The love contiunes...Mr Pac-10's Preseason Top 40

[Zonald]

http://cfn.scout.com/2/668946.html

To kick off my season preview features, I’ve put together a list of the top 40 teams in the country. Why 40 teams, instead of some other arbitrary number, like, say, 16 or 25? Mainly because the cutoff between solid teams and the rest of the country is pretty close to that dividing line. You can throw in a couple of other teams into the “solid†bucket, but chances are you won’t find many of them. And without further ado, the list:

#32: Rutgers

This is a program on the rise, but 2007 will be a step back. They lose some important guys on defense and they’re going to miss Brian Leonard in the backfield. Plus they’re unlikely to be as successful in close games again.

#27: Auburn

Auburn has been one of the most consistently good programs in the country the last few years, but this year looks like a rebuilding year. The only thing they were really good at last year was running the ball, and they lose Kenny Irons plus most of the line. Having a senior QB is nice, but this isn’t a team that likes to throw it much, so it’s tough to say how much that is really going to matter. The defense should be about as good as last year, since they only have a few replacements to make (though those are big ones).

#21: USF

Another one of the trendy picks of 2007, the South Florida Bulls should be strong this year. They’ve got a decent defense, a decent offense, and a recent history of occasionally nabbing the big upset (Louisville in 2005, West Virginia in 2006). If they can avoid the bad losses, there’s no reason to think they won’t end the season somewhere in the top 25.

#8: Louisville

Despite some important losses, this team may be even better this year than they were in 2006. Brian Brohm is now a senior and could well be the best quarterback in the country. He has a strong receiving corps to work with, and the line should again be good. The running game could use more experience, but they guys coming in did pretty well last year in relief, so it’s going to be good. The defense has a few guys to replace, but there’s plenty of talent coming in, which means that this is going to be another fine unit. The big question is how they will respond to a new head coach, and whether there will be a smooth transition, although their three toughest games are all at the end of the year.

#7: West Virginia

This is the first of the really, truly, legitimate national title contenders. As good as they’ve been the past few years, this year could be the one where they really break out. They’ve got Pat White, they’ve got Steve Slaton, and they finally have a defense with experience. If they get hot and catch a few breaks, there’s no reason to think that they can’t win their way into the national title game.

[RSSMOOTH]

You know what's funny?

21. USF

20. UF

19. FSU

18. UM

I know we're not in the big 4, but those rankings can be deceiving.

[crambone]

Phil Steele has us ranked as #27 preseason.

It's not on the Internet since his site sucks and he wants you to buy his book.  I read it in the SEC preview.  (I didn't buy it, but it was in the bathroom stall of my work)

[On_the_Chip]

Too many preseason rankings and polls out there.........can we just play football already!!!!!!!!!

[Velcro]

USF = Trendy Pick?  wow have we come along way.

[T-Man]

The rankings will destroy us!

[smazza]

usf has indeed come a long way

[USFbulls0208]

Decent defense?