Take
a look at the polls that are
currently out for 2008. The
same top five you see now will
be the same top five you see
seven months from now…you
know, when all those summer
preseason previews come spewing
forth and become widely available.
Maybe not in the same order,
but these are the same five
teams you’ll see then.
Ergo, the title of this Early
Bird Preview has been dubbed,
"The Song Remains The Same."
We
are telling you now that Florida
is a LANDSLIDE favorite to be
the top team heading into 2009
if Tim Tebow comes back. If
he chooses otherwise, they still
may be a close second. Outside
of All-American Brandon Spikes
leaving early, they lose absolutely
nobody on defense and that includes
back-ups. None of us working
here can recall a situation
such as this in recent memory
(where the current No. 1 team
loses so few parts) that is
true while simultaneously the
recruiting classes continue
to be so well stocked.
Surprisingly
enough, even some Bama folks
don't see their Crimson Tide
team sitting this high in next
season's polls. Most seem to
have accepted the fact that
the best offensive tackle in
college football, Andre Smith,
will be playing on Sundays next
fall. Some huge gaps need to
be filled for Coach Nick Saban
within his offensive line, and
that departure is sure to drop
his squad out of our current
No. 2 ranking. But they won't
drop far. Losing John Parker
Wilson at QB is an issue, but
he was never the kind of passer
that solely beat people with
his arm. He was just what the
Tuscaloosa doctors ordered,
a senior signal caller with
a ton of experience that didn't
make big mistakes as he let
the run game and defense play
a part. The SEC's No. 1 ranked
defense (No. 3 nationally) has
nine starters back, and their
monstrous recruiting classes
have already paid dividends.
We'll leave it at that; Saban
is way ahead of schedule.
Some
have called out the relatively
high ranking of Georgia Tech.
If you drop them out of any
2009 Top 10 lists, then we assume
you must do the same to in-state
rival Georgia (see current polls),
which then leaves only two SEC
teams in our Top 10. While the
SEC just saw one of it's worst
collective seasons in a very
long time, they still pack enough
heavy hitters to put more than
two teams in our ’09 Top
10. Similarly, Ole Miss at No.
11 may seem a stretch. But if
not the Rebels, then who? There
is no question this team from
Oxford, MS is the third or fourth
best SEC team right now as we
sit heading into next season.
The
talk of the 2008 season was
about Big 12 offense. For those
scratching their head as to
how Oklahoma State could be
a Top 10 team in 2009, you may
want to take a look at Coach
Gundy’s depth charts.
The offensive production for
next season won’t drop
in the South Division (assuming
Bradford and McCoy are back)
and the Cowboys may possess
the most overall talent at the
offensive skill positions…at
least when looking at the current
All-American lists.
We
have also heard much clamoring
for USC to be our No. 1 team
going into 2009. Trojan recruiting
is now showing just how good
it must be for Pete Carroll.
If safety Taylor Mays jumps
off early to the NFL, as he
seems to be leaning, USC will
have only one starter back on
defense. While they may not
be far off the top spot, it's
hard to start even USC here
under those circumstances.
The
East Carolina pick is our traditional
Dark Horse selection. Outside
of our pick of the Pirates,
they likely won't be getting
too much Top 25 consideration
as the summer months ensue.
In our defense of this specific
choice, we did hit a home run
with South Florida as our Dark
Horse pick in 2007. The climbed
as high as No. 2 in the country
that season.
And
then last year, NationalChamps.net
seemingly lost its mind when
we laid out Ball State as our
No. 25 Early Bird ranking. Anyone
remember those two picks? As
the ole adage goes..."we
told you so". As for the
ranking of Vanderbilt, this
too may seem a big stretch.
Heck, they have the most returning
starters out of anyone on our
Top 25 Early Bird. But still,
they have never proven to be
worthy of finishing in the Top
25. Just like Miami, Notre Dame
and Nebraska...maybe they should
have to prove they belong here
before being handed such an
honor. As usual, NationalChamps.net
will revamp much of this list
with the release of our full
2009 Preview this spring.
If
you’ve seen our Early
Bird Preview in years past,
then you already know that all
of the information the pollsters
will be looking at when spring
rolls around is right here at
your fingertips now. The Early
Bird Preview offers depth charts
that outline All-Conference
selections, key losses, etc.
As mentioned, what predominately
alters the ranking order will
be the early NFL departures.
Getting the exact ranking order
right is not the explicit reason
for this release. We tend to
look at the Early Bird Preview
as more of a guide for showing
who is leaving and who is coming
back, which is more than any
other early poll is going to
attempt to accomplish. And since
we publish the only Top 25 for
next year while college football
is still being played in this
calendar year, we humbly present
our Early Bird depth charts
for your consideration.