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January 2007
Projecting next season’s Top 25
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the 2006 season in the books, here’s an early look at our projected Top 25 for ‘07:
1. Southern Cal. Dolphins officials reportedly made a trip to Costa Rica over the weekend to court Pete Carroll (right), who’d be wise to stay on campus. All-everything receiver Dwayne Jarrett will likely leave early for the NFL, but the Trojans have a ton of other talent back. So loaded is Southern Cal that John David Booty, who’ll be on a lot of preseason Heisman lists, will have to stave off Mark Sanchez just to keep his starting quarterback job. All but one starter returns on defense.
2. West Virginia. With quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton both set to return, the Mountaineers will be in position to run the table. WVU ought to be undefeated going into its eighth game — against Bobby Petrino-less Louisville — with a non-conference schedule of Ball State, Marshall, Mississippi State, Maryland and East Carolina.
3. Oklahoma. The Sooners will likely lose junior tailback Adrian Peterson to the NFL, but Allen Patrick showed this past fall he’ll be a fine fill-in. If Oklahoma can find an adequate quarterback to replace Paul Thompson — Sam Bradford and Keith Nichol are the top contenders — it should be in the national championship mix.
4. Ohio State. The Buckeyes will sure miss Heisman winner Troy Smith, but if tailback Antonio Pittman and receiver Ted Ginn Jr. decide to stay in school, the new quarterback will have it easy. The defensive line needs work, but Nagurski Award-winning linebacker James Laurinaitis is back. And don’t forget: Ohio State had to replace nine starters on defense in 2006 — and things turned out all right.
5. Florida. Chris Leak, the school’s all-time leading passer, played his last game for the Gators on Monday, but sophomore replacement Tim Tebow should excel in Urban Meyer’s spread offense. There’s plenty of talent at receiver, headlined by Percy Harvin, and four of five starters return on the offensive line. The rebuilding will be done on defense, where safety Reggie Nelson is likely to split early for the NFL.
6. LSU. JaMarcus Russell is reportedly leaving for the NFL, but the Tigers are still stocked with quarterbacks ready to step in. Matt Flynn was the MVP of the 2005 Chick-fil-A Bowl, and Ryan Perriloux was one of the nation’s top recruits two years ago. The Tigers may have a tougher time replacing star safety LaRon Landry and offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher (left Monday for Florida State). The SEC schedule gets easier for the Tigers, with trips to Mississippi State, Kentucky, Alabama and Ole Miss.
7. Texas. Colt McCoy threw 29 touchdown passes as a freshman, and things will only get better. The 2005 national champs stumbled down the stretch this fall, but Mack Brown has recruited so well that the Longhorns should challenge Oklahoma for the Big 12 South. Strength: wide receiver (Limas Sweed, Billy Pittman, Quan Cosby). Weakness: a hole-filled secondary.
8. Michigan. Defensive tackle Alan Branch announced Monday he’s leaving early for the NFL, but quarterback Chad Henne and tailback Mike Hart say they will be back. Michigan likely will start the season a little bit higher in most polls, but the Rose Bowl stinker against Southern Cal is too fresh to put them in the top five now.
9. Arkansas. The ground game is as good as it gets, with Heisman favorite Darren McFadden headed into his junior season. But the Hogs have to get better in the passing game, which struggled under Mitch Mustain and Casey Dick. Three more causes for concern: SEC sack leader Jamaal Anderson and cornerback Chris Houston are leaving for the NFL, and the schedule includes trips to LSU, Tennessee and Alabama.
10. Virginia Tech. After Sean Glennon’s meltdown in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, there are questions about whether the sophomore can hang on to the starting quarterback job. The rest of the offense is in great shape, with 1,137-yard rusher Brandon Ore at tailback and one of the nation’s top receiving groups. Eight starters return to the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense.
11. Louisville. The Cardinals might be able to survive the loss of Petrino. But if they also lose quarterback Brian Brohm and tailback Michael Bush to the NFL, they’ll have a tough time coming close to matching this season’s 12-1 team.
12. Wake Forest. Jim Grobe has said the 2007 version of the Demon Deacons could be even better than Wake’s 2006 ACC champs. If tailback Micah Andrews (Greater Atlanta Christian) makes it all the way back from knee surgery, the offense could be one of the ACC’s finest.
13. Wisconsin. The bad news: The Badgers need a new quarterback — and he’ll have to lead the team against Ohio State (away) and Michigan (home) on back-to-back weekends. The good news: John Stocco’s replacement under center can hand the ball to star tailback P.J. Hill.
14. Auburn. If the Tigers can find some receivers and a few linemen, quarterback Brandon Cox should be able to bounce back from a junior season to forget. After waiting his turn behind fellow former Gwinnett County star Kenny Irons, Parkview’s Brad Lester will likely be the feature back. The schedule could be an issue, with trips to LSU, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia.
15. Nebraska. Bill Callahan’s Cornhuskers are coming off a Big 12 North title but finished the season with a thud in the Big 12 final, then the Cotton Bowl. Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller, who has one year of eligibility left, could step in and make the offense even better than it was under Zac Taylor.
16. Georgia. The Bulldogs will find out today if they finished the season among the nationally ranked, but either way, they’ll take some serious momentum into spring practice after knocking off Auburn, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. The offensive line will be a major concern, Georgia needs some young linebackers to come through, and the schedule is challenging from the start (Oklahoma State in week 1, South Carolina in week 2).
17. Tennessee . Record-setting receiver Robert Meachem decided to turn pro early, but the offense still should be among the SEC’s finest with Erik Ainge handing off to Montario Hardesty, LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster. After going 5-6 in 2005, Tennessee took a step in the right direction this fall. But Phillip Fulmer needs to take another one in 2007 to keep the critics at bay.
18. Rutgers. With tailback Ray Rice back to challenge Arkansas’ McFadden for the Heisman, the offense should be strong again. But Greg Schiano has to fill some big holes on defense, which could keep the Scarlet Knights from challenging West Virginia and Louisville for the Big East crown.
19. South Carolina. South Carolina’s hope of making mischief in the SEC suffered a setback Sunday when star receiver Sidney Rice announced he was NFL-bound. But Spurrier has settled on his quarterback (LaGrange’s Blake Mitchell) and returns one of the SEC’s top rushing tandems (Cory Boyd, Mike Davis). The schedule’s tough, with trips to Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas.
20. Florida State. Because the Seminoles had to play so many young guys on defense during an injury-riddled 2006, FSU will be loaded on that side of the ball. The big question in Tallahassee: Will new coordinator Jimbo Fisher be able to take quarterback Drew Weatherford’s game to the next level?
21. Notre Dame. This may be a little lofty for the Irish, who lose Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardjiza and three offensive linemen. Star recruit Jimmy Clausen will get a long look at quarterback, former Buford High star Darius Walker is back at tailback, and the defense has nowhere to go but up.
22. Texas A&M. The Aggies bought themselves a lot of good will by beating Texas, then took a step backward in a Holiday Bowl drubbing by Cal. Most of the key guys are back on offense, and eight starters return on defense.
23. TCU. The Horned Frogs might have to rely on a defense that welcomes back nine starters while Gary Patterson breaks in a new quarterback and tailback.
24. Boise State. Quarterback Jared Zabransky is gone, but tailback Ian Johnson, the other star of last week’s upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, returns.
25. Oklahoma State. Georgia’s in for a tougher season-opening test than usual. The Cowboys bring back Dantrell Savage, who could be an All-Big 12 running back, as well as starting quarterback Bobby Reid.
Best of the rest: 26. Maryland, 27. Alabama, 28. Clemson, 29. Penn State, 30. UCLA, 31. Arizona State, 32. Miami, 33. Texas Tech, 34. Cal, 35. Houston, 36. South Florida, 37. BYU, 38. Hawaii, 39. Iowa, 40. Oregon State
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