We're dipping back into the college football water this week with Collegefootballnews.com's preseason rankings. Why not my rankings? Because I'm way too busy at the liquor barn to start breaking down stats and depth charts. I'll leave this to the pros. Here are CFN's 16-20 teams. We will continue tomorrow with 11-15.
20. Georgia 2009 Final CFN Ranking: 30
Last year wasn’t that bad by normal standards, but it’s not what Georgia was hoping for. There are still big questions about an underachieving group of running backs, a quarterback situation that needs Logan Gray or Aaron Murray to be great, not just good, and a defense that was stunningly soft and didn’t make nearly enough big plays. There’s speed and athleticism across the board, and WR A.J. Green, C Ben Jones, and DE Justin Houston bring some playmakers to build around, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. The schedule isn’t all that bad with the toughest road game at Auburn and the second toughest at South Carolina.
19. Auburn2009 Final CFN Ranking: 33
If last year was a positive step forward, this year could be a major leap if Neil Caudle can produce at quarterback. The tremendous recruiting class should help the overall depth, but there are enough good players in place to expect more consistency with RB Onterio McCalebb leading the dangerous attack that gets back all the top receiving weapons and four starters up front. The defense welcomes back eight starters and should be a brick wall against the run. Yes, the Tigers have to go to Alabama, but they get two weeks off before the showdown and the three other road games (yes, only three) are at Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Kentucky. Merry Christmas.
18. TCU2009 Final CFN Ranking: 5
How quickly can the Horned Frogs rebuild and rebound after losing the Fiesta Bowl? It shouldn’t take long with QB Andy Dalton leading a veteran passing game that gets all the receivers back. Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker form a dangerous 1-2 rushing tandem, while the line should be a rock with four starters back. The defense has to replace end Jerry Hughes and NFL-bound LB Daryl Washington, and losing starting corners Nick Sanders and Rafael Priest isn’t a plus, but it’s TCU; everything is fine. Playing Oregon State in Arlington, Texas in the opener will be a nice test, but there’s no one else on the slate that should provide a huge test away from Fort Worth outside of Utah. BYU and Air Force are home games.
17. Miami 2009 Final CFN Ranking: 20
After a few years of building and assembling deep recruiting classes, Randy Shannon and Miami have been building to this point. There are plenty of returning starters on offense and defense, and depth doesn’t figure to be a concern. Following an up-and-down sophomore season, it’s time for Jacory Harris to turn the corner and reduce the number of his mistakes. Graig Cooper’s serious knee injury and Javarris James’ graduation mean the ‘Canes need to develop a new feature back in the offseason.
16. Georgia Tech 2009 Final CFN Ranking: 13
Two years into this project, Paul Johnson has to like where has the program headed. The systems have been fully installed, the classes reflect those systems, and the kids have bought into the blueprint. Tech won 11 games and an ACC crown with a surprisingly small number of seniors, indicating minimal drop-off heading into 2010 and a realistic shot at repeating.
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