SI.com Pre-Season Top 25 CF

[ASU_Husker]

1. Ohio State
2. Texas
3. Notre Dame
4. West Virginia
5. LSU
6. Oklahoma
7. USC
8. Cal
9. Michigan
10. Auburn
11. Florida
12. Florida State
13. Georgia
14. Clemson
15. Louisville
16. Nebraska
17. Oregon
18. Iowa
19. Penn State
20. Miami (FL)
21. TCU
22. Alabama
23. Arizona State
24. Virginia Tech
25. Utah

Pac-10 Top 25 Capsules:

USC Trojans (12-1)
Key returnees: WR Dwayne Jarrett, WR Steve Smith, C Ryan Kalil, DE Lawrence Jackson

Spring star: FB Ryan Powdrell. Pressed into tailback duties because of injuries, the 260-pounder showed surprising running ability.

Lowdown: The offense will remain a mystery until the fall, when QB John David Booty returns from back surgery and several freshmen arrive to replenish the depleted backfield. The Trojans' front seven should be strong, particularly at linebacker, but the secondary could be a weakness again.

California Golden Bears (8-4)
Key returnees: RB Marshawn Lynch, RB Justin Forsett, WR DeSean Jackson, CB Daymeion Hughes

Spring star: LB Worrell Williams. The athletic sophomore was a standout in practices and will likely earn a starting spot.

Lowdown: New offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar installed components of the spread offense, a scary thought considering Cal's plethora of weapons. The only question is which quarterback, Nate Longshore or Joe Ayoob, will run it. The defense, extremely young last year, should be improved.

Oregon Ducks (10-2)
Key returnees: QB Dennis Dixon, RB Jonathan Stewart, WR James Finley, S Patrick Chung

Spring star: WR Derrick Jones. The former USC signee could be Oregon's top receiver -- if the NCAA clears him to play.

Lowdown: The Ducks' defense, despite losing DT Haloti Ngata and three veteran defensive backs, has been impressive in scrimmages. The offense, however, which must replace weapons Terrence Whitehead, Demetrius Williams and Tim Day needs to develop more consistency.

Arizona St. Sun Devils
Arizona St. Sun Devils (7-5)
Key returnees: QBs Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter, WR Terry Richardson, TE Zach Miller

Spring star: LB Mike Nixon. The 22-year-old walk-on and former Triple-A catcher has made a push for major playing time.

Lowdown: There's little question the offense will be explosive regardless of which QB starts. As for ASU's oft-maligned defense, transfers Michael Marquardt (BYU) and Loren Howard (Northwestern) figure to beef up the line, while speedy WR Rudy Burgess is also playing cornerback.

[brady_44]

I'm glad to see both Iowa and Arizona State are mentioned in the top 25. ASU has all the talent in the world... unfortunately they have a mediocre coach at best. If only Iowa could have ASU's talent, or ASU could have Iowa's coach.

[Go-Pac]

It appears to be fair enough, although I question why ND would be so highly ranked. I still think they were overrated last year.

[ASU_Husker]

What's sad is that if Notre Dame goes %.500 they will still be a top 10 team somehow.

xxxxxxx

[brady_44]

As much as I don't like Notre Dame, I think they will be pretty good this year. Not a top 5 team, but definately better than they were last year. I'm not sure how I missed it the first time I looked at this post, but Cal at #8??? If Ayoob is the quarterback I can't see them staying there.