Online Sports Fanatic Top 25

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NOTES: Each team received votes based on our how writers ranked them. A first place vote is worth 25 points. A second is worth 24 and so on. The full voting is listed on the actual page. "DE" and "BH" are the initials of two of our writers. DE is me, and BH is wizardking, another Sportsline member.


1. Ohio State Buckeyes
For the past two years, Ohio State has been one of the top two teams in the country, rank-wise. This year, they return 18 starters from a team that went to the national title game. A lot of these starters are candidates for preseason awards. They are talented and experienced, and that's why they're number one. (BH)

2. Georgia Bulldogs
Stafford, Moreno, and a great defense. Georgia has all the talent in the world but games against Florida, Arizona State, and Auburn will make things interesting. (DE)



3. USC Trojans
USC is a perennial power in the world of college football, and that doesn't change this year. Despite all the Trojans that were called on Draft Day, they have 4 defensive players with first round potential. This strong unit will lead the team to a great year. (BH)


4. Florida Gators
Tim Tebow won't score 52 touchdowns again but that's exactly what Florida wants. Percy Harvin, Emanuel Moody, and Chris Rainey are all going to be stars. (DE)



5. Oklahoma Sooners
Sam Bradford was amazing as a Freshman in Norman and should put up big numbers again. He better because the Big 12 is loaded with talent. (DE)



6. Missouri Tigers
We all know about Missouri from their great year last year. They return perhaps the top quarterback in the Big 12 in Chase Daniel. Jeremy Maclin is a great all-around threat on offense, and Chase Coffman ranks among the nation's best tight ends. The offense is what makes Missouri so good, and it's the reason why they rank number 6. (BH)


7. West Virginia Mountaineers
If you don't know who Noel Devine is yet then you will very soon. The Sophomore might be the fastest player in the country and may even be an upgrade over Steve Slaton. (DE)



8. Clemson Tigers
The rushing attack of the Clemson Tigers is hard to stop. The backfield features two lightning quick backs in CJ Spiller and James Davis. Cullen Harper is an unheralded quarterback. Many people overlook Clemson, because they are in a down ACC, but this is going to be a dangerous team in whatever bowl they make. (BH)


9. Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers running attack rivals that of the aforementioned Clemson Tigers. Four guys can get the job done. The crew is led by PJ Hill, who is pretty quick for his large frame. Travis Beckum is a stellar tight end, perhaps the best in the country. Beckum and Hill withstanding, UW has no standouts, but all their positions are filled with solid players who get the job done. (BH)


10. Texas Longhorns
Texas lost a lot of playmakers (see Jamaal Charles and Limas Swwed) but the Longhorns usually reload very quickly. They better with games against Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas Tech, and Missouri. (DE)


11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
For a team that seems to always underachieve perhaps the Red Raiders are ranked a little too highly. We all seem to think highly enough of WR Michael Crabtree that we believe he can bring a spark to their offense that their juggernaut scoring power hasn't even seen in the past. (DE)


12. LSU Tigers
No Ryan Perrilloux...no problem right? Well that isn't exactly the case in Baton Rouge but their defense will shut down almost every offense in the country. Their front four might be just as good as last years title team. (DE)


13. Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas made a stellar run to a BCS bowl last year, and no one saw that coming. This year, they try to repeat, although losing Brandon McAnderson and Aqib Talib will hurt. Todd Reesing had a spectacular year, and he looks to lead his team to yet another BCS bowl again this year. (BH)



14. Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech has been a team that has stepped up since Florida State and Miami dropped out of the national title picture a few years ago in the ACC. One thing that may keep them from winning the ACC is the loss of star running back Brandon Ore. But don't count this team out. They are tough, and in a weak ACC, they may just storm the BCS bowl party. (BH)

15. Auburn Tigers
Kodi Burns will have to grow up fast for the Tigers but at least they play in the weaker divsiion of the SEC. At first Auburn had West Virginia scheduled as their opener but with some (good) thought they changed it...although Louisiana-Monroe did beat in state rival Alabama last year. (DE)



16. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee is the fifth SEC team in our top 16. The Volunteers will be led by Jonathan Crompton at quarterback but still might be better than the 2008 team that made the SEC Championship game and were blown out by Florida and Alabama. (DE)



17. Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils put up points, and are no slouches on defense either. Led by Rudy Carpenter, this team will be the team most likely to challenge USC for the Pac-10 crown. They will be a tough out for any team they face. (BH)


18. BYU Cougars
The Cougars own the nation's longest winning streak Max Hall will lead an offense that will have even more weapons than the 2008 version. This could be the sleeper BCS team. (DE)



19. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State is a team with tons of potential. Linebacker Maurice Evans could be a top three pick in next year's NFL Draft. After being in the shadow of both Rodney Kinlaw and Austin Scott, Evan Royster now gets his time to shine. This team could be in the running for the Big Ten Championship late in the year. (BH)



20. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois could be anywhere from the top of the Big Ten to the middle of the pack. Sporadic quarterback Juice Williams gives the state of Illinois another inconsistent quarterback (see Grossman, Rex). But he can do great things with his feet, and it helps to have Arrelious "Regis" Benn as a safety outlet. Althought they lost leaders Rashard Mendenhall and J Leman, I think Williams is growing into a leadership role, and will lead this team to a top 25 season. (BH)



21. Pittsburgh Panthers
Wow have things changed since before that 13-9 win in the Backyard Brawl against rival West Virginia. Now all of a sudden Pittsburgh is the pick by a lot of people to win the Big East. (DE)




22. Michigan State Spartans
Javon Ringer may end up being the best running back in the country this season. Despite splitting carries with Jehuu Caulcrick last year, Ringer ran for 1447 yards. And Caulcrick "stole" 21 goalline touchdowns away from Ringer last year. Brian Hoyer returns at quarterback, too. Even with Devin Thomas going pro, this Spartan team should be good. (BH)_



23. South Florida Bulls
Matt Grothe and the Bulls were ranked No. 2 at one point last year. We all know about their quick slide down the rankings but with George Selvie anchoring the defensive line they could be back in the top 25 very quickly. (DE)



24. Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State wants to play in a BCS Bowl. To do taht they will need wins over Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin, and Boise State. That may not happen but expect the Bulldogs to begin the year in the top 25. (DE)



25. Oregon Ducks
We all saw what happened last year when Dennis Dixon got hurt. Now they need to replace both Dixon and Jonathon Stewart. Justin Roper will lilely be the QB while Jeremiah Johnson is expected to be a star at running back. (DE)

[Longballer]

I think your ranking are real close to what we will see at the start of the year. Good job.

[TyPenn613]

I think Pitt could be a very good team, and will say that they likely will be. However, I think they are far too overrated for this point. Let them win a few games before we start putting them in the polls. This is based purely on their recruiting classes of the past couple years. Well they have had good recruiting classes for awhile and have yet to show anything for it.

They went 5-7 last year, good for 7th in the Big East. I understand they beat WVU to close out their season last year, but that was clearly much more of WVU not showing up than Pitt just playing extremely well. Aside from WVU, they beat #23 Cincinnati, but then only beat a horrific Syracuse team (2-10), as well as Eastern Michigan (4-8 in the MAC) and Grambling State (1-AA).

People say Cincinnati will be bad with the loss of their QB, but they return so many starters I think they will still be solid, and they are the most underrated team of the past two years. USF is another Big East team who I think should immediately be given more support over Pitt, especially since USF scored 48 points against them last year in Pitt.