2008 NCAA College Football Preseason Poll and Rankings

In light of the NFL draft and the wrapping up of spring practices, I am going to release my Top 25 NCAA Preseason Football Rankings. I am an avid follower of NCAA football and know my teams. I would love to hear from you if you disagree (or agree) with me on any of these rankings. Drum Roll, please!!

1. Ohio St. - They bring back Boeckman, Wells, Robisikie and just about everybody else on offense. The only key loss is Gholston. Jenkins and Laurinaitis are top 5 NFL prospects. I see no reason they can't make it to the BCSCG again.
2. Georgia - Stafford continues to make huge strides, Knowshon Moreno is just amazing. Defense should be better this year. The only question mark is that very difficult schedule.
3. Oklahoma - Bradford is the most impressive QB in the country in my opinion. The loss of Patrick and Kelly are huge, but the Sooners should be able to reload.
4. Florida - When you have Tim Tebow, you're always a threat. Harvin is the fastest man in the country, and the potential emergence of Chris Rainey makes the Gators very scary. The defense will need to take a step forward this year.
5. Clemson - With no huge losses except Merling, the Tigers should be a force this year. With arguably the best RB tandem in the country, this offense will be tough to stop. Cullen Harper could be a Heisman contender this year.
6. Missouri - The loss of Rucker and Temple are huge, I don't see a repeat of last year's performance, but the Tigers should be okay.
7. West Virginia - A surprising departure of Steve Slaton, makes this team less intimidating. If Noel Devine can keep his nose clean, WVU could compete for a NC. Pat White is a flat out stud college football player.
8. Auburn - The Tigers will have an experienced RB corp coming back and a new offensive system that will make Auburn fun to watch. The secondary will need to step it up this year with the loss of 2 playmakers to the NFL.
9. Southern Cal - The Trojans lose 10 players to the draft, but they always seem to find a way to reload. Rey Maualuga could be the #1 overall pick in next year's NFL draft.
10. Texas - Huge losses on offense will keep the Longhorns from making a run in the Big 12 where Oklahoma reigns supreme. McCoy will need to continue to mature. The defense should be quite good.
11. Illinois - With the exception of Ohio St., it's shaping up as a down year in the Big 10, one in which Juice Williams and company could take advatage of. We'll have to see how bad the loss of Rashard Mendenhall will hurt.
12. Wisconsin - PJ Hill and Travis Beckum are some of the best at their position (when healty). A new QB will create some growing pains, but the Badgers should have a 9 win season at least.
13. Arizona St. - Rudy Carpenter is underrated as a QB, when he's not on his back. A West Coast offense will likely be implemented with a nearly new offensive line coming aboard.
14. Texas Tech - Harrell and Crabtree are fun to watch. Now if they could only find a defense then the Raiders could be a team to be reckoned with.
15. Kansas - I really like Todd Reesing, but there are some key losses that leaves the team with definite question marks (Talib and Collins).
16. Tennessee - The loss of Ainge is a blessing in disguise in my opinion. Crompton should fill in nicely. The defense will be solid as Eric Berry is one of the hardest hitting DB's in the country.
17. BYU - Do you like offense? They you'll love BYU. Do you despise defense? Then you'll love BYU. Certainly the best team in the Mountain West, for what it's worth.
18. Virginia Tech - The Hokies need solid QB play to contend for an ACC title. You know the defense will be good. Big problems at RB.
19. South Florida - George Selvie and Matt Groethe are back, however 3 huge losses on defense will hurt this team.
20. LSU - No Perriloux means no chance for LSU to compete for anything. They'll start in the Top 25, but I don't expect them to end there.
21. Penn State - With the only key loss being Anthony Morelli and some guy named Connor, PSU should have a 8 or 9 win season. Not quite a Big 10 contender, but getting there.
22. Fresno State - The elite team of the WAC. Offensive firepower at it's best.
23. Florida State - The Seminoles land here by default because the ACC has only two or three decent teams. FSU can contend for an ACC title this year, needs consistent QB play though. Three key losses on defense, but I don't see that hurting much. Rolle and Carr are NFL prospects.
24. Alabama - The Tide faithful are getting rowdy. A top recruiting class will surely help this team and the offensive line has two NFL prospects. Can't overlook the loss of the top 3 WR's who will need to be replaced.
25. Boise St. - The Broncos do it year after year and should be in for another good season. They will need to replace 3 OL.

Outside looking in: Mississippi St., Pittsburgh, Virginia, Michigan, Michigan St., Oregon, Wake Forest