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With only a few days left until the official start of the 2008 college football season, it’s time to unveil my preseason Top 15. Why 15? There are two reasons:

First of all, college football is about championships. Any team that starts the season ranked lower than No. 15 really doesn’t have a shot at capturing a title. Since I’m more interested in who is the best than I am in who’s pretty good, I’ve cut from the traditional top 25 format used by the AP, Coaches Poll, SUPP poll and others.

The other reason I chose to do a Top 15 is because while it’s difficult to distinguish between No. 7 and No. 8, it’s a crapshoot to figure out if No. 17 is really better than No. 22. So I don’t bother. At the end of my Top 15, I’ll list five to 10 fringe schools that are on the edge of Top 15 glory.

And now, without further ado…

The Top 15.

No. 1 – USC Trojans

While I like to go out on a limb, it’s ridiculous to think that Southern Cal isn’t the best team in the country at this point. This is an interesting year in college football because most top tier teams seem to be breaking in a new quarterback. USC doesn’t have that problem, and that’s the primary reason they start the season at the top.

No. 2 – Texas Longhorns

Here’s a team that hasn’t gotten its due. They didn’t lose as much as a lot of other top contenders, and they’ve got Colt McCoy coming back a year more mature. The defense will be a question mark, but this should be one of the most potent offenses in the nation.

No. 3 – Michigan Wolverines

With Chad Henne, Jake Long, Mike Hart and Mario Manningham, Michigan has the talent to be the best offense in all of college football. They’d be No. 1 except for two major problems: Their defense lost a lot to the NFL, and Lloyd Carr’s made a habit of getting outcoached in big games over the last five or six seasons (see Tressel, Jim).

No. 4 – West Virginia Mountaineers

While run-first quarterbacks haven’t shown much success at the pro level, pure athleticism still wins in college, and the Mountaineers have that in spades. Thinking about Pat White and Steve Slaton running the option is the type of thing that breaks up a Defensive Coordinator’s marriage.

No. 5 – Arkansas Razorbacks

I don’t know why everybody is so hyped up on LSU and Florida. Those teams lost so much this off-season that it seems ludicrous to project them as title contenders. To me, Arkansas gets the No. 5 ranking thanks to another No. 5 — Darren McFadden.

No. 6 – Louisville Cardinals

Sure, they lost Michael Bush, but he’s spent the last couple years injured anyways. More important is going to be the losses of coach Bobby Petrino and defensive tackle Amobi Okoye. Still, with the nation’s best QB in Brian Brohm, I don’t see anyway Louisville doesn’t contend this season.

No. 7 – Ohio State Buckeyes

2006 Nagurski Award winner James Laurinaitis anchors what should be a top five defense this season. Throw in Heisman darkhorse Chris Wells and you have a team that, with a little luck, could find themselves playing in New Orleans come January.

No. 8 – LSU Tigers

Matt Flynn and Early Doucet may not be the forces that JaMarcus Russell and Dwayne Bowe were, but they should be enough. For LSU, it’s always about defense, and somehow they piece together a great unit no matter how many players they lose to the NFL.

No. 9 – Florida Gators

While everybody in SEC country is already touting the Gators as repeat champs, I’d like to see Tim Tebow throw some passes first. Urban Meyer’s recruiting classes have been rated very highly at Florida, and with only a few of former Gator coach Ron Zook’s guys left, we’ll see if Meyer’s team can live up to the hype.

No. 10 – Florida State Seminoles

ACC, I almost forgot about you. That could be because you were by far the worst BCS conference last season, and it doesn’t look much better this year. But with Bobby Bowden finally willing to make some changes, a rejuvenated and more experienced FSU squad will win their conference this year.

No. 11 – UCLA Bruins

Last year’s win against USC breathed some life back into this program, and with 20 returning starters, they should be the second best team in the Pac 10. But if they fail to live up to those expectations, expect Karl Dorrell to have a new address in 2008.

No. 12 – Wisconsin Badgers

Some see a Big Ten contender in Madison, but all I see is a team that’s slightly worse than conference rival Ohio State. PJ Hill is good; Chris Wells is better. The Badger defense is good; the Buckeye defense is better. Bret Bielema is good; Jim Tressel is better. Still, a team that’s slightly worse than OSU is still better than most.

No. 13 – Virginia Tech Hokies

It will be interesting to see how this team plays in the wake of April’s tragedy. As emotionally charged as they may be, the Hokies always seem to be a team that’s just good enough to lose to the really good teams, and I can’t find a reason to think this year will be different.

No. 14 – Oklahoma Sooners

This one is pretty simple. No Adrian Peterson means their National Championship hopes are slim. The last two seasons have shown that Mack Brown can beat Bob Stoops, and Texas is loaded this year. Look for the Sooners to have a pretty good season despite losing their third straight in the series.

No. 15 – TCU Horned Frogs

Not just a shoutout to small conference, TCU should be legitimately good this year. They won’t top Boise State’s run last season, but I expect them to be better than the third and fourth tier teams from the major conferences.

On the Fringe:
Auburn Tigers, Cal Bears, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Tennessee Volunteers

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Normally at this juncture I’d make a few observations from around college football. However, since this is the preseason edition, instead we’ll go with some more predictions.

Heisman Trophy – Darren McFadden, Arkansas
Last season’s runner-up is the frontrunner to win this years award. The truly elite teams have a lot of balance on their offenses, and Pat White and Steve Slaton will take votes away from each other. That leaves McFadden and Louisville’s Brian Brohm as the top candidates.

McFadden runs hard and fast, and even when teams try to stack the line against him, he delivers. He’s the most unstoppable single player in all of college football, and he’ll win the most prestigious award in what is likely his last season.

Coach of the Year – Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
While the Hokies will have a good — but not great — season, the fact that they’ll play well at all after the tragic shootings on campus in April will make them America’s team. The head of the nation’s sentimental favorite will win the award for guiding his team through the adversity.

BCS Bowl predictions
National Championship Game — USC over Texas
Rose Bowl — Michigan over UCLA
Sugar Bowl — Arkansas over Louisville
Orange Bowl — West Virginia over Florida State
Fiesta Bowl — Ohio State over LSU

Tags: ncaa football, ohio state football