College Football Rankings - Top 35
by Gregory Cox
College Football Director
8/10/09


Thank God for college football. While we are all waiting for games to count in the NFL there are a few games in NFLU, as in unpaid, going on. Sure, this list could have come out weeks or even months ago. However, these are just preseason rankings. It is a starting point and nothing to get too excited about. I have a lot of respect for Rivals.com ranking the full 120 teams in the FBS. Their neck is firmly out there if a team ranked #93 becomes this year’s BCS bowl game buster. I lose interest after teams with a legit shot at their conference title. On the other hand I will not, as Rivals will, wait until a handful of games are played to submit my next rankings. My reason is simple. I have no problem shuffling teams around liberally. If a team I have ranked high turns in a lackluster first two wins or so I will not hesitate to drop them down.

From my perspective this is the biggest problem with the polls. Not every win is equal and not every winning team should be arbitrarily pushed up according to some unwritten rulebook. By the same token not every loss should be devastating. I can promise all games played season to date will be considered each time I put my rankings together. For example, unless it is an oversight you are not going to see a team ranked #13 with a 6-1 record that has lost to a team ranked #14 with 5-2 record.

Finally, I don’t care what a team was ranked in the final 2008 poll. I’m not looking up where I put them, where the assistant coach’s secretary put them, or where the Harris poll clowns put them either. It’s irrelevant. So is their 2008 record and that’s why I’m not listing it. All of this could be a total lie and the real reason might be laziness, but you will never know. I am stacking these teams up as I see them and you will disagree. If you would like to voice this disagreement send emails to greg@thefootballexpert.com and I will read them. Or yell at me on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/footballexpert. The bonus for you is that it is public. The bonus for me is that how much damage can you do in 140 characters?

#1 Florida: There is no need to be stupid or cute here. They return the closest thing college football has to Jesus at the quarterback position. The starting defense is back intact and quite intimidating. Most sane people foresee only a couple potential “landmines” (ie @LSU) on their schedule. How teams get away with playing 8/12 games at home without prejudice is another story for another day, but unless Georgia shows up with devil horns attached to their helmets for the Halloween edition of the cocktail party I see no chance the Gators miss the SEC title game.

#2 Texas: This is simple really. Teams with an established returning starter at quarterback stand a much stronger chance to succeed. Colt McCoy is motivated and the Longhorns feel scorned. Never mind that their BCS bowl game outing proved they really had no beef. They want it all and there are no excuses this time around. I do not believe the Big XII overall is as strong as the public perception, but with teams like Baylor and Colorado improving the overall quality is up. At the top it is absolutely still a two team race.

#3 Boise State: The sound you hear is outrage from the major conferences. Third? What? The Broncos win games. In fact they are the college football equivalent of the Terminator when it comes to destroying their conference. If anyone wants to knock this team out of the BCS, and possibly an unprecedented “national title” game appearance it will have to be early. Although they will spend half the season away from the famous blue turf, only two of those trips are after October 25. If you believe Louisiana Tech or Utah State will slow them down stop reading now please. I say this with all due respect for the Bulldogs and avid fan Sean Fox of ESPN 97.7 in the Bayou, but the Broncos will not slip if they get that close. Truly their season turning point is the opener against Oregon. If it’s a repeat “upset” then it’s on like Donkey Kong and they are Steve Weibe.

#4 California: No one would blink if I ranked them #10 or #12. I believe they are better and time will tell where the truth lies. Like a lot of Pac-10 teams they schedule opponents within the “Big Six” and settle their differences on the field. As Lisa Horne of Fox Sports likes to point out to me on Twitter their road record is not great in the Tedford era. Funny things happen when a team gets on a roll. This defense has the look of a champion. Kevin Riley likely will be taking on the role of “game manager” as the offense relies on Jahvid Best running behind a great offensive line. Quietly left tackle Mike Tepper is back which helps offset losing center Alex Mack. Their line coach has moved up the road to the Raiders, but this should be the season great defense and a dominating ground attack take the Bears back to the Rose Bowl.

#5 Oklahoma: I felt pretty good about putting this team in the national title game before last season began. The reason was their offensive line, notably the left side. It is insane to ponder the amount of talent gone from that unit. Their season absolutely comes down to how the newcomers are able to protect defending Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. Other standouts put off the NFL to return as well, and considering this team never loses a game in Norman it is hard for me to put them lower. I definitely considered doing it because no matter how many points the Sooners scored last year this year they have to prove it on the field.


#6 Ohio State: It feels dirty ranking them in this spot. The usual suspects always fill up the high positions, but there is a reason for that. The talent flow is constant for the Buckeyes. I am a fan of Terrelle Pryor and believe he is ready for the pressure of the world to fall squarely on his shoulders. The hype is ridiculous and you would hardly know anyone else plays for this team, but stars put butts in the seats, eyeballs on the televisions and money in the pockets of a lot of people.

#7 USC: The Trojans never finish a season this low, but nothing lasts forever. As SI’s Dan Rubenstein hilariously pointed out on a www.SolidVerbal.com podcast over the summer it seems like Yahoo! Sports alone is investigating their misdeeds at this point. Still, I have a sneaky suspicion karma is going to catch them in 2009. Their ability to reload is well known, but the defense has always been the staple of the team’s success. Anyone who watched the NFL draft saw a lot of quality exit stage left on that side of the ball. Mark Sanchez also left them in the lurch at quarterback, and by that I mean stuck with elite recruits who simply have yet to appear in huge games on the collegiate level. An off year for them might be two losses and a BCS bowl they will not drive to.

#8 Penn State: It is popular these days to bash the Big Ten. The BCS system has created this environment because a team going undefeated in a BCS conference is almost guaranteed a spot in the title game. Other conferences perceived as tougher get upset by this and harsh comments ensue. Well, the Nittany Lions have a very good football team. They have an excellent chance to win all of their games. Like Florida they play just four road games, all in conference. Their OOC games, however, are an absolute joke. Therefore the season boils down to beating Iowa and Ohio State at home. If they do, let the bashing begin because they should be 12-0.

#9 Mississippi: Admittedly this is a bit of a trendy pick. Jevan Snead really had his coming out party in the bowl win. Of course we knew about him long ago because he is an NFL prospect, but the rest of the nation got an eye opening look. The SEC, other than Tebow, is not a quarterback rich conference. A team led by a quality signal caller going up against the tougher defenses is a big advantage. I like the Rebels to make some serious noise and if you ask me to pick the biggest potential upset of this season it would be them taking Florida out of the BCS title game by beating them in the SEC Championship Game.

#10 Virginia Tech: Even if it is smoke and mirrors most of the times the Hokies find a way to get it done. They are rarely dominant and forget about style points. Then at the end of the season they win the ACC. Conference pride is definitely on the line when they face Alabama and I’m counting on it being enough to get their campaign off on the right foot. I do not anticipate them pulling a Clemson.

#11 TCU: A lot of teams outside the BCS garnered national attention in 2008, but the Horned Frogs were largely overlooked despite being arguably the best of the bunch. Yes, I said the best. They ended Boise State’s bid to go undefeated and by most accounts should have ended Utah’s before the Utes got a chance to post their dramatic BCS bowl win. This season TCU has the ability to fly a little bit under the radar with all the attention being paid to BYU (again) and with the Utah afterglow. Until I see otherwise on the field this is the best team in the MWC. The only difference this season is a slight tilt towards offensive strength and away from defensive dominance.

#12 North Carolina: Someone has to take the ACC by the throat after last year’s bizarre season with every team finishing 4-4 in conference play. Well, not really, but it was close. UNC lost a ton of receiving talent and I am fully aware of it. By the same token Butch Davis seems to have made his mark on this roster of players. Guys will step up and they will figure it out. The ACC has turned into a junior version of the SEC in my eyes in that every week a new challenge waits. The key is avoiding a letdown. Even with challenging conference road games I think this team has a chance to surprise.

#13 LSU: It is funny how a big bowl win can erase a handful of losses from the memory of people who will blindly believe the SEC is the ninth division of the NFL. For now I like the Tigers to bounce back in a big way. Last year was lost largely due to horrific quarterback play and the position is in much better hands this time around. There is considerable pressure on Les Miles to deliver because this is his team now. Are they up to it?

#14 Oklahoma State: For months now the Cowboys have been pimped as the replacement for Texas Tech in the Big XII South. Like Dallas teams in the 90’s this team has their triplets at the quarterback, running back and wide receiver positions. Unfortunately they lack the killer defense of those Super Bowl winning teams, but I digress. Oklahoma State can certainly make life difficult for Texas and/or Oklahoma. Taking the extra step of actually winning the conference is probably too much to ask. It is going to be an interesting ride though and an exciting season in Stillwater.

#15 Georgia: There is a reason I am putting the Bulldogs directly below Oklahoma State. These teams play what promises to be a killer season opener. These are the games everyone remembers. The winner is catapulted and the loser is an afterthought in some cases. I do not expect either team to be ruined by this one and although I will likely pick the Cowboys it has nothing to do with my feelings about Georgia. They are always in the mix, but never have enough to push over the top. Even with a quarterback named Cox, and you know I like that, it is hard for me to imagine them pulling a Tennessee and winning it all after Stafford went #1 in the NFL draft.

#16 Alabama: As funny as it sounds I am uneasy ranking the Tide this high, pun intended. It was nice to see a traditional power return to prominence in 2008. Now a lot of the pieces are gone. The steady quarterback play of John Parker Wilson was underappreciated. Glen Coffee punished a lot of defenses to balance the offense running behind Andre Smith. Everyone saw life after Smith in the bowl game and Utah’s Paul Kruger had a field day. Now imagine that playing out over the course of an SEC schedule. There are so many good players recruited by Saban that Alabama should be able to reload, but I would like to hedge my bets by sticking them in the middle of the rankings.

#17 Cincinnati: If there is an east coast bias someone forgot to tell voters and writers the Big East is in, well, the east. You will notice a trend in my rankings and it boils down to quarterback play. Despite a rash of injuries at the position the Bearcats managed to win the Big East. Now Tony Pike is ready to show the NFL what he can do when healthy. The bowl loss certainly humbled him (4 interceptions) and he needs to play at a high level early because September 19 they visit Oregon State. In a totally unpredictable conference I am backing the defending champion because the star power lost by West Virginia (Pat White) and Pittsburgh (LeSean McCoy) gives me pause. 

#18 Oregon State: Again, this is no accident. When they host Cincinnati early on we are going to see on the field what this team can do. Are they more than the Rodgers & Rodgers show? I doubted them heading into 2008 because the entire front seven was gone, but after an awful start clearly the Beavers nearly found their way to the Rose Bowl. My doubts this time around are focused on the schedule. It is their turn to play five conference foes on the road and among them are USC, California and rival Oregon. The Ducks won’t be as good as the team that hung 65 on them, but you see my point. I have learned not to doubt Mike Riley’s group too much though so this is where they will start.

#19 Notre Dame: It might start being cool to root against the Irish again. Lately I have just felt sorry for them because even with built in advantages like no conference affiliation this team has won just 10 games over the past two seasons. For an elite program that is quite simply unacceptable. All of the haters hoping for another 3-9 finish will be sorely disappointed when the talent kicks in around Jimmy Clausen. Everyone focuses in on the “easy” schedule, but as it plays out their November slate will be more difficult than perceived. If they finish 10-2 I will have no problem with them making the BCS. If you stuck a gun to my head I would say put the gun down. Then I would say probably 8-4.   

#20 Nebraska: Let’s be realistic. The best teams in the Big XII are in the South. I don’t like conferences split into divisions because teams play unbalanced schedules. To wit, the ‘Huskers will not face Texas or Oklahoma State in 2009. I think it’s ridiculous for a contender to avoid two of the consensus best three teams in the conference. End rant. Nebraska is in line to fill the hole created by Missouri’s offensive stars moving on. Colorado could sneak into the chase for the North, but will most likely be relegated to the role of spoiler. ‘Husker fans hope not because the season finale is in Boulder with a trip to the guillotine, um, Big XII title game possibly on the line.

#22 Florida State: Bobby Bowden is one of the great characters in college football. His battle for career victories with Penn State’s Joe Paterno has been, well, not very exciting. Neither has this business of vacating wins. There are people who care about it to the point of outrage. I prefer to just watch the games on Saturday and enjoy. The Seminoles appear to be heading back to prominence. Or so everyone says. In a competitively mediocre (did I just coin a phrase?) conference FSU will be challenged nearly every week. It starts with rival Miami, FL. Why is it the opener? Maybe folks at the network feel they can hype the “potential” by showing tapes of past battles when the ‘Noles and ‘Canes were in the national spotlight every season. I can never get enough of Bowden’s expression after missed field goals.

#23 Kansas: This is not rocket science and if it was I would be out of luck. The Jayhawks return a capable quarterback and play in a weak division of the Big XII. Their schedule includes the heavyweights from the South, but with a very soft OOC I can see this team reeling off to 5-0 before a relatively brutal rest of the season. It will not come easy considering perilous visits to Colorado, Texas Tech and Kansas State not to mention Texas. Then there is Nebraska and Oklahoma at home, plus rival Missouri on a neutral field to close. Normally I don’t do this kind of schedule analysis because I wind up talking myself out of a ranking. Can they go 9-3 against these teams? 8-4? Hard to say, but I can see them surprising a few people and stealing the North with a less than stellar overall record.

#24 East Carolina: Can Cinderella strike again? Better yet, can they extend the magic to midnight instead of checking out at 10? If nothing else I respect the way the Pirates schedule. Being in Conference USA it is difficult to garner national respect required to be ranked in the Top 25. They will step up to the plate right away in September with road games at West Virginia and North Carolina, later hosting Virginia Tech in November. The experience of going up against “Big Six” opponents is starting to build up. I think they want more than just a conference title and might be in position to get it.

#25 West Virginia: The loss of Pat White is immeasurable. He is a legend and his legacy will live on forever as the first quarterback to go 4-0 in bowl games. It is definitely easier to operate on offense with a guy like White at the controls, but Jarrett Brown is a capable quarterback and Noel Devine is a firecracker at running back. Their biggest problem could be the schedule. After opening against Liberty they draw three consecutive quality opponents (East Carolina, at Auburn, Colorado) which is not an ideal way to begin the post-White era. Then again, they should be battle tested and ready for a run at the Big East title after dealing with those teams. If the defense can carry them early and the offense gels we might see them back in the BCS.

#26 Iowa: The sleeper talk is in full motion. Shonn Greene will not be around to carry the offense on his back, but the team might actually benefit by opening up a more balanced attack. An early season tilt against Arizona is an interesting precursor to their trip to Happy Valley the next week. Penn State will be angry and is likely to exact revenge for Iowa knocking them out of the BCS title game. If Kirk Ferentz wants to build on his reputation as an elite coach a 4-0 September would go a long way in doing just that, but Iowa also gets Ohio State on the road so a stunning Big Ten title won’t come easy.

#27 Georgia Tech: The old saying is “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me” right? The Yellow Jackets have now shown their hand to the ACC. Their debacle in the bowl game against LSU somewhat already proved this point. The Tigers had the game tape and time to prepare. In 2009 Georgia Tech is without the element of surprise with their triple option attack and has to rely on superior ability. They have the players to get it done. I am ranking them this low because their schedule is littered with landmines including a trio of SEC opponents, two of them on the road.

#28 Oregon: Depending on your perspective this was either a perfect time for Chip Kelly to take over as head coach or he has been set up for disaster. The offensive line is inexperienced and considering the team history of quarterback injuries I would be concerned as a fan. Maybe instead of changing the jersey colors they should work on some sort of superhero suit to make the quarterback invisible. I believe in their offensive system, but I also know these transitions take time. It is time they really do not have with an opener at Boise State followed by hosting Purdue, Utah and California. Exiting September at 1-3 is a distinct possibility. For a team that has been moving towards the national elite in recent seasons this would be a disaster.

#29 Clemson: It is fashionable to poke fun at the Tigers after their high profile collapse in 2008, but like a few teams on this list they can rely on their defense and running game to win a lot of games. C.J. Spiller stuck to his convictions and returned to the backfield. Now that James Davis is gone he has the spotlight to himself. After falling flat with top 10 expectations they might sneak up and steal the Atlantic division. It is anyone’s guess what will happen in the ACC after 10/12 teams finished 4-4 or 5-3 in conference play and another went 3-5. However, Clemson benefits from not having to face Virginia Tech or North Carolina and defending division winner Boston College is in disarray.

#30 Utah: I love what the Utes did last season, but the team also got some breaks en route to their 13-0 finish. This season some key components are gone including quarterback Brian Johnson and pass rusher Paul Kruger. The target is also firmly on their back. On top of that, this time around if they want to beat Oregon, TCU and BYU the Utes will have to do it wearing their road jerseys. Kyle Whittingham has this program in the national spotlight, but a repeat BCS appearance is very unlikely.

#31 Michigan State: Their schedule definitely favors a nice run. Ohio State is nowhere to be found. Iowa and Penn State are both at home. The biggest OOC challenge is at Notre Dame. In fact this team will not pile up many frequent flyer miles during their five road trips. Javon Ringer took a huge chunk of their offense when he left for the NFL, and carried the ball on nearly every running play in 2008. Brian Hoyer is gone at quarterback. Both positions have open competitions going on and if the offense is unsettled Central Michigan will be looking to spring an early upset on them. If not they could be in for a solid season.

#32 South Florida: Jessie from Big Brother definitely likes this ranking. Matt Grothe was supposed to carry the Bulls to the next level last year and surely wants to end his career on a high note. He has to cut out the turnovers and a lot of that stems from trying to do too much. The Big East is definitely there for the taking this season and if nothing else I am interested in watching George Selvie rush opposing passers as he tries to improve his NFL draft stock.

#33 Stanford: I am sticking my neck out a bit for the Cardinal. At this point they are simply a feisty team capable of springing an upset, but the Pac-10 in 2009 feels like a conference in transition. They might be able to squeeze out some unexpected victories as a result. Even better, their schedule is back loaded. I could easily see this team opening up 4-1, or even (gasp) 5-0. An early visit to Wake Forest could put them on the radar if they learn from rival Cal’s blunder of sleepwalking through an early ACC start last year. Their November schedule is definitely brutal with Oregon, USC, California and Notre Dame but three of those are on the farm so anything is possible.

#34 South Carolina: I tried to talk myself into giving this spot to Arkansas, but the ‘Hogs would have to do the unthinkable on the road to contend this season. The Gamecocks have some difficult games to be sure, including their first two on the road (N.C. State, Georgia) but if they are able to survive this could be the season Steve Spurrier apologists have been waiting for. It might be time for him to come clean. He made a huge mistake leaving Florida for the NFL and simply can’t turn this team into a legitimate threat in the SEC. Will the coaching seat warm up if they endure another mediocre season?

#35 Central Michigan: I am throwing the Chips a bone here, but their schedule is a killer. Road trips to Arizona, Michigan State and Boston College will make this team’s bid to be the 2009 version of Ball State coming out of the MAC very, very difficult. They do have Dan LeFevour at the helm. His rushing total was cut nearly in half from the previous season’s 1,122 but he will definitely be a factor against defenses unfamiliar with his talent. None of these opponents are close to Georgia’s level (56-17 loss last year) so let’s not totally discount a magical run, but for goodness sake they will only play one home game in the month of October! After facing Akron on September 26 their fans will see them only once in the next six and a half weeks. Pack your toothbrush guys.