So having just seen another early top ten go up on this site I thought I would throw my hat into the fray to analyze what the top twenty-five of the next year should look like to begin the season. All this is done, of course, without actually knowing which players are going to go to the NFL and which are going to stay. Which coaches may be hired and which may go at the last second.
I am not going to lie when I say that this top twenty-five might have some surprises in it and I only put these surprises in there because I think these teams have a chance to surprise a lot of people.
The hard part about making this sort of list, other than not knowing which players might return, is that at the end of every season, half of the bowl teams have a strong reason for optimism going into the next season, either because of Bowl wins or because of new coaches.
Then there are teams like Notre Dame who probably have optimism, but I am having a hard time figure out where they belong. Yes, they had an awful year. Yes, I cannot stand Notre Dame. But you cannot deny that amount of talent and you cannot deny that Charlie Weis, god bless his front-butt ass, will do everything he can to improve his coaching this next season.
Without further ado, I give you a shitty top 25 that can be blasted from here to eternity:
#25 - Mississippi State: Why? Because I find it hard not to believe in Sylvester Croom. This is a man who knows his football, and more importantly, the kids believe in him. I believe this is a team ready to take the next step and cause havoc in the SEC, especially in a season in which LSU and Auburn will have new starting quarterbacks.
#24 - Notre Dame: I have no idea why I have them ranked. Something just tells me that they pull out some tough wins to get to eight wins on the season.
#23 - BYU: Because they are religious and they will pray to their god....Mitt Romney.
#22 - Alabama: Yes, they lose to Croom again. It's called penance. But I think they also finally beat Auburn.
#21 - Florida State: I think this may have been the most impressive victory of the Bowl Season so far...and they lost! If they don't face massive sanctions I think they have a chance to claim their division.
#20 - UCF: Mr. Smith returns. Mr. O'Leary returns. UCF learns how to pass a little.
#19 - UCLA: How does Rick Neuheisel avoid a NCAA Tourny pool with that basketball team?!? O, and he is a good coach.
#18 - Tennessee: The Great Pumpkin is a good coach and people in Orange Nation should be happy with what they have.
#17 - Auburn: They are going to try the spread next year with a new quarterback named Burns. They will do just that to a lot of defenses.
#16 - Illinois: I meant to put them here, and then I put Wisconsin here. To be honest I am going to end up being way wrong either way.
#15 - Clemson: Honestly, I think a darkhorse to run the table. But it's Clemson and they are always a darkhorse, and they always disappoint.
#14 - Michigan: I think Lloyd Carr did his last great coaching move in the bowl game and unleashed the team for R-Rod. Another school that should have been happier with their coach.
#13 - Texas Tech: Another darkhorse. Mike Leach is a lawyer. Enough said.
#12 - Kansas: I think this team is a lot better than people give them credit for and I think they are going to start proving it.
#11 - Texas: I know Charles is leaving, but that was an impressive win in the bowl game. They also have Colt McCoy coming back, and he doesn't look like that other Colt after the Sugar Bowl.
#10 - LSU: Ryan Perilloux gets his time. But they lose Glenn Dorsey.
#9 - Oregon: I think they found a new quarterback. Now, if they could only get rid of those old plain uniforms.....
#8 - Virginia Tech: I had a friend that called the LSU-VT game earlier this year "The Tragedy Bowl" and that is reason enough to place them this high.
#7 - Arizona State: They have one heck of a coach. They weren't even supposed to be good this year. I think they unleash the devil. And their cheerleaders are hot.
#6 - Ohio State: All they do is win. Except when playing the SEC. Shoot me if I ever wear a sweater vest.
#5 - Florida: Don't Tase me Bro!
#4 - USC: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this decade's Florida State, never out of the Top 4.
#3 - Georgia: This team is loaded. So is their schedule. No way they get through unscathed.
#2 - Missouri: This team brings back tons of talent and next year they have the experience to take it all the way. Too bad they don't have fans that travel.
#1 - West Virginia: I think this is a team on the cusp of greatness. Not to mention the weak conference they are in.

Teams I found hard to leave out: Pittsburgh, Washington, Georgia Tech, Miami, Wisconsin, California, Penn State, Cincinnati, South Carolina.

You can make fun of this all you want, because I put absolutely NO research into this. If you get all hot and bothered that your team was left out...well get a life, cause I just made this shit up.