As the end of Spring Football draws near, some major college football programs have answered some questions, while others have more questions than they had in February.  In this three-part series, College FootBlog will release our Preseason 2010 Top 25 with some insight on each team and the season that will be here in five months.  In this first edition, we will break down #16-#25.

Oregon State RB Quizz Rodgers is one of the most electric players in college football (google images)

16. Oregon State: The Beavers surprised many outside of their conference last season, but to the Pac 10, their rise in ’09 was a continuance of what they have been doing for the last four years, the Beavers are 36-17 and have finished second in the Pac 10 in each of the last two years.  The Rodgers brothers (Quizz and James) return to lead the offense.  There is a battle between Ryan Katz and Peter Lalich to replace Sean Canfield at quarterback, but if the last four years are any indication, Oregon State is for real and they are here to stay.

17. Miami: Many doubted the Hurricane offense going into last season, but then sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris proceeded to light up defensive secondaries en route to a 3,000-yard passing season.  Harris and his receiving corps faltered against Wisconsin in their bowl game, but with only one wideout leaving for graduation (Leonard Hankerson), look for Miami to put up good numbers on offense again in 2010.  Couple that with a very athletic defense led by linebacker Sean Spence, and the ‘Canes will be tough this fall.

18. LSU: The Tigers were a decent offense away from ending Tim Tebow’s BCS Championship long before Alabama knocked the Gators off in the SEC Championship Game.  Les Miles had a solid defense last season, and senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard returns to anchor this season’s unit.   Do-everything offensive game-breaker, Russell Shepard should make a name for himself in his sophomore season.

19. Nebraska: Bo Pelini brought respect back to the storied program that had been in a major drought since the days of Eric Crouch.  Pelini has brought back the “black shirt” defense as opposed to what had looked more like the “mesh shirt” defense in the earlier part of the last decade.  The loss of Ndamukong Suh is significant, but luckily for Husker fans, the rest of the Big 12 is not good at tackle football.

20. Georgia: After a disappointing 8-5 season, look for the Bulldogs to bounce back this fall.  The offense should take a step forward, with one of the top receivers in the country in AJ Green and running back Washaun Ealey.  The defense was a major reason the ‘Dawgs underachieved in 2009, so head coach Mark Richt has revamped his coaching staff on that side of the ball, and the buzz coming out of Athens so far this spring sounds like those changes are already having a favorable impact.

21. Penn State: Look for JoPa to make one last run in 2010, although we believe the Nittany Lions don’t quite have enough to dethrone Ohio State for a run at the Big Ten title.  The thing that Penn State has going for them is their conference.  While there are four teams that should be very good in 2010, the rest of the conference takes a significant nosedive, and PSU should benefit from that.

Senior quarterback Josh Nesbitt is the key to GT's triple option attack (google images)

22. Georgia Tech: After scoffing at Paul Johnson bringing the triple option to a major college offense a couple years ago, we have all learned one thing–he is a great football coach.  And we have learned to not count him out.  The loss of stud running back Jonathan Dwyer will hurt the Yellow Jackets, but if quarterback Josh Nesbitt can stay healthy, GT will make another run at an ACC Championship Game.

23. North Carolina: Butch Davis has the Tarheels playing great football…well, at least on defense.  UNC boasted the nation’s 6th ranked total defense, allowing opposing offenses just under 270 yards per game.  Unfortunately, for the ‘Heels, the offense was as bad as the defense was good.  UNC was ranked a pathetic 108th in total offense.   If the offense can improve at all (which isn’t exactly a tall order), look for Butch Davis’ squad to give teams fits in 2010.

24. West Virginia: The Mountaineers will have to overcome the loss of quarterback Jarrett Brown, but Geno Smith will look to show why he was such a highly-touted QB out of Florida.  Noel Devine has been one of the most explosive players in the country since his freshman season, and the fact that he returned for his senior means that the Mountaineers can always one play away from breaking one.

25. Auburn: The heavily criticized hiring of Gene Chizik worked out well, as he led the Tigers to an 8-5 record and a bowl victory over Northwestern in his inaugural season.  Look for even more improvement from the offense and a stout defense.  Look for freshman running back Michael Dyer and freshman DE Corey Lemonier to make immediate impact this fall.

By Coden Mruk

MORGANTOWN, WV - This is a three part series in which I break down the first round of the draft. This first part will analyze the drafts 1-10 picks. The predictions and analysis are my own personal opinion. I credit ESPN.com, draftdaddy.com, profootballweekly.com, footballdraftanalysis.com, Men’s Fitness, Scout.com, and draftboardinsider.com for the majority of my research.

I have seen many versions of the 1st round of this years upcoming NFL Draft. I’ve seen Suh, Mccoy (Gerald), and Bradford all projected as #1 picks. I’ve seen mocks that have as many as two running backs off the board, and as many as four wide receivers being taken round 1. I’ve seen the conservative mocks with DL and OL dominating the top 15 selections. From everything I’ve seen, it is obvious that this years first round is going to be exciting. This mock draft is due to change throughout the draft process especially after the NFL combine. This mock draft does not take in to consideration draft day trades.

#1 St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma- Like most people, I originally had the Rams selecting Ndamukong Suh with the #1 overall pick because of his “can’t miss” draft status. After looking at the situation more closely, Sam Bradford would Make the Rams better at the most important position of the field immediately. The NFC West is up for grabs with the departure of Kurt Warner from the Cardinals. With no premiere quarterbacks in this division everyone is scrambling to address their situations. The winner could be the team who finds their quarterback first. Bradford stands tall at 6’4 weighing 225. When he was healthy he had 86 touchown passes over a two year span and probably would have been a top 5 pick had he come out last year. Don’t forget how they missed in the first round in ’08 on defensive lineman Chris Long.

#2 Detroit Lions – Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska – With the Rams passing on Suh and the Lions looking to bolster their defensive line, Suh slips no further than #2. The Lions have shown interest in DT Gerald Mccoy from Oklahoma but Suh is the more dominant of the two on a consistent basis. Standing 6’4 and weighing in at 300 lbs. Suh has recorded 158 tackles over his last two seasons at Nebraska. That is a ridiculous number for a DT. Everyone is in agreement that this guy is a freak. He would be the right pick for a Detroit team that did make small strides on the offensive side of the ball last season with rookie QB Mathew Stafford.

#3 Tamba Bay Bucs – Gerald Mccoy DT Oklahoma – Lets face it, the Bucs were awful. I mean they were almost unwatchable. They do however have a ray of hope in their young quarterback from last year’s draft, Josh Freeman. With a couple pieces on the offense already in place look for Tampa Bay to be spending the majority of day one drafting defense. We all know a good defense can win games even if paired with a pedestrian offense, and it all starts down in the trenches. I know safety Eric Berry is a play maker and game changer but bolstering the run defense and getting a push up front should be a priority.

#4 Washington Redskins – Eric Berry S Tennessee - It’s true that Shanahan may want to bring in his own guy to play quarterback but with Bradford gone to the Rams I don’t see the skins taking Clausen with this high of a pick. Unless they feel he can really make an impact right away and would be better right now than Jason Campbell. Look for the Redskins to go best available and take Berry. Berry is a play maker with a nose for the ball and has been his whole college career. In three years he accumulated over 240 tackles, 14 interceptions, and returned those 14 picks a total just under 500 yards. The Redskins defense was a really solid unit last year despite their 4-12 record, gave up 336 points which was second in their division behind only the Dallas Cowboys. The Addition of Berry makes the Redskin’s defense a top notch squad.

#5 Kansas City Chiefs – Russell Okung OT Oklahoma St. – Kansas City seems to be stuck in a state of perpetual building as a franchise. They Made two big front office moves hiring Charlie Weiss and Romeo Cronnell to the staff. The on-field situation may be more difficult to address. Matt Cassel was brought in to be the quarterback of the future for Kansas city but has yet to see any real success. Drafting Russell Okung to play the left tackle position makes perfect sense given that current left tackle Branden Albert is actually a guard by trade. on top of that, current LG Brian Waters is turning 33 years old this week. Okung at LT, move Albert down to guard and all the sudden you have a powerful left side of the line. Okung was a two time All-American at Ok. St. and was the recipient of the 2009 Jim Parker award, given to the top offensive lineman in the country. A perfect fit to cover Cassel’s blind side and lead the way for up and coming running back Jamal Charles.

#6 Seattle Seahawks – Anthony Davis OT Rutgers – Pete Carroll’s number one concern coming in to this season is figuring out how to get the stagnant offense of the Seahawks moving. Everything was a disappointment for Seattle last season. No running back ran for more than 680 yards. T.J. Houshmandzadeh did manage to catch 79 balls but only 3 of those were touchdowns. By drafting Anthony Davis You can solidify the left side of the line immediately leading to better pass protection on the blind side and more push for the run game. Davis is a beast at 6’6 325 lbs he has the potential to play the left tackle position in the NFL for a long time, as do many of this years OL prospects. The Seahawks pick again at 14 and could take a chance on a guy like Dez Bryant or Jimmy Clausen if either of those two are still around.

#7 Cleveland Browns - Dez Bryant WR Oklahoma State – The Cleveland Browns are a really fun scenario because Mike Holmgren is in charge of all things football. Who knows what he could have up his sleeve. Dump a QB and start fresh? Maybe. Holmgren has been around football a long time and knows you need big physical play makers on the offensive side of the ball. Remember when he drafted Koren Robinson. Robinson’s draft analysis read as “Explosive breakaway threat with impressive leaping ability… Explodes coming off the line and uses his hands well to escape press coverage…Has an array of moves to elude defenders”. Sound like Dez, yeah. Plus, if you are being realistic you can not truly believe that Josh Cribbs and Muhomed Massaquoi are a good enough one two punch to ever allow the Browns to make a run at the rest of the division. You have to replace Braylon Edwards.

#8 Oakland Raiders – Rolando Mcclain LB Alabama – The Oakland Raiders beat a couple pretty good teams last season and that was in a large part because their defense really isn’t all that bad. The problem is the quarterback situation is awful and the stable of running backs has been anything but impressive. It also doesn’t help that Zack Miller continues to be the number 1 target through the air. However, this is not the pick to address the offense. You aren’t going to take a QB in the first round unless you have completely given up on Jamarcus Russell. The Raiders just used a top ten pick last year on Heyward Bey and Darren Mcfadden the year before that and you do have to let those two continue to develop on by being on the field. What Rolando Mcclain brings to the Raiders is instant production and leadership. He had 105 tackles last season for Alabama and was the captain for the #1 defensive unit in the country. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a beast and Al Davis loves “freaks”. Standing at 6’4 Mcclain is a solid 260 lbs. He has the ability to move left to right and stuff the middle.

#9 Buffalo Bills – Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame – The New York Jets found their QB of the future in last years first round and I expect the Bills to follow suit. They are the last team in the division looking for a quarterback and need one now if they want to seriously compete in the next 3-5 years. Clausen is considered somewhat of an athletic freak just like Quinn before him and his showing at this years combine could be exactly what the Bill’s front office needs to pull the trigger. He may be able to step in immediately coming from a pro style offense under Charlie Weiss. Clausen is built to play in the NFL at 6’3 225. Last year at Notre Dame he completed his passes at a 68% clip and threw 28 touchdowns to only 4 INTs.

#10 Denver Broncos – Mike Iupati OG Idaho – The Denver Broncos are short on play makers without Brandon Marshall in the lineup but with Dez Bryant off the board there is not a receiver available worth the #10 pick. Like always they do have a young stable of running backs and will use this pick to get Knowshon and company out and running. Iupati is a people mover at 6’6 330 lbs. He plays gaurd and would be an awesome fit next to Ryan Clady on the left side of the line. Iupati was a 2009 All-American.

Thank you for reading and I appreciate any and all comments. For an in-deptch look in to the rest of the first round check out parts 2 and 3 of this series by clicking on the links below.

http://www.collegesportsfeed.com/2010-nfl-mock-draft-part-2-of-a-3-part-series-picks-11-20/

http://www.collegesportsfeed.com/2010-nfl-draft-part-3-of-3-part-series-picks-21-32/

In Part 2 of our three-part coverage, College FootBlog continues our breakdown of the top six BCS conferences from the 2009 season.  In case you missed it, we ranked the fifth and sixth conferences earlier this week (see link). We continue our analysis by providing a recap of last season and an outlook for next year for conferences #3 and #4 in our Power Rankings.

4.  Big 12

Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh was one of very few bright spots in the Big 12 in '09 (google images)

2009 Recap:

If not for Texas making it to the BCS National Championship Game, the Big 12 would have ranked fifth or sixth in the ’09 Power Rankings.  Nebraska came out of nowhere, but their offense was anemic.  Oklahoma lost Sam Bradford and never really got on track all year.  Add in Mizzou and Texas Tech not living up to high expectations coming off successful 2008 campaigns, and the Big 12 didn’t have much to talk about beyond Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley and Ndamukong Suh.

2010 outlook: Next season will likely be more of the same for the Big 12.  Although the loss of Colt McCoy in the first quarter of the BCS National Championship was a huge blow, it provided valuable experience to Freshman Garrett Gilbert.  Oklahoma’s offense should be improved with Landry Jones having a year of experience under his belt, but their dominant defense will likely take a step back.  The Sooners lose six defensive starters, including both corners and projected first-round DT Gerald McCoy.

Texas Tech will likely take a year or two before they truly integrate to Tommy Tuberville’s system, Oklahoma State will have to replace starting quarterback Zac Robinson and will lose WR Dez Bryant to the NFL.  Mizzou loses playmakers on each side of the ball in WR Denario Alexander and projected first round linebacker, Sean Weatherspoon.  Add to that, Nebraska’s departure of Suh (who many project as the number one overall pick in April’s draft), and the Big 12 North will have trouble keeping points off the scoreboard.

3.  Big Ten

2009 Recap: The major reason the Big Ten did not claim the #2 spot in the ’09 Power Rankings was depth.  Iowa surprised many experts by effectively shutting Georgia Tech’s offense down, thanks in large part to All-Big Ten DE Adrian Clayborn, who is planning on returning for his senior year.  Terrelle Pryor saved his best performance for last, as he dominated in Ohio State’s Rose Bowl win over Oregon.

The Big Ten finished with a bowl record of 4-3, with a surprising win from Wisconsin over Miami and a Penn State victory over an offensively inept LSU team.  A more in depth look at the top two teams from the conference, however, shows a couple of teams that were far from juggernauts.

Iowa had one of the best defenses in the nation, but their offense was nothing to write home about.  The Hawkeyes struggled to beat Arkansas State at home and had to depend on two blocked field goals at the end of the game to defeat another FCS opponent, Northern Iowa 17-16 in Iowa City.

The Buckeyes nearly lost their opener to Navy at home and fell to a struggling USC team, and they later fell to 5-7 Purdue.

Look for Terrelle Pryor to have a huge year in 2010 (google images)

2010 Outlook:

Look for the Big Ten to make a serious run at the #2 conference in the country next season.  Jim Tressel continues to put great defenses on the field for the Bucks and the offense should take a huge step forward with the return of running backs Brandon Saine and Boom Herron.  And if Terrelle Pryor’s Rose Bowl performance was a sign of things to come, the Bucks will be the real deal come fall.

Iowa is also very young on offense–the ‘Hawks will return both freshman running backs, quarterback Ricky Stanzi and wideout Marvin McNutt, who exploded onto the scene in 2009.  Couple that with Adrian Clayborn and several returners on an already dominant defense, and the ‘Hawks could make a serious run in 2010.

Three other teams from the Big Ten to keep an eye on next year are Northwestern, Wisconsin and Michigan.  Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is one of the most underrated coaches in the country.  Wisconsin’s John Clay took full advantage of being the work horse last year, and expect more of the same in 2010, and watch out for the Wolverines.  This will be Rich Rodriguez’ third full season in Ann Arbor, and Tate Forcier will have a spring to put some much needed weight on.  If UM can assemble an average defense, the Big Blue will be bowling again at year’s end.

Look for the breakdown of the top two conferences in College FootBlog’s countdown in the next few days…

For the first time in five years we have five players that were selected as finalists in the Heisman Trophy race. Each and every player will be in the front row, at the Nokia Center in Times Square on Saturday night, because they are the best at what they do. Every time one of these players touches the ball they electrify the game bringing it to another level. This years Heisman class has  it all: Tim Tebow-former Heisman Winner, Colt McCoy-last years runner-up, winner of the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski, and the Bednarik Award and representing the best defensive player is Ndamukong Suh, Championship bound running back-Mark Ingram, and Stanford’s son-Toby Gerhart. All of these players helped their teams get to where they are today and has given us one of the most interesting Heisman races we’ve seen in years.

Arguably the greatest college football player of all time, Tim Tebow has broken nearly every Florida rushing and passing record. He has 2,413 yards this season along with 18 touchdowns. Tebow broke Hershel Walkers all-time SEC rushing touchdowns record against the Georgia Bulldogs this season. Tebow is one of the most powerful quarterbacks in history. He’s only experienced losses five times while attending the University of Florida, and he’s led Florida to two consecutive SEC Championship Games. Off the field, Tebow is an emotional leader for everyone around the world and is one of the most intelligent individuals you will ever meet. Until losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Tim Tebow had led Florida to the nations longest winning streak of 22 games. There is no one better to join Archie Griffen as a two-time Heisman Trophy winner.

If you watched the BIG 12 Championship Game, you saw big number-93 busting through Texas’s offensive line and disrupting Colt McCoy. Ndamukong Suh was one of the biggest and most feared defensive players this year in college football. He sacked Texas Quarterback Colt McCoy 3 times in the BIG 12 Championship and added those to his 12 total sacks on the season. Suh had 83 tackles and 23 of those for for a loss during the 2009 season. He had batted a handful of passes down along with 3 blocked kicks this season. In 1997 Charles Woodson became the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy and there hasn’t been anyone more fit to join him then Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska.

Colt McCoy is now known as the winningest quarterback in all of college football. His record as a starter is 45-7, and he is undefeated on the season. Colt’s passing efficiency is out of this world with an average of 70.5% and he has thrown for 3,512 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. On national television on Thanksgiving Night, Colt led Texas over rival Texas A&M with 304 yards and four touchdowns, rushed for a career-high 175 yards, and a fifth score. He is a very humble player, but when he walks through the tunnel and puts that burnt orange jersey on, Colt McCoy becomes a leader like no other. After getting snubbed out of the Heisman last year to Oklahoma Quarterback Sam Bradford, and snubbed out of the National Championship to Oklahoma, Colt McCoy knew what he had to do this season to get back to his glorious stage. He has done nothing less. He has run for 348 yards this season. More importantly, he is the leader and the best player on a 13-0, second-ranked team that’s playing for the national championship.

One of toughest runners in college football who consistently blows over SEC defenses is only a Sophomore-Mark Ingram. Ingram has rushed for an average of 120 yards per game and has at least one touchdown in every game except one. In three different games this year, Ingram ran for over 250 yards and 189 yards, as well as, 3 touchdowns over the number one defense in the country in the SEC Championship Game-the Florida Gators. He runs through tackles and has one of the best noses for the end-zone in the country. As a sophomore, he is in the driver seat for the number one team in the country playing for the National Championship against Texas on January 7. Mark Ingram would be an excellent pick to win the Heisman and become the first Crimson Tide player to hoist the most prestigious trophy in college sports.

He leads the nation in touchdowns, rushing yards, attempts, and average. He is also enrolled in 21 credit hours at Stanford University. Toby Gerhart started off the season as one of the most underrated players for one of the worst programs in college football. He also quickly became the most consistent player out of all these finalists to put up amazing numbers week after week. He was never shut down in any game, like each of these other contenders have, at some point during the season. Two consecutive weeks in the middle of the season Toby Gerhart had to play USC and Oregon. He ran over the #9 Trojans for 178 yards and three scores, in a 55-21 Stanford beat-down that officially ended USC’s run of PAC-10 dominance. Then Gerhart put up 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 51-42 victory against the #8 Oregon Ducks. The Cardinals are celebrating there first winning season since 2001 and they are finally being recognized as a powerhouse. Gerhart ran over every defense he has come up against this year. He hasn’t even had a game where he has gained less than 82 yards this season. Toby Gerhart would love to bring the Heisman Trophy to Stanford and join Jim Plunkett as the second Stanford player to win!

All of these candidates are worthy of this prestigious trophy and all  have helped their teams conclude winning seasons. Will it be Tim Tebow and his leadership, Ndamukong Suh and his power, Colt McCoy and his determination, Mark Ingram and his explosive speed, or Toby Gerhart and his bulldozing abilities?

Prediction:

1. Colt McCoy
2. Toby Gerhart
3. Ndamukong Suh
4. Mark Ingram
5. Tim Tebow