College football power rankings
BY ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Sunday, August 19, 2012
8/19/12 at 7:24 AM
2012 College Football
Preview: What to expect from OU, OSU and TU this football season.
1. Alabama
Defending national champions still on top until they get beat (Week 1 against Michigan?)
2. USC
Matt Barkley and company looking forward to being bowl-bound for first time in three years.
3. LSU
How much of a difference does losing the Honey Badger make?
4. Oklahoma
Sooners have plenty of offensive weapons with line play being key.
5. Oregon
The Pac-12 race may not get interesting until Nov. 3 at USC.
6. Georgia
Kind SEC schedule includes no games against LSU, Alabama and Arkansas.
7. Florida State
Very experienced team with only one loss by double-digits last year (23-13 to Oklahoma).
8. Michigan
Tough schedule with Alabama, Ohio State, Nebraska and Notre Dame away from the Big House.
9. Arkansas
QB Tyler Wilson will be the one to watch for Razorbacks, who still will be good under new coach.
10. West Virginia
Mountaineers can score points in bunches. But will they be able to stop Big 12 offenses?
11. South Carolina
The Old Ball Coach led the Gamecocks to a school-record 11 wins last season.
12. Wisconsin
Badgers are trying to become first Big Ten school to make three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances since Michigan (1977-79).
13. Michigan State
Early barometer includes home games against Boise State, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
14. Ohio State
NCAA sanctions mean no Big Ten title game or bowl game for Buckeyes in Urban Meyer's first season.
15. Oklahoma State
Defending Big 12 champions putting a lot of trust in true freshman quarterback Wes Lunt.
16. Clemson
Former Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Brent Venables join forces for Tigers.
17. TCU
Make-or-break portion of schedule comes with road trips to Oklahoma State, West Virginia.
18. Stanford
Replacing the NFL draft's top QB isn't easy, but there are still enough tools for strong season.
19. Texas
Guru Phil Steele statistic - four national champions in past 12 years have come off five-loss seasons. Longhorns were 8-5 last year.
20. Kansas State
Wildcats either caught breaks or took care of business (depending on who you ask), winning eight games by a TD or less in 2011.
21. Nebraska
The Huskers have lost at least four games in eight straight seasons.
22. Florida
The defense could be the major component for any success.
23. Boise State
With only seven starters returning, Chris Petersen will have a major coaching job in front of him.
24. Virginia Tech
The Hokies are just 1-5 in BCS games under Frank Beamer.
25. Notre Dame
The Irish have the toughest schedule in America. They may enter ranked in the Top 25, but where will they be in December?
