LSU took home the hardware in what was undeniably the most damaging season the BCS has ever endured. Mismatches in many of the top bowl games compounded by a championship for the first ever team to reach the title game with two losses have Georgia President Michael Adams and the silent majority of college football fans clamoring for a playoff. With that in mind, we look ahead to the 2008 season, and the Pre-Preseason Top 25 teams that figure to be gunning for the title.

1. USC Trojans

The Trojans lose quarterback John David Booty, who concluded his career with an outstanding performance in USC's Rose Bowl rout of Illinois, but backup Mark Sanchez or Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain should adequately replace him. That's largely because of all the talent surrounding the QB. Coach Pete Carroll's program is loaded, and the Trojans remained the class of the Pac-10 Conference, even after their inexplicable loss to Stanford this past season. Their
Sept. 13 home date with Ohio State is already being anticipated as a statement game for a proud program.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

The school president is campaigning for an eight-team national playoff in a push conveniently timed to follow the Bulldogs' strong finish of the 2007 season. The irony is that the current BCS system will hardly hurt president Michael Adams' team, considering Georgia will start the '08 season very high in the polls and have every opportunity to stay there and get to the title game. Running back
Knowshon Moreno, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the nucleus of a defense that demolished Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl will return for Georgia.

3. LSU Tigers

The challenge for the defending champions, as it is for Georgia, Florida and other Southeastern Conference members with national championship ambitions, is to get through the SEC schedule with only one or two losses. The Tigers will be restocking their defense as they begin their title defense, but their offense could be even better next year amid some personnel losses, including quarterback Matt Flynn. His successor, Ryan Perrilloux, proved himself in the SEC title game against Tennessee. There is one matter for concern, however: In offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's previous stops, defenses have seemed to catch up to him in his second year on the job.

4. Florida Gators

The SEC hits just keep coming. Florida could not quite follow up its 2006 performance, failing the SEC West this past season, but the Gators will have reloaded by next season. It helps that they have the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Tim Tebow, and bunch of other offensive stars. Questions about the defense will linger through the off-season after the Gators gave up 41 points to Michigan in a Capital One Bowl defeat, but those issues most likely will be fixed sufficiently to give Florida a chance to compete for the SEC title and more.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

OK, does anybody really want to see the Buckeyes in another BCS title game? Well, it could happen, simply because there's nobody rising up as a singular threat to OSU's supremacy in the Big Ten. That means the Buckeyes may well get through the regular season with only one loss at the most, and we know what that means in this era of competitive balance elsewhere. In their defense, amid the criticism of another disappointing showing the championship game, the Buckeyes were thought to be a year away from returning to that level, so they will be well stocked for another attempt.

6. West Virginia Mountaineers

The unknown surrounding the Mountaineers is the effect of coach Rich Rodriguez's departure to Michigan, along with the bulk of his staff. Having said that, West Virginia hardly appeared fazed by his absence in a Fiesta Bowl throttling of Oklahoma. And with quarterback Pat White and other offensive stars returning, the Mountaineers undoubtedly will score a lot of points again in 2008. They are taking a personnel hit defensively, but that was not the strength of the team anyway. Coming off his impressive audition as interim coach for the Fiesta Bowl, Bill Stewart should keep WVU on top of the Big East.

7. Missouri Tigers

The Tigers believed they deserved to be in a BCS bowl this past season, instead of Kansas. Well, the poor way Oklahoma performed in the Fiesta Bowl after beating Missouri twice and the impressive way Kansas played in the Orange Bowl refuted some of those claims. In any case, the Tigers will have another shot in 2008 behind quarterback Chase Daniel and receiver Jeremy Maclin, as they will be strongly favored to repeat as the Big 12 North champions and position themselves for national opportunities.

8. Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners have made themselves the subject of postseason riddles, or at least a question: Is it better to qualify for a BCS bowl and be embarrassed, or to not get there at all? Regardless of the answer, Oklahoma will keep trying to win Big 12 titles and proceed from there. Quarterback Sam Bradford was outstanding as a freshman and the Sooners will always have a stable of running backs. A defense that always is exposed in January after playing well throughout the season will undoubtedly bounce back. The Sooners will be expected to win the
Big 12 South championship, although the competition should improve in 2008.

9. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies' offense and defense were equally disappointing at times in the Orange Bowl loss to Kansas. Then again, that was only a three-point defeat in the most competitive BCS game of them all, and coach Frank Beamer's team was impressive in winning the ACC title. Cornerback Brandon Flowers' early departure to the NFL will hurt the defense, but Virginia Tech is still the strongest, most consistent program in the league and should develop more offensive firepower as quarterback Tyrod Taylor emerges.

10. Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns have not been the same since the Vince Young national championship team. Of course, maintaining that level of performance is a lot to ask. Coach Mack Brown's team wobbled at times in 2007, but finished the year impressively in a Holiday Bowl win over Arizona State. If quarterback Colt McCoy can iron out some inconsistency, Texas' offense should be productive, even with the loss to running back Jamaal Charles to the NFL. The defense will undoubtedly improve with the hiring of Will Muschamp from Auburn as the new coordinator. Texas has to be considered a top 10 team until proven otherwise.
 
11. Auburn Tigers

The sting of losing defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to Texas will be eased by the arrival of offensive coordinator Tony Franklin from Troy. Don't laugh. Troy has become a respected program, beyond the Sun Belt Conference, as evident by the Trojans' resounding victory over Oklahoma State this past season. Coach Tommy Tuberville recognizes that opening up the offensive playbook is vital in this era of SEC football, when just running the ball and playing defense is not enough to keep up with the offensive talent in the league that is producing lots of yards and points, even against great defenses. So the Tigers should experience a bit of a resurgence under Franklin, while their defense presumably will remain solid under a new coordinator.

12. BYU Cougars

If this position seems high for a team outside the BCS automatic qualifying leagues, consider that the Cougars finished 14th in the official polls this past season. They are well positioned for a BCS run in 2008 behind quarterback Max Hall and other offensive stars such as running back Harvey Unga and receiver Austin Collie, but obviously will have to answer a couple of September challenges from Washington and UCLA. Each of the past two years, BYU started 1-2 and then reeled off 10 straight wins and ended up in the middle of the top 25. If they win even one of those two games against the Pac-10 schools, the Cougars can exceed their recent finishes and earn a BCS opportunity.
 
13. Tennessee Volunteers

It is difficult to go much beyond the top half of the top 25 without adding another SEC team. The Volunteers will have some quarterbacking issues with the loss to Erik Ainge, but Tennessee will remain a top challenger in the SEC. Obviously, it will be difficult for them to win their division again, but that just speaks to the depth of this league. The Vols could lose three or four games and still be justified as a top 15 selection.

14. Illinois Fightin’ Illini

The Illini appeared overmatched against USC in the Rose Bowl, but they still have come a long way in coach Ron Zook's three seasons. And they're still playing in the Big Ten, where Ohio State was vulnerable enough to lose to Illinois at home this past season and where nobody else looks like a significant threat to the Buckeyes' position. With quarterback Juice Williams returning to offset the loss of running back Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL, the Illini should continue to benefit from Zook's recruiting ability and thrive in the Big Ten with an SEC-style approach.

15. Arizona State Sun Devils

The Sun Devils lost some of their aura when USC blasted them in November and they lost to Texas in the Holiday Bowl, but it was still an impressive start for coach Dennis Erickson. He makes an impact everywhere he goes in college football, and ASU has to be considered a Pac-10 contender as long as he's there. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter returns to lead a capable offense and a defense that played well in the second half of every victory should be more consistent in 2008.

16. South Florida Bulls

The team from Tampa was all over the map in 2007 as one of the many clubs that was ranked No. 2 at one time, only to fall completely out of the rankings. The Bulls looked bad against Oregon in the Sun Bowl, but they're still the team that knocked off West Virginia in September and are very capable offensively, led by quarterback Matt Grothe. West Viginia's coaching turnover gives USF further opportunity to challenge for the Big East title, with Cincinnati weakened by the loss of its quarterback.

17. Clemson Tigers

Coach Tommy Bowden's up-and-down, always-questioned tenure at Clemson gained some traction and stability in 2007, and the Tigers should remain solid this coming season. They have taken advantage of a dropoff by the ACC's Florida schools to emerge as a consistent program, and should contend for the league title in 2008.

18. Wisconsin Badgers

Ordinarily, Michigan would have to be mentioned by now (if not sooner) in any discussion of Big Ten teams in presason rankings, but the Badgers warrant being picked above the Wolverines because of Michigan's coaching transition and because of their own capability. Their narrow loss to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl was actually a good showing for the league against the SEC (as was Michigan's win over Florida, obviously), considering how LSU took care of Ohio State in the national title game.

19. Texas Tech Red Raiders

This spot, right around the top 20 cutoff, should be permanently reserved for the Red Raiders. This is where coach Mike Leach's program will probably always be, because of the combination of offensive firepower and defensive futility. In other words, Tech will be good enough to scare everybody and beat most opponents with star receiver Michael Crabtree, but not consistent enough to win a Big 12
South title unless the defense improves significantly.

20. Boston College Golden Eagles

Naturally, there are questions about whether the 2007 Eagles, who (like many other teams) reached No. 2 in the country at one time and played in the ACC title game, were a product of a one-season covergence behind a senior quarterback (Matt Ryan) or proof of a fully developed program. We do know that they won an eighth straight bowl game, so they belong in the preseason top 25 until they lose one.

21. Boise State Broncos

The former BCS darlings were overlooked in their own conference amid the attention showered on Hawaii this past season, but the Broncos will be back. They will still have running back Ian Johnson, although the departure to the NFL of offensive tackle Ryan Clady will hurt, and they will have the Western Athletic Conference's spotlight to themselves. Hawaii will not be the same without coach June Jones or quarterback Colt Brennan.

22. Michigan Wolverines

In an airport in West Virginia on his way to becoming Michigan's coach, Rich Rodriguez was taunted by fans who advised him that he had better not fall to 3-8 with the Wolverines, as he did in his first season with the Mountaineers. That won't happen, although there will be some growing pains as he installs his spread offense with young players at quarterback and receiver, after a combination of graduation, NFL departures and transfers caused personnel turnover. The system will work immediately against most of the Big Ten, however.

23. Utah Utes

Coincidentally enough, the Utes will open the season at Michigan. This team beat UCLA and Louisville this past season, won a seventh bowl game in a row and was a fourth-and-18 defensive stop away from handing BYU its only conference loss in two years, so Utah is capable of gaining some national attention and may even do what Appalachian State did in the Big House. Quarterback Brian Johnson and running back Darrell Mack will lead a spread offense that will cause the Wolverines some headaches, at the very least.

24. Oregon Ducks

This position could just as easily have gone to Oregon State, but the Ducks get the edge over their rival because of their strong showing in the Sun Bowl against South Florida. Oregon recovered nicely after quarterback Dennis Dixon's knee injury derailed their late-season run, and the Ducks will again be borderline contenders in the Pac-10.

1. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

UCF would have merited this spot, if not for losing running back Kevin Smith to the NFL. Tulsa loses its own outstanding Smith (Paul, a three-year starter at quarterback), but its system that produced the most yards in the country under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn should continue to thrive. Considering that two of Tulsa's four losses were on UCF's field (including the Conference USA title game) and basically resulted from an inability to stop Kevin Smith, the Golden Hurricane could improve on a 10-win campaign.