2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 13

THE TOP 5

Well, we have counted all the way down and today we are revealing our Preseason TOP 5 for the 2008 season. So let's get started!

#5 Oklahoma Sooners (11-3 last season)
The Sooners are absolutely loaded this season. The offense is led by QB Sam Bradford who, as a freshman last season, threw for 3,121 yards and 36 TD's and led the entire nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 176.5. The entire offensive line is back from last year and although he was not a starter DeMarco Murray who ran for 764 as a back-up will carry the load on the ground. The defense will be a typical Bob Stoops defense that will be dominant at times and non-existent at other times (ie. bowl game, where OU has allowed 40+ in 3 of the last 4 bowl games).The Sooners don't get Missouri (a team they beat twice last year) and have Kansas and Texas Tech both in Norman. I see no reason why the Sooners couldn't be 12-0 going into the Big XII championship game, possibly against a 12-0 Missouri team.

#4 the Ohio State University (11-2)
The Buckeyes had a rebuilding year last year and went 11-2. That is what happens when you play in the Big Ten you have a rebuild year and destroy pretty much everyone because that conference is a joke! That being said, tOSU should go 11-1 this year before getting trounced AGAIN in the BCS championship. That 1 loss, to the Trojans of USC. Every time the Buckeyes go out of conference and play a good opponent this happens. My prediction is that USC is up by 14 by the end of the 1st quarter and by at least 21 at some point in the 4th quarter. (tOSU over the past 3 year is 22-2 vs the Big Ten, and 3-3 vs BCS teams). Instead of building a wall at the Mexican border, I say the NCAA builds a wall at the Florida border to prevent tOSU from getting to Miami for the national championship thus saving themselves the embarrassment of getting thrashed AGAIN!!!! I hope USC beats them by 50, and does it without Matt Sanchez!

#3 Florida Gators (9-4)
Florida also had a rebuilding year last year and they still managed to be a major player in the SEC. They return 16 starters from last year and have a lot to prove this year. The Gators have the offensive weapons in Tim Tebow (1st sophomore to ever win the Heisman) and Percy Harvin. The problem for the Gators last year was a lack of running game from the running back position. The Gators averaged nearly 200 ypg on the ground, but their top 2 rushers were QB Tebow and WR Harvin. This year look for USC transfer Emmanuel Moody to get the bulk of the reps in the backfield, thus giving Harvin and Tebow a chance to do what they do best, pass and catch touchdowns. The Gator defense was a young group last year and allowed the more ppg they had in the prior 5 seasons. They return 8 starters, and they have ZERO seniors as projected starters, making this group maybe the defense with the biggest upside in the country. One worry maybe for gators fans is that last year the Gators lost every game they played against a quality team (Auburn, LSU, Georgia). Florida does get LSU at home this year and they miss out on Auburn. Georgia as always is in Jacksonville and that makes Tennessee the only real road test for this team. Look for the Gators to lose once this season, the SEC is too good to have teams run through it undefeated, but circle that game against Georgia, the winner of that one is playing for the NC in South Beach.

#2 Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Everyone loves Georgia this year, and I am no different. As a matter of fact I really wanted to put the Bulldogs #1, but the more I thought about it I couldn't, not yet at least. The one thing that scares me is that they didn't beat anyone REALLY good last year, when they made that run that started all the hype. Sure they finished the season by winning 7 straight, but who did they really beat that you are WOW'd by? Beating Vandy by 3? How about the powerhouse Troy, they beat Troy by only 10? This is a team that lost to South Carolina and got stomped by Tennessee last year. Do I think they are talented, yes. Do I think they are unbeatable, hardly. First of all the schedule is MUCH more difficult this year. They play @ LSU (didn't play them at all last year) and Auburn. I think the game September 20th @ Arizona State will tell us a lot about Georgia, if they win this one, on the road against a quality opponent, that might be enough to get the ball rolling. But until then, I am going to be weary.

#1 Southern Cal Trojans (11-2)
Pete Carroll has put a defense on the field that has held teams to 1 TD or less 11 times over the past 2 seasons. That is amazing, what is more amazing is that this season he will put his best defense yet out there. The defense returns 2 of the top 5 LB's in the country in Rey Maualuga (a sure fire top 10 pick in last years NFL Draft had he gone pro) and Brian Cushing (probably a sure fire top 15 pick in this years draft). The Trojans didn't mess around with the schedule this year either to help their young offense adapt. USC goes across the country to Virgina for the 1st game of the year and then hosts tOSU in its next game. They finish off their non-conference schedule with Notre Dame Nov 29th.

Now, on a somewhat non-related issue about USC, apparently they have a severe case of jock itch going through their locker room. Now, I know that jock itch is NOT an STD, but according to WebMD, it is a fungi that "grows best in warm, moist areas of the body such as the groin, inner thighs, and buttocks." That being said, it can be spread by touch. SO, does anyone else find it ironic that a team named the TROJANS have a fungi on their body that they can prevent spreading in their personal life, by simply using a TROJAN?!?! I don't know, struck me as ironic!

NEXT:
Breaking down the ACC, with win-loss predictions and much more.

ONLY 17 DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!!