Coming from a Big Ten school other than Ohio State (Go Blue!) I HATE seeing OSU in the #1 position. I believe they are a top 5 team, but definitely not #1. Consider this Obiora: you are crowning a team number one that not only lost its bowl game (a second consecutive BEATDOWN by an SEC team) but one that also doesn’t play a conference championship game. On a side note, Notre Dame, PLEASE step up and join the Big Ten; it would give the conference 12 teams and hence a conference championship game. Thank You. Now. The Buckeyes did keep both their best defensive players and bringing back Laurinaitis and Jenkins is a big boost to that defense. Wells is definitely a Heisman contender, but he is probably 3rd on that list. Pryor brings a lot of hype and will probably play as a frosh, but will he have a big impact? Too early to tell.

USC should be #1. Their destruction of Illinois (who was over-matched) showed they were a lot better than people thought. They were plagued by injuries all year and were finally healthy at the end of the year. The loss of Booty, Davis, Ellis, Jackson, and Rivers will hurt but Pete Carroll continues to recruit amazing talent. Having McKnight (maybe the fastest player in the country) in the backfield will help first year starter Sanchez settle in. Patrick Turner (another Trojan to wear the #1 jersey), who is just as big as Mike Williams and faster than Dwayne Jarrett should have a huge year. The emergence of Everson Griffen on the D-line will bolster the D-line who lost two starters to the NFL. The 2^nd game of the year against the Buckeyes will be a good test to see who earns the top spot in the rankings early on.

Georgia, who SHOULD have played USC last year in the Rose Bowl is my #2 team. Stafford has a cannon for an arm and had a great spring. Massaquoi coming back will definitely give Stafford a #1 option. Moreno is a definite Heisman contender, and (I believe) a better back than Wells, who plays in a weaker conference. Moreno is a back who can break it at any time or run over people and here’s a shock: he doesn’t celebrate elaborately. He sprints back to the huddle. WHAT A CONCEPT! Even though they lost Tomas Brown to the NFL, they have a quality back up in Lumpkin who should keep Moreno fresh in the hard-hitting SEC. The defense had its best game against Colt Brennan and the Warriors and continue to improve. This is the year Mark Richt and the Bulldogs will be the team to beat in the SEC.

Florida or Ohio State would be my #3. I will give the edge to Florida, since they destroyed Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game and…because I hate the Buckeyes. Florida, who should have lost by a lot more to Michigan in their bowl game (Mike Hart lost 2 fumbles inside the 2) returns a ton of talent. Heisman winning QB Tebow is back. It will be hard to top the 20/20 year he had last year but he looks good. Percy Harvin (the new Reggie Bush) could be a Heisman contender at the end of the season and transfer from USC Emmanuel Moody is legit. The loss of Moss on defense is big but Meyer and Jackson will have the Gators playing fast in September. The Gators have a tough schedule this year, playing both Miami and Florida St. again and games @ Tennessee and @ Georgia. Trying to win in the SEC is no joke.

Oklahoma is my next team at 5, behind Ohio State. Even though they could not contain the speed of WV in the Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma is still a talented team. Bob Stoops is a great coach and will have a lot of questions to answer after losing two straight bowl games to weaker conference teams. Losing Malcolm Kelly hurts the offense but sophomore QB Bradford will continue to improve on his amazing freshman year. The top two RB’s did not play much this spring but will be healthy in the fall. Oklahoma’s defense is stout again, even tho they lost 3 starters in their backfield to the NFL. Franks looks like he will be standout in that backfield.

West Virginia is not too far behind Oklahoma. They showed they could run with the big boys, literally, with Noel Devine slicing up the Sooner’s D in the Fiesta Bowl. A new coach and a passionate hatred of Rodriguez could easily put the Mountaineers on top of a weak conference. If Pat White and Noel Devine stay healthy, WV could be the #1 scoring team in the nation, similarly to when White was a freshman and Steve Slaton was setting records. (I will miss Owen Schmitt slamming his helmet into his own forehead.) The question mark for them is the defense. Without Rodriguez, will the 3-3-5 work?

My next in line would be Missouri, Clemson and LSU. Missouri is coming off an amazing year and Chase Daniel is a pre-season Heisman candidate. Clemson still keeps maybe the best running back tandem in the nation with the electrifying CJ Spiller (see game against VT) and all around play maker James Davis. Questions come at the QB position and defense. They should be able to win the weak ACC. LSU is the defending national champs but lost a ton of talent. Les Miles is a great coach but not only did they lose Flynn to the NFL, their next in line, Perrilloux was kicked off the team. Can LSU replace all the talent lost to the NFL and compete in the insanely tough SEC with Georgia, Florida and emerging Alabama? We shall see.

So to recap, here are my Elite 8:

• USC
• Georgia
• Florida
• Ohio State
• Oklahoma
• West Virginia
• Missouri
• Clemson/LSU

As a hat tip to fellow DeepSlant-ers SK and Obiora, here are my Final Four (ya know, if there was a college football playoff and all): Georgia, USC, Ohio State and winner of the Big 12 (Oklahoma?).

Photo Credit: USC Trojans/AP