GEAUX TIGERS

How bout dem tigers .......lets just be glad TCU is not in the top 20...

NCAA Football Power Rankings
1

Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2 in 2007)All eyes Saturday will be on ... well, Pryor, if he gets in the game, but also DE Lawrence Wilson. The highly touted junior, who broke his leg in last year's season opener and missed the rest of the year, steps in for departed star Vernon Gholston.First game: Saturday vs. Youngstown State.

2

Oklahoma Sooners (11-3)The Sooners' defensive line is impressive. DE Auston English was a dominant pass rusher when healthy, DT DeMarcus Granger was an All-Big 12 honoree prior to his Fiesta Bowl suspension and DT Gerald McCoy was the Big 12's top defensive freshman.First game: Saturday vs. Chattanooga.

3

Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)Assuming the Dawgs put away Georgia Southern early Saturday, star tailback Knowshon Moreno will likely give way to a pair of backups already being touted as the next in line -- redshirt freshman Caleb King and true frosh Richard Samuel.First game: Saturday vs. Georgia Southern.

4
USC Trojans (11-2)It will be interesting to see how the Trojans' tailback rotation plays out early in the season. It's no secret Joe McKnight will see the field often, but will offseason standout Allen Bradford supplant the more experienced C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson?First game: Saturday at Virginia.

5

Missouri Tigers (12-2)Despite returning a largely veteran team, eighth-year coach Gary Pinkel plans to play as many as eight true freshmen this season, the most of his tenure. High-flying receiver Jerrell Jackson has attracted the most attention so far. First game: Saturday vs. Illinois.

6
LSU Tigers (12-2)It speaks to the level of LSU's recruiting these past few years that a team can lose as many veteran standouts as the Tigers did -- 13 starters -- and still appear to be loaded at nearly every position. QB and cornerback are the concerns.First game: Saturday vs. Appalachian State.

7
Florida Gators (9-4)The Gators may well contend for the national championship, but their preseason standing took a hit due to the season-ending injury of TE Cornelius Ingram and the fact that star WR Percy Harvin missed most of fall camp recovering from a heel injury.First game: Saturday vs. Hawaii.

8

Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-4)The bar gets set pretty high for Mike Leach's quarterbacks. Having thrown for 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns last season, Leach says of third-year starter Graham Harrell: "We expect him to do the same thing -- a few more yards perhaps."First game: Saturday vs. Eastern Washington.

9
Auburn Tigers (9-4)Is it a good sign or a bad sign that offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has yet to choose a starting quarterback between sophomore Kodi Burns and juco transfer Chris Todd? Burns is more of a dual threat but Todd is a veteran of the spread.First game: Saturday vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

10

Clemson Tigers (9-4)There's technically nothing at stake in Saturday's opener, but is this the biggest game of Tommy Bowden's tenure? All the momentum of a contract extension and preseason ACC favorite status could go out the window were he to get upstaged by Nick Saban.First game: Saturday vs. Alabama.

11

Tennessee Volunteers (9-4)By all accounts, Tennessee's offense will look different than at any time during Phillip Fulmer's 16-year tenure thanks to innovative new coordinator Dave Clawson. TE Brandon Warren, a freshman standout at Florida State, was ruled eligible just in time.First game: Monday at UCLA.

12
Wisconsin Badgers (9-4)Three years after setting the Kansas State freshman passing record (1,365) as a six-game starter, Allan Evridge -- now a fifth-year senior -- has finally reclaimed a starting quarterback job. He is one of the few new faces for a team that returns 19 starters.First game: Saturday vs. Akron.

13

West Virginia Mountaineers (11-2)It seems hard to believe now that Steve Slaton was once a more-touted Heisman candidate than Pat White. With all due respect to Slaton and current tailback Noel Devine, White is the unquestioned heart and soul of the Mountaineers' offense.First game: Saturday vs. Villanova.

14

Texas Longhorns (10-3)It's hard to remember the last time the Longhorns entered a season with such unknown tailbacks. Looking to follow in the footsteps of Ricky Williams, Cedric Benson and Jammal Charles are sophomore Vondrell McGee and freshman Fozzy Whitaker.First game: Saturday vs. Florida Atlantic.

15

Kansas Jayhawks (12-1)The Jayhawks lost several of their most important players from last season -- RB Brandon McAnderson, T Anthony Collins, DT James McClinton and CB Aqib Talib -- but I wouldn't expect a drastic drop-off. The schedule is much tougher, however.First game: Saturday vs. Florida International.

16

Penn St. Nittany Lions (9-4)The more I read about it, the more I think Jay Paterno's "Spread HD" will be a hit. I liked what I saw of QB Darryl Clark in last year's bowl game, we know all about Derrick Williams and the receivers, and I'm told freshman RB Stephfon Green is the real deal.First game: Saturday vs. Coastal Carolina.

17

Arizona St. Sun Devils (10-3)ASU could field a potent passing game with the return of four-year QB Rudy Carpenter and top WRs Michael Jones and Chris McGaha, along with the addition of touted freshman WR Gerell Robinson. But the O-line can't allow 55 sacks again.First game: Saturday vs. Northern Arizona.

18

Brigham Young Cougars (11-2)The Cougars seem to be nearly everyone's projected "BCS buster." Personally, I have my doubts BYU will make it through the season undefeated, and it remains to be seen whether the pollsters would consider ranking a one-loss mid-major in the top 12.First game: Saturday vs. Northern Iowa.

19

Oregon Ducks (9-4)It appears the Ducks will be without expected starting QB Nate Costa for at least the first week with an as-yet undiagnosed knee injury. While unfortunate for Costa, Mike Bellotti has to feel in pretty good hands with his backup, Sun Bowl MVP Justin Roper.First game: Saturday vs. Washington.

20

South Florida Bulls (9-4)We know Jim Leavitt's team has talent (see QB Matt Grothe, DE George Selvie) and can play with the big boys (see last year's upsets of Auburn and West Virginia). What I'd like to finally see this year is some consistency -- no three-game losing streaks.First game: Saturday vs. Tennessee-Martin.

21

Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4)Ron Zook says this team will be better than last year's, and QB Juice Williams and WR Arrelious Benn are the primary causes for excitement. I will remain skeptical, however, until we see how the Illini plan to replace Rashard Mendenhall's 1,681 yards.First game: Saturday vs. Missouri.

22

Oregon State Beavers (9-4)Two names to know prior to the Beavers' Thursday-night opener: Redshirt freshman RB Ryan McCants, who's been dubbed a smaller Steven Jackson, and speedy, 5-foot-7 true frosh Jacquizz Rodgers, cut from the same cloth as older brother James.First game: Thursday vs. Stanford.

23

Pittsburgh Panthers (5-7)After watching a recent Panthers practice, I'm convinced that this is a bona fide top-25 team, with a superstar tailback (LeSean McCoy), a stud freshman receiver (Jonathan Baldwin) and a dominant D. But the O-line will keep them from rising much higher.First game: Saturday vs. Bowling Green.

24

Virginia Tech Hokies (11-3)Just how young are these Hokies? More than 40 percent of the travel roster for Saturday's opener against East Carolina in Charlotte consists of guys who have never played a college game. At least they have a solid, veteran QB in Sean Glennon.First game: Saturday vs. East Carolina.

25

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-4)Could this be Jim Grobe's best team yet? He's got a proven quarterback (Riley Skinner) and tailback (Josh Adams), nine returning defensive starters and an All-America kicker (Sam Swank). Finding some new playmakers on offense will be a key.First game: Saturday at Baylor.