There's
one very important distinction in the CFN preseason rankings: these
are based on how good the teams are going into the season and NOT
how they're going to finish. Some teams have easier
schedules than others, some get tougher road games and some will
need a little bit of time to jell meaning they might be better than
their final record might indicate. Going into the year, these are
how good the teams appear to be from No. 1 through 119.
The predicted finishes don't take into account possible bowl games
or conference championships.
No. 1 to No. 10
| No. 11 to
20 |
No. 21 to 29 |
No. 30 to
39 |
No. 40 to 49
No. 50 to
59 |
No. 60 to 69 |
No. 70 to
79 |
No. 80 to 89 |
No. 90 to
99
No. 100 to
109 |
No. 110 to 119
39. Boise
State
Predicted Finish:
11-1 2005
Predicted Finish: 10-2 2005 Record: 9-4
New head coach Chris Petersen won't change the high-octane offense too
much, if at all, considering he was the team's offensive coordinator
last year. If the defense isn't the best in the WAC by a long shot, then
that means something went horribly, horribly wrong. The secondary will
give up a ton of yards, as it always does at BSU, but it's full of All-WAC
talents who can all run. Korey Hall and Colt Brooks lead a loaded
linebacking corps, and the line, anchored by Andrew Browning, should be
dominant against the inept WAC rushing games. With the new rules, the
BCS is possible.
Relative Strengths: offensive line, quarterback Relative
Weaknesses: defensive line, secondary
38. Utah
Predicted Finish:
11-1 2005
Predicted Finish: 10-1 2005 Record: 7-5
The defense returns seven starters, but where will they play? Safety
Casey Evans moves to linebacker after finishing second on the team in
tackles, top nose guard Kelly Talavou will move to tackle, and
All-America talent Eric Weddle will move anywhere in the secondary that
needs him. Those are just the high-profile moves; there are plenty of
more players still trying to figure out where their homes are. Yeah, the
defense will be fine, but it's the offense that'll get people buzzing
about Utah football. It all starts with the quarterback situation, which
is among the best in the nation with two Mountain West Player of the
Year talents in Brian Johnson and Brett Ratliff battling it out this
fall once Johnson returns from a torn ACL. The system makes stars out of
smart quarterbacks, and this twosome certainly fits the mold.
Relative Strengths: quarterback, offensive line Relative
Weaknesses: running back, special teams
37. Arizona
Predicted Finish:
4-8 2005
Predicted Finish: 4-7 2005 Record: 3-8
The defense should finally be up-to-snuff with ten starters returning
led by a linebacking corps that's finally healthy and should be a rock
as the year goes on, and a secondary that boasts All-Pac 10 caliber
talents Antoine Cason, Michael Johnson and Wilrey Fontenot. The line is
bigger and better now that end Marcus Smith is back after missing almost
all of last year. There's more depth everywhere than the program has had
in years. If that wasn't enough, the special teams should be among the
best in the nation. The tackles are there to give QB Willie Tuitama time
to work, the receiving corps is in place with Mike Thomas, Anthony
Johnson, and Syndric Steptoe all fast enough to make big plays, the
outlet receivers are there with three good tight ends and an emerging
safety valve in fullback Brandon Lopez, and the running game should be
more explosive with three lightning-fast prospects. The problem? The
schedule is a bear. The team will be far, far better than the final
record will indicate.
Relative Strengths: secondary, quarterback Relative
Weaknesses: offensive line, defensive line
36. Oregon
Predicted Finish:
7-5 2005
Predicted Finish: 7-4 2005 Record: 10-2
While this is a talented enough team to have a good season, this might
be a bit of a stepping-stone year to what should be a tremendous 2007
when almost all the key skill players return and the defense will be
loaded with experienced depth and several options. A late-season injury
to QB Kellen Clemens allowed Brady Leaf and Dennis Dixon to see
meaningful playing time, and now they should hit the ground running in a
two-quarterback system. Top receiver Demetrius Williams is gone, but
there's plenty of returning talent at receiver to hope for a sure-thing
number one target to emerge. The line will be the best in the Pac 10
with all five starters returning, but it has to be better at run
blocking. The time is now for top prospect Jonathan Stewart to shine as
the featured tailback. The league's best defense last year has some
question marks needing to find a sure-thing pass rusher and hoping for
the corners to shine right.
Relative Strengths: offensive line, running back Relative
Weaknesses: secondary, linebacker
35.
Washington State
Predicted Finish:
6-6
2005 Predicted Finish: 6-5 2005 Record: 4-7
While it didn't make a lot of national headlines, the decision of
receiver Jason Hill to come back for his senior year might have changed
the Pac 10 season. He's a top gamebreaker with All-America ability, and
combined with Michael Bumpus and Chris Jordan, should make quarterback
Alex Brink look very, very good. he defense should be better with a good
set of linebackers and end Mkristo Bruce to be one of the nation's best
pass rushers. Unfortunately, the new corners probably aren't going to
help a horrible pass defense from stopping any of the high-octane Pac 10
attacks cold.
Relative Strengths: receiver, linebacker Relative
Weaknesses: secondary, offensive line
34.
Michigan State
Predicted Finish:
8-4
2005 Predicted Finish: 8-3 2005 Record: 5-6
With 12 returning starters, a legitimate All-America quarterback
candidate in Drew Stanton leading one of the nation's top offenses, a
potentially better, more active defense, and special teams that can't be
worse than last season's group, there's the chance to finally put
together an even year and come up with the second winning season in the
last five years. This is hardly a great team, but there's no excuse to
not win at least eight with a win over a power like Ohio State or Notre
Dame thrown in there. Being a rock at home against Purdue and Minnesota
is a must.
Relative Strengths: quarterback, receiver Relative
Weaknesses: defensive line, secondary
33. Iowa
State
This should be a fun team that makes several big plays on both sides of
the ball and has the makeup to annoy the heck out of top ten-caliber
teams like Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma. The defense loses a ton of top
starters off the secondary and the defensive line, but the run defense
should once again be among the league's best led by Brent Curvey at
tackle and DeAndre Jackson at corner. If you can stop the run, you can
be a player in the Big 12 race. Iowa State can stop the run. Ten
starters return to an offense that has the potential to be the most
explosive in the Big 12 North.
Predicted Finish:
8-4 2005
Predicted Finish: 6-5 2005 Record: 7-5
Relative Strengths: receiver, quarterback Relative
Weaknesses: secondary, special teams
32.
Boston College
Predicted Finish:
8-4 2005
Predicted Finish: 8-3 2005 Record: 9-3
The offense will center around the running game early on with the 1-2
punch of L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender returning for a third
straight year and with more speed behind them. Matt Ryan is a big passer
who needs to make the average receiving corps shine. The offensive line
that allowed only 15 sacks last year won't be quite as good, but it'll
hardly be a liability. The Eagle defense has to replace all-star end
Mathias Kiwanuka and linebackers Ray Henderson and Ricky Brown, but the
secondary should be outstanding and there's enough beef upfront to give
most running games fits. Brian Toal leads a linebacking corps that
should very quietly be among the best in the ACC.
Relative Strengths: running back, secondary Relative
Weaknesses: receiver, quarterback
31. TCU
Predicted Finish:
9-3 2005
Predicted Finish: 7-4 2005 Record: 11-1
It's not like the team is without holes needing to replace four
starters on the offensive line and with inexperience at the tackles
and corners, but the pieces are in place for another run at the
Mountain West title. Patterson has put together a good program that
no one wants to face at this point and everyone will have to go
through to get the conference championship. Ten starters return on
offense if you count all three returning tailbacks, but there's a
problem up front with all-star Herbert Taylor the only returning
starter. QB Jeff Ballard needs to keep improving after a stellar
second half of last season by cutting down on interceptions and
making even more deep plays. Seven starters return to the Mountain
West's best defense after forcing a nation-leading 40 turnovers and
holding teams to 108 rushing yards per game.
Relative Strengths: running back, defensive line
Relative Weaknesses: offensive line, receiver
30.
Wisconsin
Predicted Finish:
9-3
2005 Predicted Finish: 7-5 2005 Record: 10-3
Many will once again underestimate the Badgers with only three starters
returning on an offense that loses the top seven pass catchers along
with touchdown machine Brian Calhoun, but the team is at a point where
it can reload. The new starting receivers could be among UW's fastest
ever, there are more than enough huge, pounding running backs to carry
the workload, and the line should be better with three legitimate
All-Big Ten candidates returning. The defense struggled last season
finishing 92nd in the nation, but that was mostly because of a young
line that never got healthy. Now there are eight fantastic prospects up
front, speed at outside linebacker and corner, and steady All-Big Ten
caliber players at safety and middle linebacker.
Relative Strengths: defensive line, special teams Relative
Weaknesses: receiver, running back
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