Mouth of the South - Top 25 Time

By Gary Lloyd
Love of Sports Correspondent

Last week, the USA Today preseason college football coaches poll was released.

Now, I’m not in favor of any preseason poll. They’re based on everything except the play on the field.

And that’s obviously what polls should be based on.

However, I guess the good thing about the polls is that they give us something to yap about up until kickoff.

So, you have to like that. And that’s what I’m going to do – analyze the poll.

Coaches Poll Breakdown

1. Georgia: Without a doubt one of the Top 5 teams in the country, but I’m not so sure about the Dawgs being No. 1 with the difficult schedule they have to deal with this season. Just the SEC schedule alone is strenuous. Combine that with the likes of Arizona State, Central Michigan and Georgia Tech, and you’ve got a recipe for upsets. A Top 5 ranking is deserved, but not No. 1.

2. USC: The Trojans open the season with tough tests at Virginia in the first week, followed by #3 Ohio State at home. After that, the schedule’s pretty favorable for them. Southern Cal’s solid at No. 2, and being No. 1 wouldn’t be too farfetched.

3. Ohio State: Take away the game at USC on September 13th and Ohio State’s schedule is pretty favorable. After all, it is the Big Ten. I mean, road games against Wisconsin and Illinois will be difficult, but nothing this team can’t handle. It’s the BCS Championship Game the Buckeyes have to worry about – especially if an SEC team is the opponent!

4. Oklahoma: Can a team be underrated at #4? Is the grass green? The offensive line is essentially the same, Sam Bradford and his 36 touchdown passes returns and DeMarco Murray will be one of the top backs in the Big 12. The defense will be stellar yet again. Plus, the Sooners get Texas, Kansas and Texas Tech at home, and they don’t have to face Missouri at all. This team should be No. 1, in my opinion.

5. Florida: The Gators are one of those teams I’m not too sure about yet. So, for now, I guess I’ll have to take this ranking for what it’s worth. Playing at Tennessee and Georgia will decide the Florida’s bowl fate.

6. LSU: The defending champs lost a lot of leaders to the NFL and graduation, so naturally, I question this ranking being so high. The raw talent’s there to make a run at the SEC, so we’ll just have to let the season play out. Oh, and fear Appalachian State!

7. Missouri: Missouri misses out on playing Oklahoma and Texas Tech, so I can easily see Chase Daniel shocking the world again by leading Mizzou to 11 regular season wins. The Tigers are a legitimate contender.

8. West Virginia: As long as Pat White keeps quiet and throws … err, runs … the ball, the Mountaineers will be a Big East force. His legs, as well as those of Noel Devine’s, will keep this team running toward a Big East title. I don’t see this team in the national title picture, though.

9. Clemson: If Clemson doesn’t win early and often, Tommy Bowden could be boxing up his assets. However, if this team scores points like I think it will, and freshman DaQuan Bowers has the impact he should on defense, I expect the Tigers to be a darkhorse for the national title.

10. Texas: The offensive line will have to come together to protect Colt McCoy this season (sacked 24 times in ‘07). Playmakers will have to emerge for this young team to have a shot. Road games at Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Kansas suggest immense difficulty. So do home games against Missouri and Texas A&M. This Longhorn squad could really fall if it gets off to a bad start.

11. Auburn: They’ll be one of the Top 20 teams in America all season, but I don’t know if No. 11 is the way to go just yet. Kodi Burns has to prove he can run the spread offense, and the defense has to learn a new system. Two new coordinators and subsequently two new systems isn’t the greatest combination. We’ll see how the Tigers adjust.

12. Wisconsin: I don’t know much about the Badgers, but one thing is for sure – P.J. Hill is a stud at running back. He’ll undoubtedly be the load-carrier this season. The front seven is as experienced as any in the Big Ten, so the run defense should be solid. The secondary is very young, though, so that weakness could be exploited more than anything.

13. Kansas: The Jayhawks will be solid again this year, but won’t be a BCS bowl team like they were in ‘07. Games at South Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri make the schedule very difficult. I could see KU as a four or five-loss team if things don’t go their way.

14. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders could surprise a lot of people this season, assuming the defense comes to play every week. They’re going to score points - and lots of them. Playing at Kansas State, Texas A&M, Kansas and Oklahoma leads me to believe this team isn’t quite the cream of the crop in the Big 12 just yet.

15. Virginia Tech: Looks like the Hokies will be an inexperienced, young squad this season. They should be OK at the quarterback spot with Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, but all other skill positions are in question. The offensive line returns four starters, but those four were unproductive a year ago. The defense will be very young as well. I think a #15 preseason ranking for the Hokies is too high.

16. Arizona State: The Sun Devils have the skill players to put up a lot of points in the Pac 10. However, it comes down to the offensive line protecting quarterback Rudy Carpenter. He was sacked 54 times last year. Yeah, 54!

17. BYU: Brigham Young will take the Mountain West Conference title again this year, and quarterback Max Hall will be the Player of the Year. Just two losses and a BCS bowl opportunity are likely for the Cougars.

18. Tennessee: This is one of those teams that’s hard for me to predict. The Vols, to me, could go anywhere from 7-5 to 10-2. The playmakers are there on both sides of the ball. It’s just a matter of staying consistent. I’ll basically split the difference here and say UT finishes 8-4.

19. Illinois: Quarterback Juice Williams will have a lot more on his shoulders (and legs) this season without tailback Rashard Mendenhall there to help. Both sides of the ball are young, but talented, so expect some sporadic play from the Fighting Illini this year, to say the least.

20. Oregon: The Ducks have a very difficult schedule this season, and are without quarterback Dennis Dixon and tailback Jonathan Stewart. Those are huge losses, but they allow other skill players to step up and make plays. At best, I see Oregon as a nine-win team.

21. South Florida: USF will once again put up lots of points in the Big East. They’ll have to, because the defense will likely be surrendering its own share. The Bulls’ last game of the season, at West Virginia, could decide who wins the Big East in ’08.

22. Penn State: I think the road schedule’s too tough for Penn State to finish as one of the Top 25 teams in America. Trips to Syracuse, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa could easily all be losses for the Nittany Lions.

23. Wake Forest: Offensively, the skill players are in place to compete for an ACC Championship. The fate of this team rests with the inexperienced offensive line. The defense should be solid, especially at the linebacker positions. Don’t sleep on the Demon Deacons.

24. Michigan: A first-year head coach bringing the spread offense to a young team has disaster written all over it. However, if all goes well, the Wolverines could surprise a lot of people to the tune of nine or 10 wins.

25. Fresno State: The Bulldogs return all their top skill players from last year’s 8-4 team, making Fresno the odds on favorite to take down the WAC Championship.

Well, that’s my analysis of a Top 25 that shouldn’t be released at this point in time. But, since it is, and I just analyzed it, here’s what mine would look like if I were lucky enough to have an official vote.

Mouth of the South’s Top 25

1. Oklahoma
2. USC
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Missouri
6. Florida
7. Clemson
8. LSU
9. West Virginia
10. Auburn
11. Texas Tech
12. BYU
13. Wisconsin
14. Kansas
15. Arizona State
16. Texas
17. Tennessee
18. South Florida
19. Virginia Tech
20. Wake Forest
21. Fresno State
22. Illinois
23. Oregon
24. Alabama
25. Central Michigan

(Gary Lloyd’s Mouth of the South column appears in this spot each and every Wednesday.)