Counting down College Football Resource's preseason top 25 teams.

***

(15) - UCLA

Briefly: You know the talking points - 20 returning starters, beat USC, blah blah blah.  This is a solid team that has improved at an agonizingly slow rate since hiring Karl Dorrell.  DeWayne Walker is a rare competent defensive coordinator in Westwood which makes this team a legitimate contender in the Pac-10 when you can combine that with the available talent.  Ben Olson is potentially a phenom although he's working with some pedestrian receivers and tight ends.  Membership in the Pac-10 dictates that an unexpected loss or two will strike all but the best teams, so count on one of those this year.  Running back depth is scary and something of a major concern.  It's too bad they lose frosh Raymond Carter to injury, he would have added good pop to that group.  Defensive tackle Brian Price is still in NCAA limbo and that situation looks grim as well.

Phil Steele Says:  After 3 years of having small senior classes, Dorrell has his most experienced and talented team with a large 2007 senior class.  He has 10 starters back on offense and with new OC Norvell calling the shots, should have one of the most improved ppg's in the NCAA.  The D went from a weakness to a strength last year allowing over 2 TD's per game less and also had 10 starters back in '07.  UCLA could be favored in their first 11 games this year which could set up a titanic struggle vs USC in the season finale.

Preseason Consensus: No. 13 (tie) nationally, No. 2 Pac-10

(14) - Auburn

Briefly:  Last season was a disappointment for the Tigers who scored some big wins but clearly weren't as good as advertised (preseason No. 4).  Quarterback Brandon Cox dealth with a boatload of injuries and other issues but looks healthier this time around.  The stable of backs is exciting but the receivers look subpar and the defense is unsettled and a bit young.  There's speed to burn but it also makes them a smallish group vulnerable to swift and powerful run attacks like the massacre against Arkansas last year.  All that said, Tommy Tuberville clearly figured something out in the last few seasons about winning in the SEC and can cover for a lot of the Tigers' deficiencies.

Phil Steele Says:  This year the schedule gets tougher with SEC road games vs Florida, Arkansas, LSU and UGA.  They have just 5 starters back on offense and must replace their top RB and WR.  OC Borges says they were less aggressive in '06 due to injuries to Cox and Irons and the offense will be more freewheeling this year, but they also have the least experienced O-line since Tuberville arrived.  The D does have 7 starters back and allowed just 13.9 ppg in '06.  A big question is the special teams unit which suffers some significant losses.  Auburn has just 12 scholarship seniors this year.  The Tigers should be bowl eligible once again but unlike the last 3 years, don't figure to be prime contenders in the SEC West.

Preseason Consensus:  No. 17 nationally, No. 2 SEC West

(13) - Arkansas

Briefly:  When I was putting this together a few weeks back, Arkansas was jumping all over my list.  That up-and-down movement mirrored the Razorbacks' turbulent year.  At present, I feel the offseason stuff won't get to this team as most of the disgruntled figures are no longer with the team.  Last year Arkansas snuck up on people and that won't happen this time around.  Everyone knows they're one-dimensional on offense but they still find ways to get things done in the defense-heavy SEC.  The defense was always average at best in the SEC and took some hits with NFL departures but its still a decent unit.  Fundamentally this is a solid if unspectacular football team with a transcendant figure in McFadden which makes me think they'll overachieve.  If you look at the teams with those kinds of players (Bush, Young), they're always near the top of the rankings once the player has his breakout year.  Arkansas doesn't possess the overall talent of a Texas or USC, but they can be much more competitive than we feel they should be thanks to McFadden's Final Ride.

Phil Steele Says:  Arkansas did suffer some turmoil in the offseason and QB Mustain, WR Williams and OC Malzahn have all moved on.  This year they have 6 starters back on offense and have the best RB's in the country and should come close to 2006's 28.9 ppg.  The D has 6 starters back but must replace 4 of their top 6 tacklers.  They allowed 18.3 ppg which was their best since '99 and figure to still be tough.  The Hogs outgained SEC foes by 54.9 ypg (2nd best) and it was their highest final ranking (#15) S/'89.  Arkansas will have another successful season, but probably will not match 2006's final ranking.

Preseason Consensus:  No. 22 nationally, No. 3 SEC West

(12) - Miami

Briefly:  We all know what's happened to this program.  They've been on steady decline for several years and eventually terminated coach Larry Coker.  Much like Florida State, the Hurricane defense remained outstanding but offensive woes could never be shaken.  Hiring Randy Shannon was curious with his defensive background and I'm not a huge fan of new OC Patrick Nix, but the offense could still be much improved.  The 'Canes have a productive tailback in sophomore Javarris James and freshman Graig Cooper could be as good or better.  They should be much more dynamic on the ground this year and create opportunities for an average offensive line and ho-hum quarterback Kirby Freeman.  I may have them ranked a bit higher than most folks but the defense is so good that this team could soar with anything resembling a legitimate offense.

Phil Steele Says:  This year the Hurricanes have 16 starters which is the most for them since 1996 as they have not had more than 13 since their 2001 National Title season.  Ten true frosh played last year and combined for an ACC high 35 starts.  Their offense only averaged 19.6 ppg, their lowest since 1979 (17.4) and should be much stronger with 9 starters back.  The D set a school record allowing just 67.8 ypg rushing.  They have allowed the fewest defensive TD's in the NCAA the last 8 years (165, Okla is #2 177).  Despite having to face Okla, Fla St, VT and BC all on the road, the Hurricanes are one of the top teams in the ACC and could have their first double-digit win season since 2003.

Preseason Consensus:  Unranked (No. 26), No. 3 ACC Coastal

(11) - Ohio State

Briefly:  Troy Smith?  Gone.  Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez & Antonio Pittman?  Gone.  But maybe that's alright.  Ohio State won some games with their offense last year but it's not really how I see Jim Tressel comfortably winning ball games.  The defense is solid as always and the bruising (and speedy) Chris Wells could be the best Buckeye tailback since Eddie George.  This team isn't a national title contender, but they're still among the nation's elite and should revert to a more familiar style of football.

Phil Steele Says:  Last year's squad had 17 seniors while this year's has just 4 that have seen significant playing time.  The Bucks return just 5 starters on offense and will come nowhere near 2006's 34.6 ppg (best S/'98).  The D is always solid.  Last year they returned just 2 starters and allowed 12.8 ppg, (even after yielding 80 in the final 2) their best S/'98.  This year they have 6 starters back on D.  OSU benefitted from +9 in TO's and some ypp factors will be working against them (pg 299).  They outgained B10 foes by a league best 149.3 ypg winning those by an avg of 26.6 ppg.  Despite having to face Penn St and Mich on the road, one of my 8 sets of power rankings calls for Ohio State to go 12-0 so they are again Big 10 and National Title contenders.

Preseason Consensus:  No. 11 nationally, No. 3 Big Ten
***
Previously at College Football Resource:

CFR's 2007 Top 25 Countdown: 16-20
CFR's 2007 Top 25 Countdown: 21-25