15. Arizona State (10-3 last season) The Sun Devils should finish second in the Pac 10 this year. They have senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter coming back, as well as their leading rusher and top two receivers.
They bring back their leading tackler, linebacker Travis Goethel, and their leader in the secondary, safety Troy Nolan. Arizona State returns their entire front four on defense.
Coach Dennis Erickson has done a remarkable turnaround job.
While the Sun Devils look great on paper, after the way they were embarrassed in a loss to Texas last season at the Holiday Bowl, it's hard to rank them higher up than this.
Their Sept. 20 home game against Georgia will show whether they have a legitimate shot at beating USC.
14. Texas (10-3 last season) Even though Texas is not in the top 10, hold off on the death threats. They very well could be there by the end of the season. However, the team doesn't have enough proven talent to be ranked there just yet.
Losing Jamaal Charles on offense is a definite concern.
Vondrell McGee has yet to prove he's more than a short-yardage back at running back. Redshirt freshman Fozzy Whitaker is getting good reports based on his off-season and spring workouts but has yet to show what he can do in a game. Chris Ogbonnaya is a nice guy and a team leader, but he scares opposing defenses about as much as (insert your own analogy here for something non-threatening).
Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby have always been good supplementary threats at wide receiver, but this is the first year they'll be go-to guys. Jermichael Finley is another big loss.
The coaches say Brian Orakpo is looking great, and defensive tackle Roy Miller was named to the Bednarik Award watch list. It will be exciting to see what Sergio Kindle and Roddrick Muckelroy can do at the starting linebacker spots, as many felt they should have been starting last year.
The secondary is unproven and will be a concern. The good news is that Will Muschamp has come from Auburn to revive the defense. If Muschamp can work his magic, watch out for Texas.
Oh, but there's a little more bad news to go with the good. Texas plays nine bowl teams from last year.
13. BYU (11-2 last year) Favor BYU in every game they play this season, including Washington and UCLA. The Cougars have posted back-to-back 11-win seasons.
Junior Max Hall returns at quarterback after throwing for 3,848 yards last season, and his top four receivers come back with him.
MWC Freshman of the Year Harvey Unga set a conference record for all-purpose yards. He'll give opposing defenses fits again as a sophomore.
Defense could be a concern with the team losing its top two tacklers.
BYU was 16-0 in the MWC the last two years and 12-0 at home. The next step for them would be to make a BCS bowl this season. If they avoid the injury bug, the Cougars could do just that.
12. Texas Tech (9-4 last year) Longhorn fans want to believe the Red Raiders are over-hyped this year. Just don't say you weren't warned.
Tech ranked second in the nation in total offense, and quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree are at it again. Harrell is a third-year starter and led the nation in passing last season. One area he needs to improve, though, is interceptions.
Tech uses a running-back-by-committee approach led by Shannon Woods, last year's leading rusher.
Offensive lineman Louis Vasquez made the first-team All-Big 12 last season and returns to lead the line this season.
Tech's defense improved significantly under new defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, finishing third in the Big 12 in total defense. What was a young defense last year returns eight starters, so for the first time under Mike Leach, Tech's defense is actually a strength for the team. All-Big 12 third team selection defensive end Brandon Williams leads the defensive line, and leading tackler Marlon Williams returns at linebacker.
First-team All-Big 12 cornerback Jamar Wall is back with third-team All-Big 12 safety Darcel McBath to wreak havoc in the secondary.
When Tech hosts Texas in Lubbock on Nov. 1, the Raiders should be undefeated.
11. Auburn (9-4 last season) Dual-threat quarterback Kodi Burns hasn't exactly secured the starting spot yet, according to insiders. Texas Tech transfer Chris Todd is making a strong push for the job.
Tiger fans are excited about the addition of Tony Franklin as offensive coordinator. Franklin will bring a high-octane spread offense to a team that previously ran a bland West Coast offense. The team's leading rusher, Ben Tate, returns, as do five starters on the offensive line.
Rodgeriqus Smith made some big catches at wide receiver last year and will be the team's go-to threat again this year. They return a lot of players on defense also.
With the returning talent coming back, the Tigers will be a force to be reckoned with out of the SEC. They caught a break by not having Florida on the schedule.
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