Preseason Top 25: 16-20

We continue with our Preseason countdown with #16-20.

#20 Oregon – Call me one of the initial haters. It was hard for me to imagine Oregon’s offense being as dangerous as it was last year without its two star players: Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart. The entire nation saw what happened to its offense without Dixon after his season ending injury: Consecutive losses to Arizona, UCLA and OSU. However, while I’m not fully drinking the green kool-aid, I still think Oregon has firmly put itself in position to fight for the #2 spot in the conference. I firmly expect RB Jeremiah Johnson to be one of the premier backs in the conference, and coaches are raving about expected QB starter Nate Costa. But more importantly, Oregon’s defense returns 7 starters including a star studded and experienced secondary. With a young QB (no matter how talented) and a road schedule that features the toughest conference teams on the road (USC, ASU, OSU, Cal), I’m predicting the Sun Bowl for the Ducks this year. (Predicted regular season finish: 8-4)

(That's a whole lot of...hair.)

#19 Penn State – I could have had the Nittany Lions pegged much higher for a couple of reasons. They are re-implementing the spread offense. The last time they ran the spread? 2005. When they won the Big Ten title and went 11-1. This year, they do it with arguably more talent at each position with the exception of QB. And I could also consider a defense with 8 returning starters who should still have a solid linebacking corps. despite losing Chris Lee for the season in the spring. Also, Penn State’s only real non-conference threat this year is Oregon State who has traditionally sputtered against non-conference opponents early in the season. However, much of PSU’s success this year will be contingent on how they handle the challenge of a 5 game stretch in which they face Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin away, Michigan, and oh yeah, the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe. Drop only one or two of those, and expect the Lions to float to another 10-2 regular season finish. Lose the first two conference games back to back however, and they could go into a tailspin. (Predicted regular season finish: 9-3)

#18 Texas – Love him or hate him (I side with the latter), you have to respect what Mack Brown has done at Texas. Although the team enters into the season with questions at nearly every position, you have to think that a team that has had seven consecutive 10-win seasons is a lock for another Top 25 finish. However, with Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas Tech, and Kansas all on their schedule this year, I predict that it may be another year before the Longhorns are in the mix for another Big 12 Championship and BCS Bowl. (Predicted Regular season finish: 9-3)


#17 Tennessee - The Volunteers will have another challenge in front of them coming off an SEC east Title. The heat again will be on Phil Fulmer to produce (as it is every year in Tenn) despite losing his offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe. The Bad News? QB Erik Ainge is gone to the NFL. The Good News? The Volunteers return 7 starters from an offense that is much more experienced than the unit that took the field at Memorial Stadium last season. The Bad News for the Defense? The Volunteers need to replace 1st round draft pick LB Jerod Mayo, but return LB Rico McCoy and SS Eric Berry with 4 other returning starters. The beginning of the season looks tough with UCLA, UAB, Florida, and @ Auburn (although going to the Rose Bowl doesn't look as tough as it did 8 months ago). However, Tennessee could very well be 1-3 going into October. Or they could be 3-1. In either case, it's hard to imagine Tennessee not losing 3 games or so this year with road trips at Auburn, Georgia, and South Carolina, in addition to games against Florida and increasingly feisty Miss State. I think Fulmer has enough talent to aim for 3rd in the SEC East this year. (Predicted regular season finish: 9-3)

(3rd just ain't good enough.)

#16 Cal - So here's the thing about the Bears. I can see Cal going 10-2 this year. I can also just as easily see us going 6-6 with all the questions the team has going into its season opener against Michigan State. Who will be the QB? How will the 3-4 defense work against the Pac-10? Will Frank Cignettin's playcalling help or hurt the Bears? Who will be kicking? How will a brand new receiving corps do in the pass heavy Pac-10? How will the new uniforms look? My goodness. The logical prediction would be to aim somewhere in between 6 and 10 wins and look at a 8-4 regular season. Call me an eternal optimist. Or a Cal blogger who's read more about the Bears in the past week than many do in a given year. Given what I've read and heard, I really do think that Jeff Tedford's squad has a chance to surprise a lot of people this year. The Bears's success will ride heavily on Cal's O-line, a more experienced and hungry defense, and a team who has committed to rid themselves of any and all issues that may have led to last year's 1-6 regular season finish. Given all of Cal's questions, a 9-3 finish and a Holiday Bowl will be considered a huge accomplishment for even the most cynical of Cal fans. (Predicted regular season finish: 9-3)