than they were this season. They'll need to be better now that they no longer avoid Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech.

12. BYU (http://byu.rivals.com/) (11-2)
If the Cougars beat Washington and UCLA in September, they might not lose all season.

13. Virginia Tech (http://virginiatech.rivals.com/) (11-3)
The Hokies' hopes of contending for anything beyond an ACC title rest on whether cornerbacks Brandon Flowers (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=36428) and Victor Harris (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=52161) return to school.

14. Texas (http://texas.rivals.com/) (10-3)
The Longhorns are banking on Will Muschamp (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Coach=1731)'s arrival to boost a defense that struggled up until its bowl game this season.

15. Wisconsin (http://wisconsin.rivals.com/) (9-4)
The Badgers have a big question mark at quarterback, but they look solid just about everywhere else.

16. Illinois (http://illinois.rivals.com/) (9-4)
Rashard Mendenhall (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=51275)'s decision to enter the NFL Draft will make it tougher for the Illini to prove they're not just a one-season wonder.

17. Texas Tech (http://texastech.rivals.com/) (9-4)
The Harrell-to-Crabtree combination will give Big 12 defensive coordinators plenty of sleepless nights next season.

18. Oregon (http://oregon.rivals.com/) (9-4)
The Sun Bowl proved how dangerous this team can be if it gets consistency from its quarterback, but the Ducks must go on the road to face USC, California, Arizona State and Oregon State.

19. Arizona State (http://arizonastate.rivals.com/) (10-3)
Rudy Carpenter (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=37388) returns to work behind a retooled line that has to do a better job of protecting him.

20. Penn State (http://bwi.rivals.com/) (9-4)
The last time Penn State had a quarterback as run-oriented as Daryll Clark (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=60803), Michael Robinson led the Nittany Lions to an Orange Bowl title.
21. Tennessee (http://tennessee.rivals.com/) (10-4)
Uncertainty at quarterback and offensive coordinator prevents us from ranking the Vols any higher.

22. South Florida (http://usf.rivals.com/) (9-4)
The offense should be better than this season's, but the Bulls will have a tough time replacing cornerbacks Mike Jenkins (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=4832) and Trae Williams (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=36621).

23. Michigan (http://michigan.rivals.com/) (9-4)
The Wolverines could have some growing pains as they adjust to new coach Rich Rodriguez (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Coach=584) and his spread offense.

24. South Carolina (http://southcarolina.rivals.com/) (6-6)
This is a leap of faith considering how the Gamecocks ended 2007, but we're guessing South Carolina should have one of the nation's most improved teams.

25. Wake Forest (http://wakeforest.rivals.com/) (9-4)
Jim Grobe (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Coach=461)'s decision not to go to Arkansas assures that Wake Forest once again will have the coaching edge in just about every game it plays next fall.

[Jacie]

The big West Virginia win versus Oklahoma will make em the darlings of the preseason polls, however, I think the Mountaineers are in for a rude awakening in 2008. They open with two home games, Auburn and Marshall, then travel to Boulder to play the puffs. They may start the season 1-2, though being in the Big Least conference should guarantee em at least 6 more wins. While everyone in the state is currently riding a contact high on their new Coach Stewie, all one needs to do is replay the first half of the 3rd quarter of the Fiesta Bowl. Everytime the camera would zoom in on him for most of the game he was grinning like an idiot, but the look on his face when the Sooner defense was forcing punts and OUr offense was scoring on em made him appear like he'd sucked on a lemon. WVU fans will see a lot of lemon sucking from Stewie next season. The guy will have to replace most of the Richie Rich'es coaching staff including both coordinators, and rebuild the defense. Another sign things are going to start to head south in Morgantown, take a look at the 2008 recruits. If it were OUr class we'd be scared witless! They've had what for them is a school-best run but they are running out of gas and even in conference they have to deal with the emergence of Rutgers, USF and even Connecticut. Just like Boise in 2007, don't expect em back in the BCS or the Top 10 in 2008.

Thank goodness I'm a Sooner.

[hink4769]

They've had what for them is a school-best run but they are running out of gas and even in conference they have to deal with the emergence of Rutgers, USF and even Connecticut. Just like Boise in 2007, don't expect em back in the BCS or the Top 10 in 2008.

If Pat White stay's healthy they'll still be the heavy favorite to win the Big East. Rutgers is losing Ray Rice and UConn still isn't anywhere close to WVU's level. I don't know about USF, but I still expect WVU to be back in the BCS, although I think they'll probably drop a conference game or two.