Chase for the FIU Cup

Few teams in college football really get to play for anything these days. There's really only a handful of teams that have a shot at the national title every year. All the other teams are pretty much screwed. That is until now.

CFB 365 has given these teams a reason to play the games. I introduce to you the first annual FIU Cup. This prestigious award will be given out at the end of every season to the last remaining winless team. If there are multiple winless teams at the end of the season the award will be given to the team that most closely resembles the play of the vaunted Florida International Golden Panthers. If there are no winless teams the award will be given to a team with the worst record (or FIU by default).

Here are the teams that are still in the running for the Cup.


1. Virginia Cavaliers

Record 0-3

Losses - William & Mary, TCU, Southern Miss

The opening day loss to William & Mary pretty much seals the fate for Al Groh. He's don after this season. The Wahoos almost screwed everything up last week by going out and beating Southern Miss. Good thing for them, the Golden Eagles came storming back to eek out a victory.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 31 v. Duke. - Who knows. It's Halloween. Anything can happen.


2. Rice Owls

Record - 0-4

Losses - UAB, Texas Tech, Oklahoma St., Vanderbilt

The only loss that really looked bad was against UAB to start the season. However, the Blazers just went out and upset Southern Miss last night. That makes the Owls look a little bit better. Sadly to say it, but I don't like Rice's chances of staying in this chase.

Next best chance to win a game - Nov. 14 v. Tulane - Rice has some winnable ball games before this contest, but they're all on the road. Tulane at home should be a piece of cake.


3. Miami (OH) Red Hawks

Record - 0-4

Losses - Kentucky, Boise St., Western Michigan, Kent St.

Unfortunately for the Red Hawks, I think they have the worst chance out of the remaining MAC teams in the chase to win the FIU Cup. All of their losses have been to at least somewhat decent teams. Plus, they haven't looked entirely inept all season.

Next best chance for a win - Oct. 24 v. Northern Illinois - If Idaho can beat Northern Illinois, anybody can.


4. Eastern Michigan Eagles

Record - 0-3

Losses - Army, Northwestern, Michigan

Eastern Michigan has actually made significant strides under first year coach Ron English. They were in close ball games vs. Army and Northwestern before stumbling late, and they played Michigan tough for about a quarter. They've already accomplished more than they ever did under Jeff Genyk.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 3 v. Temple - I know Temple is coming off of a pretty big win against Buffalo last week, but the Owls are very inconsistent. I think the Eagles will be fired up by a rare occurrence: crowd noise at home.


5. Ball St. Cardinals

Record - 0-4

Losses - North Texas, New Hampshire, Army, Auburn

As of right now, the Ball St. Cardinals are the favorite to win the FIU Cup. They have easily played the worst schedule of the teams remaining in the chase and they have looked horrible in every game. I never knew how much this team would miss Nate Davis and Brady Hoke. Even when the administration made the unfortunate mistake of hiring Stan Parrish as the next head coach, I figured they could at least beat North Texas and New Hampshire. I was wrong.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 31 v. Ohio - This is a real big stretch. The Cardinals should be the underdog in every game they play this season. And for good reason.


6. New Mexico Lobos

Record - 0-4

Losses - Texas A&M, Tulsa, Air Force, New Mexico St.

The Lobos got rid of Rocky Long because they were sick of being average, How do you think they feel now that they are below average under Mike Locksley. The loss to New Mexico St. may set this program back for a long, long time.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 24 v. UNLV - Las Vegas is another team that has unexpectedly struggled this season. The Lobos should be able to man up at home and get the win.


7. Florida Atlantic Owls

Record - 0-3

Losses - Nebraska, South Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe

I'm a little surprised that FAU is still in the running for this award. I was sure they would have taken care of UL-Monroe last week. I guess when it comes to the FIU Cup, anything is possible. I don't think the Owls will be in the chase much longer.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 3 v. Wyoming - This is a definite win.


8. Florida International Golden Panthers

Record - 0-3

Losses - Alabama, Rutgers, Toledo

Of course the trophy's namesake will be in the running for the Cup. I think the Panthers will find a difficult time remaining on this list as they are actually quite talented this season. As you can tell, they have lost to some pretty decent teams.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 10 @ Western Kentucky - I went against the grain and picked a road game for the Panthers. They should be able to knock off the Hilltoppers away from home.


9. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Record - 0-4

Losses - Tennessee, South Florida, Central Arkansas, Navy

Western Kentucky maybe the biggest threat to Ball St.'s chances of winning this thing. The Hilltoppers are just plain awful. After looking somewhat competent against South Florida in week 2, WKU went out and lost to 1-aa Central Arkansas. That's sure to get you on this list.

Next best chance to get a win Oct. 17 v. Louisiana-Lafayette - This is a long shot, but it could kind of be considered a winnable game.


10. Nevada Wolfpack

Record - 0-3

Losses - Notre Dame, Colorado St., Missouri

Nevada is probably the best team on this list. They won't be here for long.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 3 v. UNLV - I still think Nevada will make a bowl game. Their turnaround starts this week.

Charlie Weis is Fat (And other reasons why these coaches might get fired.)

Time for my yearly round-up of the coaches on the hot seat this season. I was unsurprisingly accurate last season. That's bad news for these guys...




Robb Akey- Idaho. Akey is this year's winner of the Gregg Robinson award. That prestigious piece of hardware is given to the one coach that defies all odds and is given another year at his god-awful institutions. Past winners include Gregg Robinson. That's some good company. Also, it's a tradition for the Gregg Robinson award winner to be fired within a year of winning the award. So expect Akey to be out of Moscow by year's end.

Possible Replacement - Someone who will be fired 3 years from now. It's the natural cycle at Idaho.







Steve Kragthorpe - Louisville. Fortunately for Kragthorpe, the Rick Pitino scandal will take off some of the heat that Steve has been feeling at Louisville. Unfortunately for Stevie-K, his coaching ability (or lack thereof) will put all the heat square back on him by October.

Possible Replacement- This seems like a good spot for Turner Gill.






Bob Toledo - Tulane. I'm still trying to figure out how in the hell Bob Toledo even got this job in the first place. I don't see the Green Wave being any good this season, so I think Toledo will be leaving the Big Easy pretty soon.

Possible replacement - How about Tommy Bowden coming back to New Orleans. The Wave haven't been nearly as good as they once were under Bowden.





Neil Callaway - UAB. When I sat down and thought of all the coaches I wanted to include on this highly respected list, I have to admit that Neil Callaway wasn't one of my first choices. This had nothing to do with the fact that I think the Blazers will be better this season. I actually completely forgot about UAB and Neil Callaway. The worst thing for a college football to do is to become irrelevant.

Possible Replacement- Tyrone Willingham. Imaging Willingham and Mike Davis at the same tiny institution.




Charlie Weis - Notre Dame. The poster boy for coaches on the hot seat this season. Weis will need to do better than a trip to the Hawaii bowl this season to keep his job. One good thing for Charlie is that he has a solid defense in South Bend this year. Also, an easy schedule, especially by Notre Dame standards, should help the Irish rebound somewhat.

Possible Replacement- We all know who Notre Dame's first choice is going to be. We'll just agree that that isn't happening. So I'll say the field.




Al Groh - Virginia. Groh saved his job two seasons ago. He found himself back on the hot seat after missing a bowl game last season. A similar result this year could lead to his dismissal. Groh's sticking point used to be his recruiting prowess. However, he is even slipping in that department recently.

Possible Replacement- Skip Holtz. If he can pull off another good season at ECU.







Doug Martin - Kent St. If Martin can't get the Golden Flashes into a bowl game this season, he might be getting the pink slip. Martin needs to take full advantage of Eugene Jarvis while he has him.

Possible Replacement- Someone from the D-II that no one has ever heard of.





Paul Wulff - Washington St. I usually like to give coaches a 3 year grace period before calling for their job. However, there are certain special circumstances in which I can make an exception. This is one of those instances. If the Cougars suffer through another season like last year, Wulff will be out.

Possible Replacement - Some USC assistant.








Mark Snyder - Marshall. I really have no insightful knowledge on this one. I just know that Marshall hasn't been good for a couple of seasons. Howe many more can Snyder stay around for? In my opinion, one.

Possible Replacement - Maybe the UF-Marshall connection will make it's way over to the gridiron, and Billy Gonzalez gets a head coaching gig.







Ron Zook - Illinois. I'm definitely not an Illinois insider, but I gotta imagine that the fans are growing weary of Zook's inconsistency. This I can speak of firsthand. Zook can recruit, but he absolutely cannot coach. How does someone with Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn at their disposal miss a bowl game? I guess the Zooker needs to start a fight with an entire frat house to start feeling the heat.

Possible Replacement - Another Gator, Charlie Strong.








Bret Bielema - Wisconsin. The Badger win total has been decreasing every season under Bielema's tenure. If that trend continues this season, Wisconsin could be missing out on a bowl game. That's an unforgivable offense in Madison. One that could cost Bielema his job.

Possible Replacement - Whoever the hell Barry Alvarez wants.







Jim Leavitt - South Florida. I know Leavitt is the architect of the South Florida program. A program that is on a meteoric rise. But some blame has to be thrown his way for the Bulls lack of success in late season games. If USF suffers another late season collapse, especially in George Selvie and Matt Grothe's last season, Leavitt could be feeling some serious heat in Tampa.

Possible Replacement - One of the many top notch assistants on Leavitt's coaching staff.

Weekly Picks

Last Week - 36-14

Overall - 396-99


A pretty respectable week I must say. You can call me the Bill Fitch of picks. I'm racking up the wins, but the losses are creeping up on me....

Last week I correctly picked Rutgers for the second straight week. I believe I might be the only person in America that didn't give up on the Scarlet Knights. I also had the Tar Heels over BC, which was ol' Herbie's upset pick as well. We won't discuss my pick of Washington over Notre Dame right now.

Here's this weeks gems.



Buffalo @ Ohio
Houston @ Marshall
South Florida @ Cincinnati
Northwestern @ Minnesota
Wisconsin @ Michigan St.
West Virginia @ Connecticut
Central Michigan @ Indiana
Miami (FL) @ Virginia
Air Force @ Army
Michigan @ Purdue
Auburn @ Ole Miss
Kansas St. @ Kansas
Tulsa @ Arkansas
Kent St. @ Bowling Green
Colorado @ Texas A&M
Eastern Michigan @ Western Michigan
San Diego St. @ Wyoming
Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame
Kentucky @ Mississippi St.
Fresno St. @ Louisiana Tech
Arkansas St. @ Alabama
Missouri @ Baylor
Hawaii @ Utah St.
Florida @ Georgia
Iowa St. @ Oklahoma St.
Florida St. @ Georgia Tech
Oregon @ California
Clemson @ Boston College
Duke @ Wake Forest
Iowa @ Illinois
Temple @ Navy
North Texas @ Western Kentucky
Washington St. @ Stanford
San Jose St. @ Idaho
Florida International @ UL-Lafayette
BYU @ Colorado St.
Washington @ USC
Boise St. @ New Mexico St.
Louisville @ Syracuse
Troy @ UL-Monroe
Tennessee @ South Carolina
Texas @ Texas Tech
Nebraska @ Oklahoma
TCU @ UNLV
Tulane @ LSU
UAB @ Southern Miss
Rice @ UTEP
Utah @ New Mexico
Arizona St. @ Oregon St.
East Carolina @ UCF

Upset Alert:

West Virginia over Connecticut - The Mountaineers are still perfect in conference play, and last I checked they still had Pat White and Noel Devine in the backfield. I like Bill Stewart to get his first signature Big East win in this one.

Virginia over Miami(FL) - Is there any team in America that has improved as much as the Cavs since the season started? Virginia was making an argument to be the worst BCS team, now they're on a crazy winning streak. I like Al Groh's bunch to knock off the Hurricanes, who have yet to look that impressive.

Texas Tech over Texas - I'm mainly picking this one, because I subscribe to the theory that no BCS team will go undefeated this season. Texas Tech absolutely dismantled Kansas in the second half last Saturday. I think the Red Raiders defense will surprise everyone and get after Colt McCoy.

Arizona St. over Oregon St. - The Sun Devils need this game in the worse way. I know it's incredibly tough to win at Oregon St., but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Arizona St. takes this one.

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.

Countdown: 37 Days!

37 Days

To continue the recent theme of shitty ass ACC, the subject for today's countdown will be the Virginia Cavaliers. While I don't expect Virginia to follow last season's stunning success with another great run, I do expect them to be more competitive than people are giving them credit for. Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson create what is perhaps the best running duo in the conference. Probably second only to Clemson's James Davis and C.J. Spiller. I expect the Cavs to make another bowl game this season, despite the drop-off.

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.