10. LOUISIANA TECH
The WAC strikes again! Let's just say that if the Bulldogs face an opponent with a shoddy run defense, look out. This rushing attack has the potential to be one of the nation's best statistically with Daniel Porter in the backfield and six starters returning to pave the way up front. Electric return man Phillip Livas and his 2,105 all-purpose yards are another reason to keep an eye on this (listed) receiver. The defensive line is extremely stout - big D'Anthony "Boo" Smith truly anchors the middle. Six players that were named to the All-WAC team in 2008 will return from a team that got eight wins and a bowl victory. Like most WAC teams, the secondary is porous. Ground/clock control is the aspect that can save this team, and they have a good one. Another bowl invite and an upset or two could be in store for Ruston.

LOUISIANA TECH OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 5 at Auburn
Sept. 12 at Navy
Nov. 6 Boise State
Nov. 14 at Louisiana State

9. CLEMSON
What a roller coaster ride for the Tigers. Just last year at this time Clemson was sitting in the top 10 in most preseason polls. The expectations were so great that when they failed to meet them right away, head coach Tommy Bowden was doomed. Well, it’s one year later, and Clemson can be found in no preseason top 25 polls. Big name players such as QB Cullen Harper, RB James Davis and WR Aaron Kelly have moved on. But the ACC Atlantic Division is totally up for grabs between all six teams, and if defense wins championships, Clemson is in a fine position. From top to bottom, this is the best defense in the ACC. No one from this side of the ACC is going to make national noise in the upper half of the polls, so Clemson may ironically find they can reach what they desperately tried to last year...the ACC Championship Game in Tampa.

CLEMSON OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 10 at Georgia Tech
Sept. 26 TCU
Nov. 7 Florida State

8. UNLV
Now here is some surprise pickin'! Before scoffing at such a pick, understand the Rebels had a shot at a .500 season and a bowl invitation a year ago only to fall short. After starting quarterback Omar Clayton went down with an injury, they still managed to do well. Clayton is healthy now after throwing 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions, and is going to push Max Hall for top conference quarterback honors. His receiver package of Ryan Wolfe and Phillip Payne may be the best the MWC has to offer. The front seven on defense is stout. Tackles Malo Taumua and Martin Tevaseu lead the front seven on defense, but it’s linebackers Jason Beauchamp and Starr Fuimaono who make this the best front seven the Rebels have employed since its last bowl trip in 2000. The offensive line also boasts two All-MWC candidates in Joe Hawley and Matt Murphy. They will get home games with Oregon State, Hawai'i, BYU and Utah, and are quite capable of beating any of these teams in Vegas.

UNLV OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 12 Oregon State
Oct. 10 Brigham Young
Oct. 17 Utah
Oct. 31 at TCU

6. EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates pulled a few well-known surprises in ‘08 when they opened with back-to-back upsets over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. With upwards of 17 starters coming back, this year’s version is blessed with most of the same exact players responsible for those shockers. The best news in Greenville this off-season was that quarterback Patrick Pinkney was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Revenge has to be on the minds of the Hokies and Mountaineers and recent in-state power North Carolina will also get a visit from their neighbor. Getting in the Top 25 with that type of schedule is a long shot, but their work is cut out, and last year’s early successes (started 3-0) took them to a No. 15 ranking. At the same time, none of those non-conference games is going to be easy for the opponent.

EAST CAROLINA OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 12 at West Virginia
Sept. 19 at North Carolina
Nov. 5 Virginia Tech

5. NEVADA
Not many fans can honestly claim to know that Nevada had the nation's fifth-ranked total offense last fall. Back for another season will be WAC Offensive Player of the Year QB Colin Kaepernick, the league's top rusher in Vai Taua, and two All-Conference tackles - Alonzo Durham and Mike Gallett. Also in the backfield is 2007 star Luke Lippincott, whose been granted another year of eligibility after an injury set him back last fall. This upstart Wolf Pack squad also may possess the country's best defensive end combo. Dontay Mock is the league’s top sack producer, and Kevin Basped is just as good. Nevada is likely the best contender to threaten Boise State for the WAC crown, in case you didn’t know (and that’s likely a good many of you by the show of hands). Nevada will open the season at Notre Dame, and if the Irish sleep through this one like they did a year ago versus San Diego State, they can easily get bitten by the Pack.

NEVADA OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 5 at Notre Dame
Sept. 25 Missouri
Nov. 27 at Boise State

4. BAYLOR
Just getting the Bears into a bowl game would be a major surprise, considering they have not seen action in the post-season in 15 years. A 4-8 team last year, Baylor lost three of those games by a touchdown or less in arguably the toughest division in college football. Robert Griffin is one of the youngest and most versatile quarterbacks in the country, and is a perfect fit for coach Art Brile’s worthy spread attack. The defense has a potent back seven where a few players - LB Joe Pawelek and FS Jordan Lake - could prove worthy of All-American mention. This is a great combo for this conference. Understandably, the Bears have no chance at winning the Big 12 South Division. They can, however, make life rough for one of the other spotlight teams seeking that top spot. Opposing teams can no longer count Baylor as a sure win.

BAYLOR OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 5 at Wake Forest
Sept. 19 Connecticut
Oct. 31 Nebraska
THE ENTIRE BIG 12 SOUTH DIVISION

3. ARKANSAS
This is no longer a “line it up and run the ball no quarterback passing” Arkansas team. Head coach Bobby Petrino is going to keep making sure of that. In just his second season, the Hogs may have the best set of receivers Fayetteville has seen in over a decade. The tight end position can also be tossed around in that same discussion, as All-SEC honoree D.J. Williams hauled in 61 receptions last fall. Headlined by Michael Smith, few teams can match the depth Arkansas has at running back, and on top of that, the defense has 11 starters back. After finishing 5-7 and upsetting LSU in the last game, confidence continues to build. The word is that Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett has a big-time arm behind center. He certainly has both the right coach and the right system to excel. With the SEC West Division definitely somewhat weaker than its East counterpart, the Razorbacks have a solid chance to reside near the upper part of the standings. The brutal conference road schedule won't favor them to win the division outright, but it should well prepare this team to pull a big upset before season's end.

ARKANSAS OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 19 Georgia
Sept. 26 at Alabama
Oct. 17 at Florida
Oct. 24 at Ole Miss
Nov. 28 at Louisiana State

2. NOTRE DAME
Oh no, the Irish are overrated again? Not quite. Smashing Hawai'i in the Hawai'i Bowl the night before Christmas to get them over the .500 hump last season and end their nine game bowl loss skid is not going to be the lead story for Notre Dame in 2009. This year is more about the plight of head coach Charlie Weis, who is (without a doubt) on a hot seat in South Bend. His recruiting classes have been nothing short of stellar, so the long time faithful want to know when this talent will start to pay dividends. The "youth" excuse can no longer be used. Well, that time is now. The Irish should be favored in every game they play but two; the usually tough schedule has been severely downgraded. Michigan, Purdue, Washington, UConn and Stanford don't scare anyone anymore. Weis goes back to calling the offense. Under the direction of promising third-year quarterback Jimmy Clausen, as well as with multiple talents at receiver with Golden Tate and Michael Floyd, this passing attack is set to take the Irish to another level. This is easily an eight- or nine-win football team on paper, a huge step up during these hard times in South Bend.

NOTRE DAME OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 19 Michigan State
Oct. 17 Southern California

1. SOUTHERN MISS
Jeff Bower spent 18 seasons as the Southern Miss head coach, shaping this program into a gritty, never-say-die, punch-you-in-the-mouth-for-four-quarters-type of football team that opponents quickly learned to respect. That has not changed. But now it’s second-year head coach Larry Fedora giving the new-look Golden Eagles an added edge...they score points in bundles in this wide open, balanced attack. The Golden Eagles return a gifted running back in Damion Fletcher, one that has posted 1,000 yards of rushing in each of the previous three years, and a determined competitor in QB Austin Davis, the hurler that shattered the school's freshmen passing records last fall. DeAndre Brown was the nation’s top freshman receiver (1,117 yards receiving) and was widely considered the nation's top high school wide out prior to his arrival on campus. Oh yeah, the offensive line returns four starters. Coach Fedora has had successful stints calling the offense for Oklahoma State and Florida, and he quickly established a Southern Miss single-season record with 5,636 yards of total offense in his first year as the head coach here. Per their usual, the USM defense will be no slouch either. On a five-game win streak (from ’08), once the cylinders all start to hit, this team this team will be the class of C-USA.

SOUTHERN MISS OPPONENTS ON UPSET ALERT!
Sept. 19 Virginia
Sept. 26 at Kansas
Oct. 10 at Louisville
Are two of these games really upsets?