NCAA Football 2005 Top 5

The world of college football is a great one filled with glory and history, this year will be no different.  My top 5 consists of the teams I think will have the best chance at making a run for the national title.  I have broken down each team by what I feel is the good and not so good points of the teams listed.  Here is my top 5 for 2005.1. USC Trojans

    In 2002 the USC Trojans surprised everyone when they won 10 games and finished #two in the nation and had a Heisman Trophy winner.  However the next season not only did they lose Heisman winner Carson Palmer but they also lost many key players.  So there was no chance they could repeat the feat by winning double digit games and finishing in the top three again right, well they did, in fact they did it better.  The Trojans didn’t expect much out of two freshman running backs and an unproven sophomore Quarterback, little did they know they were getting a thousand-yard rusher a Pac 10 Freshman of the year and a future Heisman Trophy winner.   Matt Leinart (quarterback) along with Reggie Bush and LenDale White (running backs) accomplished these feats.  “Thunder and Lightning”  Bush was the lightning compiling more than 1,500 total yard and tallying up these yards any way he could, special teams, rushing and receiving.  Bush earned Pac 10 freshman of the year honors but LenDale White was the thunder, the work horse, powering his way to one thousand yards rushing his freshman year and another thousand his sophomore season.  These two have combined for almost 3,000 yards rushing and nearly 40 touchdowns in the two years they have spent here, and the scary thing is I haven’t even started talking about the maybe the most prolific passer in College Football history.  Matt Leinart entered the 2003 season with no expectations of matching Palmer’s Heisman Trophy winning number, and the critics were right he didn’t match Palmer’s numbers he bettered them.  Then in 2004 he would again pick defenses apart and this time he would repeat something Palmer did, he won the coveted Heisman Trophy.  On his career Leinart has compiled 6878 yards and 71 touchdowns, then at a press conference every coach in the College football and in the NFL was hoping Matt Leinart would declare himself eligible for the upcoming draft.  Yet again he surprised everyone when he turned down the NFL and said  he would be returning for his senior season.  With Leinart at the helm and weapons like Bush and White plus the rise last season of go to wide outs Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, USC could have one of the best offenses in College Football history.  The Defense however returns only five starters, including two year starter Darnell Bing who should lead the defense and could be a Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Year candidate, most of the new starters are capable of filling in the holes without much drop in consistency.  Pete Carroll will have the D ready to take on a relatively weak Pac 10 schedule, but beware Trojan fans on the weeks of September 24 and October 1 the Trojans have back to back road games at Oregon and Arizona St.  If they can make it through those two games and the rest of their schedule, they can join and elite group of teams who have won three straight National Championships.

2. Texas Longhorns

    Over the last four years the Longhorns have had 10 or more wins each year and for most programs that would be considered an amazing four year run but for the fans in Austin it’s not enough.  Texas has dominated every Big 12 opponent they have faced over the last four years except for one team, the Oklahoma Sooners.  OU has beaten Texas by an average of 30 points over the last four years and each year they have knocked Texas out of the National Championship race and Big 12 championship race.  However this year Oklahoma is down a notch and Texas is coming off a Rose Bowl victory and is returning 18 players with starting experience, and a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Vince Young.  Young is just as good at running the ball as he is passing, he has the ability to gain close to four-thousand total yards by himself this season.  Yet no matter how good a player is, he cannot do it alone and Vince Young will not have too, he is going to be protected by the best offensive line in the country.  Texas biggest unanswered question is who is going to replace the NCAA sixth leading rusher in history Cedric Benson.  However don’t feel sorry for Texas there is no lack of talent at this position, running backs Selvin Young and Ramonce Taylor are extremely gifted athletes and are both capable of putting up a thousand yards rushing.  The receiving core was stripped down after the 2003 season when they lost star players Roy Williams, BJ Johnson, and Sloan Thomas.  Last year Limas Sweed and Tony Jeffery were asked to fill those huge shoes, and they were not able to even come close to matching the previous groups numbers.  This year they return basically all the receivers from last year, and a tight end with great potential in David Thomas.  Vince Young will definitely have the weapons and ability to make a run at the Heisman.  Even better for Longhorns fans, is that the defense may be the team’s strongest unit, as the D returns 10 starters and may be the best defensive unit in the country.  They are led by a group of seniors that include Rodrique Wright, Michael Huff, Larry Dibbles, Cedric Griffin, and Aaron Harris.  This could be Texas’s best chance to run the table and make a run for the National Championship, they have their best chance to make it past Oklahoma unscathed.  If they can beat OU and win the Big 12 Championship, Texas may be the only team in the country with the talent to compete with USC.  If Texas and USC play each other in the National Title game it could be one of the best match ups in NCAA history and Texas could come out on top and be crowned National Champions.

3. Michigan Wolverines

    Michigan had loads of unanswered questions on offense last season including who will replace running back Chris Perry and quarterback John Nevarre.  No one in Ann Arbor thought it would be a pair of true freshman who would be called upon to take the wheel of the Wolverines truck through the Big 10.  However that is what happened and a pair of 18 year old kids stepped in and took Michigan to a Big 10 championship.  Quarterback Chad Henne had an amazing season throwing for more than 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns, Henne can only grow up and increase his ability.  He will not be alone as Michigan also found a potential superstar running back in Michael Hart.  Hart had 1400 yards and was the horse that carried Michigan, with these two returning, Michigan is going to be set on offense for at least two more years.  Last year Henne had the top receiver in college football to throw to, Braylon Edwards who was outstanding in his four years as a Wolverine leaves as Michigan’s all time leading receiver.  So who is Henne going to throw to this year, well he still has a load of talent at the wide receiver position, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston are both fast and have good hands.  The offensive line is down with the loss of David Bass then again Michigan has always had consistency on the O-line and will most likely continue to play well enough to keep the offense up to par.  The defense took some hits this off-season as they lose two great players in the defensive backfield, including Marlin Jackson and Earnest Shazor.  Lamar Woodley and Ryan Mundy are potential all Big 10 players, and the Wolverines coaching staff usually have the D ready for any opponent.  Led by a pair of sophomores who already have a full season under their belts and a D that can still create turnovers and shut down opposing offenses Michigan is again poised too win a Big 10 title.  The biggest challenge for the Wolverines will come from the Iowa Hawkeyes and of course that end of the year match up against The Ohio State University is maybe the biggest rivalry in college football.  If Michigan can get past those teams, they will be in the hunt for a National Championship and another Rose Bowl bid in January.

4. Oklahoma Sooners

    In 2000 the Oklahoma Sooners were ranked outside the top 20 in most of the preseason polls, they were not even a favorite too win the Big 12.  Not only did they win the Big 12 but they ran the table and won the National Championship, ending the season as the nations only undefeated team.  Since then OU has been one of the most consistent teams in college football, being ranked in the top five every year since.  However, OU has made it to two straight National Championship appearances and were swiftly beaten in both games.  Last season OU benefitted from not only the play of returning Heisman Trophy winner Jason White, but the play of the nations biggest breakout player since Herschel Walker, running back Adrian Peterson.  Peterson broke not only OU freshman rushing records but their single season rushing records as well, Peterson tallied up 1,925 yards rushing and scored 15 touchdowns . . . as a true freshman!  Peterson will obviously be back next year and he will be joined in the backfield by Kejuan Jones who has been a consistent change of pace for Oklahoma’s running game for three years.  The big question is who will be quarterback, although Jason White wasn’t known for his arm strength and was not drafted, it is not going to be easy to replace his consistency and leadership.  Whether it’s redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar or junior dual threat Paul Thompson who is handed the reigns to the boomer sooner wagon the player who earns the job will have weapons all around him.  Travis Wilson is a good physical receiver who led all Oklahoma wide outs in touchdowns last year, and watch out for true freshman Malcolm Kelly who is 6’4″ and has a 38″ vertical leap too possibly breakout this season.  The O-line lost some key players in Vince Carter, Jammal Brown and Wes Sims who were all Big 12 all conference selections, but they do return Davin Joseph who is a big powerful lineman.  As if it wasn’t a tall enough order trying to replace a Heisman winner but trying to do it without a solid O-line is a very unenviable task.  The defense also took some hits this season with the losses of some very talented and experienced players.  Donte Nicholson, Lance Mitchell, Brodney Pool, Jonathon Jackson, Antonio Perkins, and Dan Cody all depart from a team known for it’s punishing defense.  Rufus Alexander returns as the only player to make and all conference team last season, but they will welcome the return of Dusty Dvoracek who was suspended after 2 games last season, there are still some questions in the secondary that need to be answered quickly.  If the defense can grow up quick and become consistent enough to prevent teams from scoring, and if Adrian Peterson can be as dominant as he was last year so that Oklahoma will have time to solve it’s quarterback issues, OU shouldn’t see much of a drop in win total.  However, if they struggle early and the defense doesn’t mesh right away it could be a long season in sooner country, and the win streak over Texas may be in serious jeopardy.

5. Florida Gators

    Now I know what your thinking how can a team that lost 5 games last season be in the top 5 the next year, I’ll tell you how, Urban Meyer.  Meyer is the reigning coach of the year and he is fresh of a undefeated season at Utah, now he is coming into Florida and taking over a team loaded with talent.  The talent factor all starts with quarterback Chris Leak, Leak is coming off a tremendous year of over 3,000 yards an 29 touchdowns.  Although he isn’t prototypical size at 6’0″ 195 he still has the arm to get the ball down the field and the receivers to throw it to.  Andre Caldwell and Chad Jackson are two of the best receivers in the SEC, Jackson is a bonafide deep threat averaging 22.3 yards per catch.  Caldwell on the other hand is a go to type receiver who has the ability to be a 70 catches, 1,000 yards type of player.  Tight end Tate Casey is another good option for Leak, Casey had 8 catches last year and 4 of them were for touchdowns.  The O-line is again solidified by star Center Mike Degory, Lance Butler, and Randy Hand help anchor one of the SEC’s best offensive lines.  On defense it is all about speed, the D-line is talented and fast, Marcus Thomas and Ray McDonald are two sol DT’s and there is a great rotation of ends including; Joe Cohen, Jeremy Mincey, Derrick Harvey, Tranell Morant, Steven Harris, and Jarvis Moss.  The linebackers may be the strength of this defense led by junior stud Earl Everett, and sophomore sensation Brandon Siler.  The secondary is also returning three starters including Dee Webb, Kyle Jackson, and Jarvis Herring, Jermaine McColloum, Vernell Brown, and freshman Avery Atkins will vie for the other starting corner spot.  You can’t forget the top returning punter in the SEC Eric Wilber who averages 42 yards per punt.  The Gators biggest mountain will be a schedule that includes road trips at Alabama, LSU, and a neutral site game against Georgia, plus home games against Tennessee and Florida State.  With young team full of talent under the coaching of Urban Meyer the Gators could be a title contender this season.  If they don’t win it this year, they will definitely be a preseason favorite next year as they are slated to return 16 starters in 2006.