8. My top 25 preseason poll. I found it difficult to rank the preseason teams this year. After doing extensive research, courtesy of The Sporting news, Sports Illustrated and cnnsi.com, I conclude that there are 5 legitimate teams that deserve preseason top 5. After that, it is a jumbled mess. With rankings being very important in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, where a team starts is just as important as where a team finishes. In my opinion, if I were to lose a game, I would rather lose in September. That way, I know I have time to make up ground. This year, I will not do another poll until the end of September by then; most teams are into conference play and hopefully, I will have a more accurate representation of my top 25 poll. My preseason top 25 poll can be described as “an educated guess.”

7. Best players you may have never heard of. Keep an eye out for Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour. He threw for 2,784 yards and 21 touchdowns pass last year. That earned him all Mid American Conference first team QB. The MAC has produced a stream of NFL quarterbacks. Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and the Super Bowl winning Ben Rothlinesberger. Keep your eye on LeFevour as I think he will be in the National Football Leagues next season.

6. Big 12 conference. For the past couple of years, most of the attention has been placed on the Big 12 South division. With due respect to Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas will gobble up the headlines this year. Their annual Red River shootout on October 17th likely will determine who will play in the Big 12 title game. Memo to the Big 12 conference...if you are going to have a tie, use head to head competition. It would save you some embarrassment.

5. The Atlantic Coast Conference. I do not think many teams have found a way to slow down Georgia Tech triple option rushing attack. Back in high school, I was a decent QB who ran aspects of this attack. I think Georgia Tech has the horses but Virginia Tech has the better athletes. Keep your eye on Florida State, fresh off their online cheating scandal. Bobby Bowden has his troops charged up for another run at the ACC title crown. In my opinion, it is the Hokies conference to lose.

4. The Big 10 conference. This conference is glutton for punishment. First it was Ohio State getting blown off the field in BCS title game losses, and then it was Penn State getting run off the field by Southern California in last years Rose Bowl game, now allegations that Rich Rodriguez is breaking NCAA rules concerning practice time in the offseason. According to the Detroit Free Press online edition, up to six current players and their parents have told the media that Rodriguez is breaking a multitude of rules. At this time, the NCAA is unsure if it will investigate. The conference has good teams such as: Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois but it will come down to Penn State and Ohio State. The Buckeyes have the Trojans come to Columbus on September 12^th and travel to “happy valley” to play the Nittany Lions on November 7^th. If Ohio State wins those two games and win the rest of their games on their schedule, the Buckeyes have a solid case to play in Pasadena for the BCS national championship game on January 7^th, 2010.

3. The Pacific Ten conference. Recently the USC Trojans have had their way, except for travelling to the state of Oregon. Last season loss to Oregon State prevented USC from playing in the championship game. Mark Sanchez is in New York and true freshman Matt Barkley, considered by many recruiting publications as the best high school QB in America is projected to start at QB. Right now, the Trojans are my pick but it would not surprise me if Oregon, Oregon State or even California wins the PAC-10.

2. The Southeastern Conference…or should it be renamed “Gators and everyone else”. The defending national champions return all eleven starters on defence. Tim Tebow is back for another year and from what I have read, people are penciling in Florida to be in Pasadena. To quote Lee Corso “not so fast my friend”—the schedule is, in my opinion pretty soft for Florida. If you consider the Gators non-conference schedule (Charleston Southern, Troy, Florida International and Florida State), Florida is not playing anyone. Perhaps going to LSU may be hard, but if Florida loses one game this year (and heaven forbid if that loss comes in the Southeastern Conference championship game), a solid argument can be made for Florida not to play in the BCS championship game. There is considerable hype about Mississippi given they beat Texas Tech 47-34 in the Cotton Bowl. Historically, a team that gets preseason hype (in some publications, the Rebels are preseason top 10 team), usually fall flat on their face. Time will tell.

1. The Heisman trophy. In my columns I tend to shy away from this because I feel it is too much a political camp again. I don’t know who will win. Why can’t people simply enjoy the performances of each team on a weekly basis? If you want a prediction of who will play in Pasadena on January 7^th, I think Southern California vs. Texas would be a good matchup.