2008 college football preview

The Associated Press Top 25
(first-place votes)

1. GEORGIA (22)
Move over, Florida-there’s a new sheriff in town. The Bulldogs have one of the best offenses in the country, led by quarterback Matt Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno, and a defense that packs a punch. The Bulldogs have two easy wins on their schedule to start the season – but then run into six ranked teams over the final 10 games. Georgia will face Florida and Tennessee in Athens this season but also have tough road contests at LSU and Auburn, who both are ranked in the preseason top 10.

2. OHIO STATE (21)
Much like Georgia, the Buckeyes return a solid offense and defense, but have a number of roadblocks on the schedule. The Big 10 is as tough as ever with four teams listed in the preseason top-25 poll and another just on the outside. The good news for the Buckeyes is that Michigan comes to the Horseshoe this year. The bad news? Ohio State plays on the road against No. 3 USC, No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 22 Illinois.

3. USC (12)
Surprise, surprise-the Trojans are ranked in the top 10. Mark Sanchez seems ready to fill the shoes of last year’s starting quarterback John David Booty, but injuries could hold him back. USC will benefit greatly from its schedule, which brings virtually all the school’s “tough” games to the Coliseum. No. 2 Ohio State will be a tough test in week two, but Sanchez and friends will get a chance to show the conference how good they are with back-to-back visits from No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State.

4. OKLAHOMA (4)
Quarterback Sam Bradford, wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias and running back DeMarco Murray return to ignite the high-powered Sooner offense. The defense, which only returns five starters, will have to prove they can gel quickly to help out their offense. Oklahoma has a manageable schedule. The Sooners’ three toughest games are at home or at a neutral site. They play both Kansas and Texas Tech at home and play Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. If Oklahoma can navigate these games and get their defense to play well, the school could win the Big 12 and make it to the national championship game.

5. FLORIDA (6)
Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow is looking to improve on the team’s success this year. Tebow is expected to run less and throw more this season. He and receiver Percy Harvin are expected to shoulder the load for the offense while an improved running game complements them. Harvin needs to prove he can stay healthy for the entire season. The schedule is tough. Road games at Tennessee and Florida State will be no picnic. The Gators also have a home date with LSU and a neutral-site date in Jacksonville with Georgia.

The rest of the field:
6. Missouri
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Clemson
10. Auburn
11. Texas
12. Texas Tech
13. Wisconsin
14. Kansas
15. Arizona State
16. Brigham Young
17. Virginia Tech
18. Tennessee
19. South Florida
20. Illinois
21. Oregon
22. Penn State
23. Wake Forest
24. Alabama
25. Pittsburgh

Editor’s conference picks

Jonathan Howard, sports editor
ACC: Clemson
Big East: West Virginia
Big 12: Missouri
SEC: Florida
Pac-10: USC
Big-10: Wisconsin

Jerome Foster, associate sports editor
ACC: Clemson
Big East: West Virginia
Big 12: Oklahoma
SEC: Georgia
Pac-10: USC
Big-10: Ohio State

What the editors think .

Jonathan Says . There are one too many ACC teams in the Top 25 to begin the season. Clemson will be good and Wake Forest has potential, but Virginia Tech appears to be on this list by name alone. Sean Glennon isn’t a good enough quarterback to overcome the injuries and discipline problems that flood the Hokies’ offensive depth chart. Add a number of new starters on defense as well and Virginia Tech is looking like a team that could win seven or fewer games.

Jerome Says . I am a little surprised to find Pittsburgh cracked the Top 25. The only reason they are starting the season ranked is because of the win against West Virginia last season. They have a talented halfback in LeSean McCoy but they did have a losing record last season. Watch out for the Brigham Young Cougars. If they finished the season undefeated, they could be looking at a BCS bowl bid at the end of the season.