The Back Alley Archives

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Rivals.com 2008 Preseason Top 25: Jan. 8
1. USC (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 (11-2)
Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will give the Bulldogs one of the nation's top quarterback/tailback duos.
3. Ohio State (11-2)
The Buckeyes' title hopes could depend on whether potential first-round picks Vernon Gholston, James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins stay in school.
4. Oklahoma (11-3)
Quarterback Sam Bradford will try to build on his outstanding freshman campaign while leading a team that could return as many as 17 starters.
5. Missouri (12-2)
The Tigers should return three 2007 Rivals.com All-America selections in quarterback Chase Daniel, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and free safety William Moore.
6. Florida (9-4)
You know that offense will rack up some points, but the Gators' defense must get a whole lot better.
7. West Virginia (11-2)
The Mountaineers hope the expected returns of Pat White, Steve Slaton and Noel Devine on offense will compensate for heavy graduation losses on defense.
8. LSU (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 (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.
10. Clemson (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 (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 (11-2)
If the Cougars beat Washington and UCLA in September, they might not lose all season.
13. Virginia Tech (11-3)
The Hokies' hopes of contending for anything beyond an ACC title rest on whether cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Victor Harris return to school.
14. Texas (10-3)
The Longhorns are banking on Will Muschamp's arrival to boost a defense that struggled up until its bowl game this season.
15. Wisconsin (9-4)
The Badgers have a big question mark at quarterback, but they look solid just about everywhere else.
16. Illinois (9-4)
Rashard Mendenhall'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 (9-4)
The Harrell-to-Crabtree combination will give Big 12 defensive coordinators plenty of sleepless nights next season.
18. Oregon (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 (10-3)
Rudy Carpenter returns to work behind a retooled line that has to do a better job of protecting him.
20. Penn State (9-4)
The last time Penn State had a quarterback as run-oriented as Daryll Clark, Michael Robinson led the Nittany Lions to an Orange Bowl title.
21. Tennessee (10-4)
Uncertainty at quarterback and offensive coordinator prevents us from ranking the Vols any higher.
22. USF (9-4)
The offense should be better than this season's, but the Bulls will have a tough time replacing cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams.
23. Michigan (9-4)
The Wolverines could have some growing pains as they adjust to new coach Rich Rodriguez and his spread offense.
24. South Carolina (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 (9-4)
Jim Grobe'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.

I predict that USC will be pre-season no 1 in 2009 and 2010 as well. I also predict that they will not win a NC in any of the next three years and that at the end of each of those years, the pundits will be talking about how they're just now playing the best football in the country.

I'm psychic.

LMAO a1.

i almost would have preferred to be lower. regarding wvu, just ask us how hard it is to replace a defense. regarding VT, Flowers has already declared for the draft. It's been real hard not to laugh at the guy in the office next to me who was complaining after the BCS selections that VT got left out of the big game.

and the cheer rolls on "wait till next year".

Wow, I could have made out that top 25 in my sleep. Take final top 25 from 2007, average with Common Sense Knowledge of How Things Should Be, and there's your preseason poll.

is there a link to last year's preseason poll? i'd like to read that in hind sight.

All I know is that we better figure out how to beat Georgia. We used to own them, but not now.

It was just one game slideman...although they do look like a good team, we can still own them.

Georgia is going to be a handful for the next few years.

there will be multiple teams next year that will be more talented and play better football than this year's national champ.