I have changed a few things in my new Top 25. One thing though you should know UGA is still #1, this team seems poised to make a title run and with so many players returning I can see why. They will have one of the best offenses in 08 and will have a very good defense.
1. Georgia-The 'Dawgs ended the year in style in blowing out a Hawaii team that didn't deserve to play in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs look like they'll have a very potent offense in 08 led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno. Last year, Stafford struggled a bit in passing effiencincy, but expect an improvement this year. At running back expect Moreno to have around the same amount of carries he had late in the year because Georgia is expecting big things from freshman running back Caleb King. At the receiver position they return their leading receiver in Mohamed Massaquoi and their best tight end Tripp Chandler. The Georgia coaches though, are excited by the emergence of freshman receiver AJ Green, who was rated by many as the top high school receiver. The defense last year for Georgia was very strong, and expect an improvement this season. The Bulldogs had one of the best run defenses in the country last year and with the return of Geno Atkins and Kade Weston expect more of the same for Georgia. The strength of the Georgia defense should be the linebacker position. The linebackers are led by Dannell Ellerbe who had 93 tackles last year, but this unit has 2 other good linebackers. The secondary is led by conerback Asher Allen who was one of the top cover corners late in last year, and safety Reshad Jones. The biggest loss for the Bulldogs might be the loss of kicker Brandon Coutu. The thing that might be the only thing standing in the way of Georgia and a national championship is a very tough schedule. In non-conference the Bulldogs have to play @Arizona St., and in conference they play Tennessee, Florida, @Auburn, @LSU, and @South Carolina. If the Bulldogs can go through that schedule with only one loss they deserve a trip to the National Title Game.
2. USC-The Trojans lose 10 players to the NFL Draft, yet they are once again fighting for a National Title and once again they are expected at worst to play in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans key to sucess is the play of their quarterback, Mark Sanchez. Last year, Sanchez got some valuable experience so it's not like he's never started a game. The running game should once again be very good, it'll be lead by Joe McKnight, Stefan Johnson and CJ Gable. The weak point of USC offensively is their receivers. All of their receivers were big time players coming out of high school, but so far they really haven't been able to live up to expectations. If they can finally do it, then USC will have one of the better offenses in the nation, and the receiving trio of Vidal Hazleton, Patrick Turner and David Ausberry could become one of the best in the nation. We know one thing for certain the defense of USC will be very good. The defense returns two All-American candidates at linebacker in Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga. The Trojans also return All American Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison to form one of the best safety duos in America. The cornerbacks of Cary Harris and Shareece Wright aren't too bad either. Though they do lose one of the best defensive tackles from last year USC should be fine up front. Fili Moala is expected to become the Trojans next dominant defensive tackle and don't be suprised if he's one of the first players taken in next April's draft. Everson Griffen is also expected to step up after having a really solid freshman season. The Trojans have a much more favorable schedule then UGA, and after the game with OSU all the tough conference games are at home. If the Trojans do beat Ohio State they should be in the National Title game.
3. Ohio St.-Last year was supposed to be a "Rebuilding" season for the Buckeyes, obviously a rebuilding year is to win the Big Ten Title and go to a National Championship game. The Buckeyes offense will run on the back of Chris "Beanie" Wells who had a great first season as the Buckeyes starting running back. This season Wells should be a major contendor for the Heisman. Todd Boeckman looked great over the first 9 games, but he really struggled with turnovers late last year. The key for him is to not make mistakes. The offensive line looks solid once again as it'll be lead by Alex Boone. The receiving core returns it's top 3 receivers in Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline and Ray Small. The defense should be very good for Ohio St with the return of nearly everybody from last years team. Though losing Vernon Gholsten will hurt, many of the OSU coaches think that his replacement Lawrence Wilson will be even better. Wilson was poised for a breakout year last year before getting hurt in the opener for OSU. The defense will have two top 10 picks on this team in James Laurinitas and Malcolm Jenkins so expect another succesful season from Ohio St on defense. OSU should be able to contend for a National Title. They do have to play @USC, but unlike USC many of their tougher games in the Big Ten are on the road as they have to travel to play Wisconsin and Illinois.
4. Oklahoma-Laughter roared across the nation as Oklahoma once again lost their bowl game and because of this Oklahoma is now known as Chokelahoma. Don't worry Sooners fans your team should contend for a Big 12 Title and possibly a National Title. The Sooners should be very good on offense, and it all starts up front with a very good offensive line. The line should give Sam Bradford plenty of time to throw and open up a lot of holes for the running backs to run. The running back situation is a bit of a mystery in, how are they going to divide the carries. The Sooners can go 4 deep at the running back position, but expect most of the carries to go to the experienced guys in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Though losing Malcolm Kelley will hurt, the Sooners still return Joaquin Iglesias and one of the better tight ends in the country in Jermaine Gresham. The Sooners lose a lot of guys in the linebacking and defensive back cores, but the defense should still be good because of a dominant front 4. The front line is led by the two tackles in Gerald McCoy and DeMarcus Granger. If the secondary do as well as they did in practice, then the Sooners should be fine on defense. The Sooners have to play Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech and Cincinnati this season. The good thing all 4 of those games are at home.
5. Florida-Looking back it was simply amazing what Tim Tebow was able to do last season. He was able to carry the Gators last season to a 9 win season and along the way he became the first underclassman to win the Heisman. The Gators are going to go back to a two-quarterback system this season with Cam Newton coming in for Tim Tebow at times. The real key for the Gators to take the next step on offense is a legit running game. Chris Rainey looked really good in the Spring Game, but the Gators are hoping that Emmanuel Moody can become "the guy" at running back. One thing we know for sure the Gators are loaded at receiver. The Gators have one of the best receivers in Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy. The Gators also have two very good tight ends in Aaron Hernandez and Cornelious Ingram. The defense though has to improve after struggling mightily last year. The Gators do return 8 starters so the defense should be better. The weakness of this defense is defending the pass. The Gators allowed over 250 yards through the air, and that is terrible for a team that wants to contend for a SEC Title. The best player on the defense should be linebacker Brandon Spikes who looks like a guy that could be an All American, but the real key is to stop the pass and the Gators are hoping that the strong recruiting class will help in that regard. The schedule doesn't look as difficult as Georgia's schedule, but their are certainly some tests on it. The Gators have to play @Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and South Carolina. The good thing is the toughest opponents are at home.
6. Missouri-Last year was one of the best seasons in Missouri football, yet they got screwed by the BCS Committee and they had to play an Arkansas team that they were much better then. The Missouri offense should be specatacular next season. The Tigers are led by Heisman Candidate Chase Daniel and by receiver Jeremy Maclin. Last year, Daniel transformed into one of the best quarterbacks in the country as he threw for 33 touchdowns opposed to only 11 interceptions. The biggest question mark for the Tigers on offense is the running game with the loss of Tony Temple. The Tigers are hoping that senior Jimmy Jackson can improve on his 330 yards rushing from last year and step up this season. Chase Daniel should have plenty of guys to throw to though. Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman both return giving Missouri one of the best receivers and tight ends in the country, respectively. The Tigers are hoping that Danario Alexander after being injured a lot last year and give the Tigers a 3rd target. Alexander had 400 yard receiving despite being hurt most of last year. The Tigers could become a National Title Contendor if their defense is able to improve. The defense last year, struggled at times, but they are expected to improve this year with the return of 10 starters. The Tigers were one of the best teams last year in forcing turnovers and if they can do this again the defense should be a lot better. The Tigers have one of the best secondaries and the Tigers are hoping that can help them against teams that like to spread people out like Illinois, @Texas and Kansas. Missouri had a great year last year, maybe they can have an encore of sorts.
7. West Virginia-The Mountaineers had a tough stretch in December. First their National Title hopes were dashed by Pitt at home and then a few days later their coach Rich Rod left WVU for Michigan. It seemed like their bowl game had all the makings of a blowout, and it did with West Virginia completely blowing out Oklahoma. The 'Neers will be lead by Heisman quarterback candidate Pat White and by shifty running back Noel Devine who average 8 yards a carry last year. The Mountaineers lose their best receiver in Darius Reynaud and the fullback Owen Schmitt. The Mountaineers are hoping though that Dorrell Jalloh and Tito Gonzales are able to make up the production lost with Reynaud's departure. The offensive line though looks like it'll be really good with the return of 5 guys who have started at least one game. The defense should be taking a step back with the loss of their top defensive backs, and that's extremely bad for WVU considering that they play a 3-3-5 defense where they play 5 defensive backs at once. The Mountaineers return their linebackers so expect Reed Williams and Mortty Ivy to have big seasons. The Mountaineers also return Scooter Berry and Chris Nield who both contributed and should contribute this year as well. The key games on this season for WVU this season are Auburn, USF, Cincinnati, and @UConn.
8. Wisconsin-The Wisconsin Badgers had a somewhat disappointing season last year finishing 9-4. This season Wisconsin has bigger goals and they are hoping for a BCS Bowl appearence. The Badgers have one of the best group of running backs where they can go 4 deep. The best of the bunch is PJ Hill who has rushed for 1000+ yards in his first two years on campus. The Badgers lost their leaders at the receiving position with the graduation of Luke Swan and Paul Hubbard, but Wisconsin expects Kyle Jefferson to take the next step after having a very good freshman season. The Badgers do have two well established tight ends in All American Travis Beckum and Garrett Graham. The offensive line should good once again, with the return of 4 starters. The Badgers are hoping that the defense can return to the form of 2006 unit, last year the defense endured multiple injuries as they struggled mightily last season. The Badgers have some playmakers on defense led with Matt Shaugnessy, Jonathon Cassilas, DeAndre Levy and Allen Langford. The Badgers are hoping that Jay Valai can continue the play that he had late in last year, and help solidify a shakey safety unit. The Badgers big games in 2008 are @Fresno St, Ohio St, Penn St, Illinois and @Michigan St.
9. Texas