2006 Preseason College Football Top 10

Today Bryan Leonard is giving us his 2006 preseason college football top 10. We know that the season is still sometime away and there are all kinds of things that can change, but some of you futures bettors want to get a head start on your bets and these predictions will help.

10. Georgia: The quiet football factory at Georgia continues to impress under Head Coach Mark Richt. The defense allowed 16 ppg last season and will lead the way again, led by All-America candidate DE Quentin Moses, a fierce pass rusher. The linebacking corps is also deep behind senior Jarvis Jackson.
The offensive line has new pieces and QB D.J. Shockley is gone. But senior QB Joe Tereshinski (371 yards) stepped in when Shockley was hurt last season and played well. Richt likes a balanced offense and has a powerful ground game behind junior RB Thomas Brown and junior Danny Ware. Georgia is 21-6 SU/17-10 ATS on the road under Richt! Six of their first eight games are at home, with only tough road games at South Carolina and Auburn.

9. Miami: Head Coach Larry Coker revamped his coaching staff, bringing in Rich Olson to run the offense and John Palermo will run the defensive line (from Wisconsin). Olson ran the Miami offense during some of their glory years in the 1990s. Junior QB Kyle Wright (18 TDs, 10 INTs) returns, along with junior WR Lance Leggett and 6-foot-6 junior TE Greg Olsen.
The running game provides balance because of senior tailback Tyrone Moss (701 yards, 5.1 ypc) and the tough defense allowed just 14 points per game and 3 yards per rush! Run stuffers like DE Bryan Pata and senior DT Baraka Atkins return and there are several revenge games, including Florida State and Georgia Tech (the latter upset Miami at home). Is this still a great football program? Miami just had a first-round NFL draft choice for a record 12th consecutive year.

8. L.S.U: LSU impressed under first-year Head Coach Les Miles, going 11-2. They played a lot of road games, too, because of Hurricane Katrina. The Tigers averaged 29.5 points, 150 yards rushing and 224 passing. Junior Quarterback JaMarcus Russell returns despite a serious shoulder injury late last season.
The ground game features senior RB Alley Broussard and Justin Vincent, while there is good depth at wideout. One thing Nick Saban left Miles was a talented defense, which has five starters back to a unit that ranked among the top five in the nation in three categories. The line is solid behind senior DT Glenn Dorsey and junior DE Carnell Stewart. This year’s schedule is challenging, with road games at Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas. But LSU was 5-0 SU, 4-0 ATS on the road last season!

7. Notre Dame: Hats off to Charlie Weis, who electrified the Irish attack in his first year as head coach. Under his imaginative spread offense Notre Dame averaged 36.7 points, 147 yards rushing and 330 passing per game! 7 starters return on offense, so watch out. Senior QB Brady Quinn is back after passing for 32 TDs, just 7 INTs and 3,919 yards.
Three starters return to the offensive line. Junior RB Darius Walker (1,196 yards, 9 TDs) led the Irish in rushing and caught 43 passes for 351 yards. Quinn has quality targets in 6-foot-5 senior WR Jeff Samardzija (1,274 yards, 15 TDs), senior WR Rhema McKnight and 6-foot-6 junior TE John Carlson. The defense is average, though 9 starters return, so the offense may have to carry the load. The schedule isn’t that bad, outside of a revenge trip to USC.

6. U.S.C: 2006 hasn’t been kind to the Trojans, with the shocking loss to USC in January for the national title, the loss of its best offensive players to the NFL, and some embarrassing off-field problems. The offense won’t be as devastating, but will be potent. New quarterback junior John David Booty steps in (327 yards, 64.3% completions, 3 TDs, 2 INTs in 2005).
The best news of all is that the best wide receiving duo in the nation is back in senior Steve Smith and junior WR Dwayne Jarrett (1,274 yards, 16 TDs). Pete Carroll has some teaching to do with the defense, especially with a young secondary. USC is 20-0 SU, 14-6 ATS at home the last three seasons! Road trips to Arkansas and UCLA could be challenging, along with home dates with Nebraska, Arizona State, Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame.

5. Iowa: Kirk Ferentz has a talented team and a sensational home field advantage at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa has won 22 of 23 home games and is 28-3 SU, 24-5-2 ATS at home the last four years! 7 starters return on offense and 7 on defense. The offense is loaded after averaging 30 points, 174 yards rushing and 258 passing. Senior QB Drew Tate (22 TDs, 7 picks) leads the way, a three-year starter, with senior TE Scott Chandler and RB Albert Young (1,334 yards).
Linebackers Mike Linkenborg, Edmond Miles and Mike Humpal step in for departed ace Chad Greenway. They have 7 home games with the only tough road game at Michigan, October 21st. There are only four teams that have made four straight appearances in a January Bowl: Iowa, USC, Florida State and Georgia.

4. Auburn: Some thought 2004 was a fluke, when Tommy Tuberville’s team went 13-0. All they did was follow that with a 9-3 SU, 8-2 ATS campaign in 2005. Auburn will again be a power running team with everyone returning in the backfield. Junior QB Brandon Cox (15 TDs, 8 INTs, 2,324 yards) will run the attack and their three top rushers are back in senior Kenny Irons (1,293 yards, 5.1 ypc, 13 TDs), senior Tre Smith and junior RB Brad Lester.
One key is the offensive line, which loses some top players to the NFL, but has 6-foot-8 King Dunlap and 6-5 Leon Hart to replace them, along with returning guards Tim Duckworth and Ben Grubbs. The defense has 6 starters back on a unit that allowed just 15.5 points, 3.5 yards per carry and yards 198 passing per game! A new defensive coordinator comes aboard in Will Muschamp, who was with the Dolphins last season and was LSU's defensive coordinator when they won the title under Nick Saban in 2003. The schedule is manageable with SEC road games at Mississippi State, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Alabama.

3. Oklahoma: It’s easy to forget that the Sooners played for the national title less than two years ago. Easy to forget, that is, unless you are a Sooners’ fan after USC plugged them 55-19 in the 2005 Orange Bowl. But Head Coach Bob Stoops has a fine group of talent returning to a team that was 8-4. A young defense returns much of its key players, including senior DE Larry Birdine and senior LB Rufus Alexander.
The offense has good balance, averaging 177 yards rushing and 177 passing. Sophomore QB Rhett Bomar made good strides and the running game has an ace in junior RB Adrian Peterson, who looks to bounce back after an injury-plagued campaign. He has run for 1,108 yards and 1,925 yards the last two seasons. We will know early about this team, as Oklahoma plays at Oregon in September (the same team they upset in the bowl game) and the October 7 showdown with Texas (sans Vince Young).

2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes will be in the running for the national title again. Remember that they finished 10-2 SU, 9-3 ATS last season, losing only to one-loss Penn State and unbeaten eventual national champion Texas (a 25-22 loss at home). The 2006 offense is loaded with 8 starters back. Senior QB Troy Smith ran for 611 yards and passed for 2,282 yards, with 16 TDs, 4 INTs. This offense averaged 32 points, 197 yards rushing and 227 passing.
Junior RB Antonio Pittman (1,331 yards, 5.5 ypc) provides balance, while speedy WR Ted Ginn is explosive. This is an offense that put up over 400 yards on Michigan and 617 against Notre Dame. The defense loses some of its best players, though, including linebackers A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. September 9th is the rematch at Texas, and road games at Iowa and Michigan State are the only tough Big 10 road games.

1. Florida: While the Gators were expected to be strong offensively under first-year coach Urban Meyer, the defense was outstanding in 2005 while the offense suffered a ton of key injuries. Still, this team went 9-3 while learning the triple-option attack. The defense has six starters back to a group that allowed just 94 rush yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. They return DE Joe Cohen, DT Marcus Thomas, DT Steven Harris and junior LB Brandon Slier.
The offense returns 6 starters, looks for better health and is going to be fascinating to watch. Senior QB Chris Leak (20 TDs, 6) has been starting as a freshman. He’s not an ideal triple-option QB, but is a fine all around quarterback. There is a lot of speed and depth at wideout with senior WR Dallas Baker, senior WR Jemalle Cornelius and senior WR Andre Caldwell. Senior RB DeShawn Wynn led the Gators in rushing and also caught 12 passes for 161 yards. Meyer has yet to lose in the Swamp (8-0) and this is the 100th year of Florida football. Road games at Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State will be their biggest challenges.