10 Things That Won't Change In '09

This year more than ever there seem to be many certainties heading into the college football season. I can't remember the last time the pre-season poll looked so similar to the previous' season's final poll. Also, there has never been an instance when every single Heisman finalist invited to NYC has returned to play another year of football.

Here are my thoughts on the things that I expect to see remain the same this season.


1. Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy will be invited back to NYC.

I don't know if Tebow, Bradford and McCoy will be the only Heisman finalists invited to New York, but I do know they will each get an invite once again. It would be Tebow's third trip to New York and the second for both Bradford and McCoy. Tebow should improve his passing numbers tremendously this season thanks to the implementation of a more traditional scheme and the arrival of QB coach Scott Loeffler. Bradford will more than likely put up some ridiculous numbers for the third straight season. Alone with Timmy, Bradford is trying to become only the second player in college football history to win two Heismans. For what it's worth, I thought McCoy should have won the Heisman last season. If he puts up the same numbers this year, and beat Sam Bradford head to head once again, I don't see how the voters can deny him this time around.



2. Michigan will miss a bowl.

It was tough at times watching Michigan struggle the way they did last year. That is until I remembered Rich Rodriguez was their head coach. This season RichRod has proclaimed that Michigan will go with a new 3 QB look to start the season. There is no way that this is anywhere near to good news for the Wolverines. Also, defense in Ann Arbor these days is almost non-existent. Michigan should improve on their 3 wins from a season ago, but not by much.






3. Three Big XII South teams will be ranked in the top 5 by season's end.

Last year, Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech all were ranked in the top 5 at one point. Proving that the Big XII South was the best division in all of college football. This season Oklahoma and Texas will both start out ranked in the top 5. I expect Oklahoma St. to join them at some point as well. The Cowboys have a chance to prove themselves early with a home game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Luckily for fans, all three teams will play each other this season, and since the Big XII has a very judicial way of deciding who gets to represent the South in the title game, there will be no controversy or arguments in the case of a three way tie.



4. Randy Shannon will cry.

Last year it was a late field goal by Urban Meyer's Gators that send Shannon off. The guy cried and cried and cried..... In fact, I bumped into Shannon over the Summer and he still seemed a little teary eyed. What will set him off this year? A hard tackle by an FSU player? A late game touchdown by a South Florida player? Maybe he'll stub his toe while running from the tunnel....



5. A Non-BCS team will go undefeated.

Last year Utah pulled off this tremendous feat by knocking off Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to cap off an undefeated season. This season there are several teams who are contenders to pull of this feat. TCU, Utah, BYU and Boise St. are all ranked by most publications in the top 25. TCU, Utah and BYU all face each other, so their road will be a bit tougher than Boise St.'s. My money is on the Broncos to go undefeated. Chris Petersen is one of the best coaches in the nation and Kellen Moore is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Plus, if Boise St. can take care of Oregon early in the season, they pretty much have smooth sailing the rest of the way through.



6. An SEC West team will lose to a irrelevant Non-BCS team.

This ugly trend started two years ago when Alabama inexplicably lost to Louisiana-Monroe late in the season. Last year, in a not so big of an upset, Louisiana Tech knocked off Mississippi St. Some say that loss is what gave Sylvester Croom the final push to leave Starkville. This season, I like LA Tech's chances of pulling off another mild upset. Auburn opens up it's season at home against the Bulldogs in Gene Chizik's first game as head coach. Imagine the uproar in Auburn when the Bulldogs leave the field with a 16-10 victory over the Tigers. Chizik did lose to Kent St. last season while coaching Iowa St....



7. The ACC race will come down to the final week.

The ACC was average at best last season. No one could pull itself away from the crop. That led to an above average race to reach the title game. Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland, Florida St., North Carolina and Georgia Tech all had a chance to reach the conference championship at season's end. In the end, Virginia Tech and Boston College would emerge as the two teams. I expect more of the same this season. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech seem to be the cream of the crop heading into the season. Florida St. looks to be much improved. Butch Davis has things rolling in Chapel Hill, and I think NC State may be ready to turn the corner. It will be a fun race.



8. Mark May will continue to blow his load over USC.

I just don't get it. Mark May has never been able to complete one sentence without mentioning USC in his life. I imagine he yells out VICTORY when pleasuring himself to Pete Carroll's latest book. I have to admit, I am rather impressed with Mark May's ability to spew nonsense at the top of his lungs while continuing to hold SC's manpiece firmly in his mouth. I can't imagine what the May household would look like if USC were to make it back to a title game this season. I hate to even think about it....





9. Oklahoma will lose a BCS bowl game.

It's gonna happen. You know it, and I know it. Oklahoma will ride a spectacular, awe-inspiring offense and a slightly better than average defense to yet another BCS bowl game. It was become an annual tradition, the Sooners will drag their entire fanbase to whatever unlucky city hosts them. The fans will continually and relentlessly rape the ear canals of the general population with unforgiven cries of "BOOMER! SOONER!" all throughout the week. Of course, the fans will turn to blabbering Randy Shannons as soon as they realize their team is going to lose yet another BCS game. The only question is which team will have the luxury of facing the Sooners this season. It could be a repeat of last year's championship game against the Gators. Or they could face Boise St. in the Fiesta bowl once again. Or maybe Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Either way, they're losing.



10. The Florida Gators will win the National Championship.

Bookmark this page and reference it. Come back after the Gators go back to back and revel in my genius.

Ultimate Fantasy League- The Conferences

As I previously mentioned, there will be 7 glorious conferences partaking in my ingenious concoction of a football league. Each conference will consist of 2 divisions made up of 6 teams. Obviously, I had to move some teams around to make this work. Here's what I came up with.

SEC








East

1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Clemson
6. Georgia Tech

West

1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. LSU
4. Mississippi St.
5. Ole Miss
6. Kentucky

Now tell m that doesn't look like a bad ass conference.

What's New and why: I got rid of Vanderbilt due to the fact that they can't field a competitive team in the SEC. They should have stuck to the Magnolia Conference. I also did away with Arkansas, mainly for geographic reasons. Arkansas is nowhere near the other teams in the SEC. They make much more since in another conference. I moved Kentucky to the West to make room for the 2 new teams, Georgia Tech and Clemson. Both teams come over from the ACC and both will be joining their in-state rivals in the East. Now the Georgia-Georgia Tech and South Carolina-Clemson game will have even greater ramifications. If something this incredibly awesome were to happen in real life, the SEC teams would be given a waiver by the NCAA to schedule all D-III schools for out-of-conference opponents. But that ain't happening in this league...


Big XII

North

1. Colorado
2. Missouri
3. Kansas
4. Kansas St.
5. Nebraska
6. Arkansas

South

1. Oklahoma
2. Texas
3. Texas Tech
4. Texas A&M
5. Oklahoma St.
6. TCU

A bunch of teams from Texas and Oklahoma.

What I did and why: I got rid of Baylor and Iowa St. because they don't belong in the Big XII. Replaced Baylor with a much more capable Texas team in TCU. Moved Arkansas over from the SEC. The Hogs make so much more sense sense in this conference. All of their traditional rivals reside here. The Big XII defensive ratings also rise a bit with the addition of Arkansas and TCU.

Big Ten (Twelve)









East

1. Ohio St.
2. Illinois
3. Northwestern
4. Minnesota
5. Wisconsin
6. Purdue

West

1. Iowa
2. Michigan
3. Michigan St.
4. Indiana
5. Iowa St.
6. Notre Dame

One extra team gives them a better chance of winning a bowl game.Doesn't it?

What I did and why: I got rid of the Fighting JoePa's. They never really made much sense geographically in this conference. Brought in Iowa St. to play along with in-state rival Iowa in the same conference. Also moved the Irish into the conference. Something that should have been done a loooonngg time ago. Both teams are pretty bad, so they should fit right in.

PAC 10 (Twelve)













North

1. Washington
2. Washington St.
3. Oregon
4. Oregon St.
5. Stanford
6. Boise St.

South

1. USC
2. UCLA
3. California
4. Arizona
5. Arizona St.
6. San Diego St.

They still have USC!

What I did and why: I kept all original ten teams intact. The PAC-10 was the only BCS conference that made sense geographically. Added Boise St. and San Diego St. to the mix. Both for very different reasons. I brought in the Broncos simply because of their play on the field. While their blue turf may seem gimmicky, they are a bona fide BCS contender. Being in Idaho is a major hindrance to them however. I added San Diego St. to the conference simply because of their location. The PAC-10 will gain a valuable and big TV market with the San Diego area. Also, I truly believe Brady Hoke can get this thing turned around.

ACC













Atlantic

1. Miami
2. Virginia Tech
3. Virginia
4. North Carolina
5. North Carolina St.
6. Louisville

Coastal

1. Florida St.
2. Wake Forest
3. Maryland
4. Duke
5. South Florida
6. East Carolina

The best part, we don't have to put the stupid (FL) after Miami anymore.

What I did and why: I had to replace Georgia Tech and Clemson, which left for the greener pastures of the SEC. Also, I moved Boston College out of the conference. Replaced those three teams With Louisville and South Florida (formerly of the Big East) and East Carolina (Formerly of C-USA). I think Louisville just makes more sense in the ACC than in the Big East. No real logic behind it. Added South Florida because there is already two built-in rivalries in Florida St. and Miami. East Carolina was the last major Carolina school not included in the conference. So I thought, why the hell not? The Pirates also have a good history against ACC teams.

Big East












North

1. Connecticut
2. Syracuse
3. Rutgers
4. Penn St.
5. Boston College
6. Army

South

1. West Virginia
2. Pittsburgh
3. Cincinnati
4. Vanderbilt
5. Navy
6. Central Florida

We're still a good basketball conference!

What I did and why: The Big East is the smallest of the BCS conferences, and that was before I stole USF, and Louisville away. So half of this conference is completely new. I added Penn St. to a conference that they should have already been in. I moved Boston College back to their rightful position in the Big East. I added Vandy and UCF to help the conference recover the areas that were lost with the aforementioned departures. And for the traditionalists out there, I added the two service academies. I really didn't want to add Army, but I just couldn't see Navy ended a season without dismantling the Cadets.

Mountain West










Mountain

1. Air Force
2. Colorado St.
3. Southern Miss
4. Baylor
5. Louisiana Tech
6. Troy

West

1. BYU
2. Utah
3, Wyoming
4. Tulsa
5. Houston
6. UNLV

The Big XII South ain't got nothing on the Mountain West West!

What I did and why: A lot. I admit this conference is kind of thrown together. Basically this is just the leftover teams, BYU, Utah, Tulsa, Troy would have probably made another conference had i been forced to only do 6, but they were put here to equal out the not so great teams. Teams like Wyoming and Air Force were kept because of their past ties to the Mountain West. Teams like Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss were added because of their past performance, and teams like Baylor and Houston were added because of their big markets. This will likely the be destination of future teams that are called up to the big time.

Battle for Inferiority

VS.













Last nights demolishing of Rutgers at the hands of North Carolina was the latest epic event in the battle between the Big East and the ACC for the title of the worst conference in America.

Notice I didn't just say BCS conference. These two pathetic excuses of a collection of "teams" are the worst conferences, period. The Sun Belt, WAC and C-USA all have teams that would ruin some shit in these douche infested leagues.

The first week brought a lot of attention to the shittiness of the ACC. All anyone talked about was how horrible the ACC was, and rightfully so. However, I'm not so sure the Atlantic Coast shit fest is the clear cut favorite for the worst conference award anymore. In enters, the Big East.

The Big East used to affectionately be called the Big Least by all the other major conferences. They took a massive hit after the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the aforementioned ACC. However, with the emergence of West Virginia and Louisville (and most recently,South Florida) as national players, it seemed the Big Least was becoming the Big Beast. They even felt so good about themselves they kicked poor ol' Temple out of the conference.

Now the Big East is back to sucking ass and Temple looks like a team that could contend for the Big East title.

Time for a little tale of the tape action between the two conferences.

First up, the Big East.


1. South Florida

• Good News- The Bulls seem to be the class of the conference right now. They are 2-0 and are the highest ranked team in the Big East. USF is also coming off a season in which they climbed as high as number 2 in the polls. Of course, they immediately choked as soon as they reached their pinnacle and began to tart looking like every other Big East squad.
• Bad News- South Florida needed overtime to beat a struggling Central Florida team last week. They have absolutely NO kicker and their QB always seems to make bad decisions in big games. They face a stiff challenge tonight against the Kansas Jayhawks in Tampa.

2. Connecticut

• Good News- Huskies coach Randy Edsall will most likely be a hot commodity in the off season. Connecticut burst on to the scene last season with a surprisingly good football team. They have also come out of the gates to a 2-0 start this season.
• Bad News- Like South Florida,UCONN needed overtime to beat an inferior opponent in Temple last week. Things could get a lot worse next season if Edsall bolts for a bigger program.

3. West Virginia

• Good News- The Mountaineers have been the dominant Big East team in recent seasons. This year, there was a lot of hype around this team with stars like Pat White and Noel Devine returning. They also have one of the better homefield advantages in the conference.
• Bad News- West Virginia didn't look all that impressive in their opening win over Villanova. They looked even worse during last week's loss to East Carolina. Bill Stewart probably won't last longer than two years in Morgantown, and Noel Devine is bound to be arrested soon.

4. Cincinnati

• Good News- Cincinnati is another team with a great coach in Brian Kelly. They also have a lot of depth at the more important positions, including QB. They were able to hang tough with Oklahoma last week until their Big East heritage began to shine through.
• Bad News- The second half of the OU game was a disaster. Good thing they have depth at QB, because starter Dustin Grutza is banged up.

5. Pittsburgh

• Good News- They have LeSean Mcoy.
• Bad News- McCoy hasn't done dick so far this season. Dave Wannstedt is their head coach, and they lost to a MAC team.

6. Louisville

• Good News- The Cardinals still have a loyal fan base despite recent struggles. I truly believe that Hunter Cantwell and this Louisville offense will get things going and return to a bowl game. Who knows, with the way the rest of the teams are playing, the 'Ville could even make a run at the conference crown.
• Bad News- They only netted a safety in their opening game thrashing by Kentucky. Up until this point, Cantwell and the offense have looked really bad. Also, it can't be easy for Steve Kragthorpe to coach when he's always looking over his shoulder.

7. Rutgers

• Good News- There is none.
• Bad News- They have 10 more games this season.

8. Syracuse

• Good News- Greg Robinson will be fired soon. Hopefully.
• Bad News- Greg Robinson, as of this moment, is still the coach.

Now it's the ACC's turn.

Atlantic

1. Wake Forest

• Good News- Wake has easily been the best team in the ACC so far this season. They are 2-0 and are lead by Heisman hopeful Riley Skinner. They also have one of the best coaches in America in Jim Grobe.
• Bad News- They almost lost to middle of the road Ole Miss last week. Then again, Ole Miss would probably be the favorite to win the ACC this year.

2. Florida St.

• Good News- The Seminoles looked pretty good in their first game. Even though it was against Western Carolina.
• Bad News- They have no quarterback play to speak of. Bobby Bowden is fading as a figurehead. The NCAA is getting closer and closer to dropping the hammer on this program.

3. Clemson

• Good News- Clemson has a ton of athletes. Both sides of the ball are littered with future NFL players. They have one of the better backfields in the country with James Davis and C.J. Spiller.
• Bad News- Clemson always seems to stumble on their own vaginas in games they're supposed to win. Tommy Bowden is not a very good coach. Also, their will probably be a mass exodus of talent from Clemson in the off season. This was probably their last shot at a NC.

4. Boston College

• Good News- The Red Sox will be in the playoffs again. Maybe that will take away some of the attention from this program. Although, the Eagles should make it back to a bowl game.
• Bad News- Matt Ryan is now a Falcon, and the Eagles have set the bar for expectations a little to high for their program to meet on a consistent basis. Getting run through by Georgia Tech last week didn't help them.

5. North Carolina St.

• Good News- Tom O'Brien is a solid coach. Once the Wolfpack get their quarterback situation figured out (which will probably be next year) they should be back competing for the ACC title.
• Bad News- Their quarterback play right now is ass awful. During their week 1 loss to South Carlina, they made the 'Cock QB's look like NFL Hall of Famers.

6. Maryland

• Good News- They get all kinds of free crap from under armour.
• Bad News- Ralph Friedgen is no longer a good coach. They barely beat Delaware in week 1 and lost to Middle Tennessee in week 2. There's almost no D-1 team that has had a worse 2 games in the nation.

Coastal

1. Georgia Tech

• Good News- The Yellow Jackets have looked pretty solid under new coach Paul Johnson. His triple option attack has looked flawless against J-Ville St. and Boston College in the first two weeks.
• Bad News- Teams should figure out how to stop the triple option pretty soon. Once that happens, Tech is screwed. They don't rally have a passing game to speak of. Or at least, they haven't shown it yet.

2. North Carolina

• Good News- They just annihilated Rutgers last night. I don't know what that counts for but it was an impressive win.
• Bad News- They barely beat McNeese St. in week 1. Hey, North Carolina vs. Duke might be a big game in the ACC this year.

3. Miami

• Good News- Miami looked impressive against Charleston Southern in week 1. They also looked solid in their defeat to the awesomeness that is Florida in week 2. Sean Spence is a star in the making.
• Bad News- Randy Shannon won't stop crying long enough to game plan for their next opponent. Maybe he should stop worrying so much about the Gators' offense and work with his Hurricane defense.

4. Virginia Tech

• Good News- They have a 1 game winning streak heading into week 3.
• Bad News- That streak could end against Paul Johnson's Yellow jackets. Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor are not D-1 QB's. You knew this was going to be a long season when the Hokies lost to East Carolina on a blocked punt.

5. Duke

• Good News- Duke has already won a game this season! Also, David Cutcliffe is probably the best coach outside of Jim Grobe in the ACC.
• Bad News- Duke is still Duke when it comes to football. They're just not very good. Which means they fit right in with the rest of the conference.

6. Virginia

• Good News- Thanks to their loss to ESPN's personal spank bank in week 1, they have received a lot of national exposure.
• Bad News- After being torched by USC, they then went out and played a clunker against Richmond. Not a good start for the Cavs.

So there's your arguments between the two conferences. I'm not so sure which one is the worse in America. It's a close race. Or crawl.

Good 'ol Bobby says he's staying.

Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden hinted that he will be staying in Tallahassee for a few years. This all went down during his interview at the ACC media Days.


Bowden, who turns 79 this upcoming season, said he wants to stay at FSU until he can right the ship. I am fond of Bobby, but I don't think he will be around long enough to see the 'Noles bounce back.


When asked about his future, Bowden said " I'm still the head football coach. But I know we've got to win more than we're winning now. I'm not interested in getting out, though. I plan on getting this thing back to where it ought to be, and go on from there. Time will tell."


Bowden knows his team has been garbage lately. The fact that he thinks he can turn it around just makes him seem a little senile. Another insight into the man's insanity may have came when he was quoted as saying, " My goal is to gt back to the top, but if we get there, we're not going to stay there. There's too many good teams in this conference."


Too many good teams in this conference? Does Bowden think he's in the SEC or Big XII. There are probably one and a half good teams in the ACC. That's about it. What happened to the good old days in Tallahassee when the 'Noles didn't care who was on their schedule? They would just show up and wax that ass. Now, FSU can't even get past Wake anymore.


I know one man that's one pissed off millionaire right about now:

Playoffs?!?!?!? Who's talking about playoffs?!?!?!?

Several college commissioners have come out of the wood works recently to beat down the notion of a playoff system in CFB.

Here's what some notable conference commissioners said when asked about the idea of a playoff system being implemented in the near future:

BIG EAST COMMISSIONER MIKE TRANGHESE: "I have not seen anything that works unless you do things that presidents aren't going to accept. Presidents are not going to allow a football playoff to venture into the second semester, deep into the second semester. They're not going to allow football playoffs to take place during exams. And they're not going to start playing football early in August. ... I find it interesting because I hear football coaches say we ought to have a four-team playoff, I mean, don't insult my intelligence. Once there's a four-team playoff there will be an 8-team playoff. Once there's an 8, there will be a 16."

Translation: No playoffs until school presidents get the used douche bags removed from their anus.

MOUNTAIN WEST'S CRAIG THOMPSON: "Everybody says a playoff. And my coaches and administrators included. And I said — what are you talking about? Are you talking about an 8-team playoff and is the Mountain West guaranteed one of the eight berths? It's easy to say you're in favor of a playoff, but if you don't know what the format is, I can't say unequivocally, 'Heck, yeah, let's have a playoff.'"

Translation: My conference sucks balls. You know it and I know it.

SEC'S ROY KRAMER: "Not in my lifetime. I don't see much support for it nationally. I don't see any overwhelming sentiment nationally to move in that direction. And the Pac-10 and Big Ten don't have any interest in it and I don't see that changing."

Translation: The Big 10 and PAC 10 is made up of a bunch of pussies. I can't wait to die so I can kick their grandfather's asses in hell.

Here's what some commissioners said when approached with the idea of conference expansion:

ACC'S JOHN SWOFFORD: "I think in terms of our league, we're probably rather stable for a good while to come. I don't think we currently have any interest in being any larger than 12. You get beyond that, it becomes a more difficult enterprise to manage and scheduling becomes even more complicated."

Translation: We suck enough with 12 teams. Why dilute that suckiness with more shitty programs?

TRANGHESE: "Well, there aren't four schools back that would make the football league any better in my view. Now if you said to me, pick any four schools, I could make us a lot better. But those schools are currently playing in other leagues. And I think schools that are available who have expressed a desire to be here I just don't think collectively make us any better. And I'm not one that believes having a football [championship game] is necessarily the right thing."

Translation: We don't want no shitty ass teams stinking up our league. We already have Syracuse for that.

This was an interesting moment when the debate between the ACC and Big East was brought up:

TRANGHESE: "You know what, people have really tried to engage me in conversation about the ACC and I've lasted five years without it, so I'm going to make it one more year."

Translation: Bring it Bitches!

SWOFFORD: "Well, first of all, I don't think you measure a conference totally on what you do in the BCS games. You know, the only way to rectify that is to win some of them. ... I think what we've done league-wise is put ourselves in a position to be stronger than we've ever been before and play at the very top level at a consistent basis."

Translation: We get paid just to PLAY in the BCS. Who care about actually winning the games?

When asked a general question about change in CFB's near future, here's what was said:

TRANGHESE: "I don't think anybody knows — that's the challenge. Put it this way, [look at] the last 15 years. And go back to '90, let's say the last 18 years. ... Penn State leaves and goes to the Big Ten. Florida State loses its independent status and goes to the ACC. The SEC expands. The Big East takes on football. The Southwest Conference goes away. The Big 12 realigns. I mean, if you went to sleep in 1990 and you woke up today, you'd be overwhelmed by it all. I'd like to think that because of the size of the leagues, that generally speaking, we're done with expansion."

Translation: Do you expect Rosie O' Donnell to get any fatter before she croaks?

C-USA'S BRITTON BANOWSKY: "I do think we're in a period of relative stability right now and I think the challenges and some of the difficulty that people experienced going through the last time, the last round of realignment, has caused folks to carefully consider making moves before they make them. And so I think that's helping us right now kind of get traction with our current alignments, get our branding mechanisms in place and really grow."

Translation: We already crashed and burned with the Army experiment. I'm not in any hurry to screw up royally again.

SWOFFORD: "History would tell us that in college athletics that at some point, there may be other shifts that are coming. ... I think we're probably in a reasonably stable period. Ultimately down the road, anther decade, another two decades, history would tell us maybe there'll be some movement again."

Translation: I'm gay and I'm in to water sports....

The top 25 players: ACC

The Atlantic Coast conference has fallen upon hard times as of recently. It seems the ACC has replaced the Big East as the worse non-BCS conference in America.

The thing that is most befuddling to CFB fans is the fact that the talent in the ACC is just as high as anywhere else. Clemson, Florida St., and Miami are consistently among the top recruiting programs in the nation, Virginia Tech is a perennial national player, and Wake Forest and Virginia have shown signs of success.

Also the recent hirings of Butch Davis at North Carolina and David Cutcliffe at Duke has given a boost to the once bottom feeders of the conference.

I think the ACC will bounce back somewhat this season. That being said, I wouldn't pencil in any ACC team into your NC game.

Now that I've rambled on about the ACC, here's the list of the top 25 players in this conference.

1. James Davis - Clemson RB - The Tigers received a tremendous boost when Davis announced he was returning to campus. Davis and fellow back C.J. Spiller will give Clemson one of the better rushing attacks in the country.

2. Victor Harris - Virginia Tech DB - This may seem a little high to some, but I feel Harris is one of the better talents in any secondary in America. Harris is a sure fire NFL first rounder who should help the Hokies compete for another ACC title game berth.

3. C.J. Spiller - Clemson RB - This may be another player that some people may feel I have a little too high. I am still upset that Spiller spurned his hometown Gators to wear the orange and blue of Clemson.

4. Hakeem Nicks - North Carolina WR - Every time I watched a Tar Heel game last season, I saw a tremendous acrobatic catch from Nicks. This may seem absurd, but Hicks reminds me a lot of Calvin Johnson while he was at Georgia Tech. If UNC can get their QB situation figured out, Nicks could be in contention for All-American honors.

5. Cullen Harper - Clemson QB - Harper surprised a lot of people last season. I was one of them. It doesn't hurt that Harper is surrounded by some of the best talent in the conference at Clemson. Still, Harper is a tremendous talent at the QB position and he will provide quality leadership for the Tigers.

6.Aaron Kelly - Clemson WR - Kelly will be the primary target for Harper at Clemson this year. He was able to produce All-ACC numbers last season, and I see no reason why he can't repeat that performance.

7. Alphonso Smith - Wake Forest DB - Jim Grobe has been able to cultivate some real talent at Wake Forest. Expectations are high for the Deacons this season. Smith will make it hard for any team to throw against the Wake Forest D.

8.Andrew Gardner - Georgia Tech OL - The ACC has always produced some top notch offensive linemen. Gardner is the latest in a long list of quality linemen from the conference.

9. Michael Hamlin - Clemson DB - Don't get too excited Clemson fans. There is always a lot of talent on the Tigers, they just can't seem to win every game they're supposed to.

10. Riley Skinner - Wake Forest QB - I think a lot of people across the country are seriously underestimating this guy. Skinner has proven to be a top tier QB for the Demon Deacons over the past few years. Skinner would love to get the Deacons back into the ACC title game after missing it last season.

11. Vance Walker - Georgia Tech DL - Walker gets to practice with one of the best O-linemen in Andrew Gardner down in Atlanta. That has allowed Walker to really improve his technique. In what appears to be a transition year for the Jackets, Walker and the D will need to come through big.

12. Aaron Curry - Wake Forest LB - Yet another reason why the Deacons will have a say in the ACC title race. Curry and the Wake Forest D should be greatly improved this season. That's a scary thought for the rest of the conference.

13. Chris Chancellor - Clemson DB - I've run out of nice things to say about Clemson at this point.

14.Dave Phillistin - Maryland LB - Ralph Friedgen may be on a little bit of a luke warm seat at Maryland this season. The Terps have a lot of questions on offense. Thanks to Phillistin, the Maryland defensive unit should remain strong.

15. Eugene Monroe - Virginia OL - Virginia nay fall out of the spotlight this season with the departure of Chris Long. It's a shame that most of America won't get the chance to see talents like Monroe playing for the Cavaliers.

16. Mikell Simpson - Virginia RB - Even though Simpson won't be starting for Virginia, I still believe he is a top 25 talent within the conference. Simpson came on strong in the second half last season, including a phenomenal bowl game for the Cavaliers. I look for Mikell to slowly start to increase his carries this year. Every time this guy touches the ball, he's a threat to go all the way.

17. Rodney Hudson - Florida St. OL - Tough times have befallen the Seminoles lately. The cheating scandal at the end of last year was pretty much the topping on the shit cake of a season FSU endured. Still, 'Nole fans are optimistic their team can turn it around this year. I'm not so sure they can, but with players with the talent like Hudson, anythings possible.

18. Chip Vaughn - Wake Forest DB - Along with Alphonso Smith, Vaughn may help form of the fiercest secondaries in America. Who would have ever thought we would be saying that about a Wake Forest team.

19. Josh Adams - Wake Forest RB - Much like Riley Skinner, Josh Adams is severely underrated by the rest of the country. Adams is an explosive back who is a great receiver coming out of the backfield. The more I talk about this Wake Forest team, the more I'm convinced they are for real.

20. Javarris James - Miami RB - James will be sharing carries with Craig Cooper this season. I expect James to get the bulk of the load. Insiders of the UM program have often said that James may be the most talented back to come from Miami since Edgerrin.

21. Darrius Heyward- Bey - Maryland WR - If Maryland can ever figure out the mess they call their QB situation, they just might have a decent offense. I would rank Heyward-Bey a little higher, but the fact that we don't know how the QB play will effect him kind of hurts his ranking.

22. Marvin Austin - North Carolina DL - Austin is a part of a Tar Heel defense that may be among the best this season. Butch Davis put together some pretty good defenses at Miami and it seems he is doing the same in Chapel Hill.

23. Clint Sintim - Virginia LB - Sintim is one of those players that has a constant motor. He never takes a play off and he plays through the whistle. I can always find time for guys like that on my lists.

24. Greg Carr - Florida St. WR - Over the past few year, the Florida St. offense has pretty much consisted of fade routes and jump balls to Carr. If I had a talent like Carr at WR on my team, I just might do the same.

25. Eron Riley - Duke WR - I was torn between two Duke players for this spot. I decided on Riley over his QB Thaddeus Lewis because Riley is the better athlete. David Cutcliffe is a great coach, and he should have the Blue Devils playing more competitively this season.

Countdown: 64 Days!

64 Days

Georgia Tech has their work cut out for them. Paul Johnson will be bringing an entirely new scheme on offense with him from Navy. DC John Tenuta left town after he was passed up for the head coaching position. Last year's starting QB Taylor Bennett transferred after the arrival of Johnson, and the Jackets will have to replace Tashard Choice. Having said all that, Tech may still be able to win a few games in the weak ACC and sneak their way into a Bowl game.