At the bottom of the post, readers can vote to select the most classless act. One vote per IP address, so give it careful consideration.

Let's get to the finalists:

1. Chip Kelly, Oregon

Oregon leads punchless Washington State, 45-0, in the third quarter of an Oct. 3 game at Eugene, when the Cougars recover a fumble at the Ducks' one-yard line. It takes three plays, but quarterback Marshall Lobbestael sneaks in for a touchdown, cutting Oregon's precious lead to 45-6.

Kelly should have other things to worry about — like keeping his players out of trouble. Instead, he decides to challenge the touchdown call. Although he loses the challenge, the Ducks somehow hang on for a 52-6 victory.

Washington State's Paul Wulff says afterward, "We'll have plenty of motivation moving forward, believe me."

2. Randy Edsall, Connecticut

Connecticut defeated Syracuse, 56-31, on Nov. 28, but the Orange won't forget what happened in the final minute. The Huskies led, 42-31, and were facing fourth and 11 at the Orange 28 with 53 seconds remaining. Syracuse was out of timeouts.

Instead of calling a run play to help bring this to a merciful end, Edsall calls for a pass. Zach Frazer throws a touchdown to Marcus Easley, putting Connecticut ahead, 49-31. The Huskies would return a fumble for another score with eight seconds remaining.

Syracuse's Doug Marrone didn't comment afterward, but his postgame handshake with Edsall was described as being "uncomfortable." Orange safety called Frazer's pass "a little cheap shot."

3. Lane Kiffin, Tennessee

The first-year Volunteer coach's body of work was a classless act, from accusing Urban Meyer of cheating to his one-minute farewell press conference, featured above. But with his 4-4 team entertaining an overmatched Memphis on Nov. 7, Kiffin made several jackass decisions.

After taking a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the first quarter, the Volunteers tried an onside kick.

Leading 35-0 late in the first half, Tennessee called a timeout when Memphis faced a third-and-eight play at the Tigers' 14.

The Volunteers went for it three times on fourth down in the first half.

The take-no-prisoners approach paid off. Tennessee built a 49-7 lead and held off a late Tiger charge for a 56-28 victory.

A smug Kiffin said afterward: "It came to me during the week that I had to make sure they felt my intensity — we're really going after this thing."

4. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford

The Nov. 14 "double nickels" game. The Cardinal were steamrolling USC, 42-21, when Toby Gerhart rumbled into the end zone. Instead of kicking the extra point, Harbaugh decided to go for two — probably because he couldn't go for three. The try failed, but Stanford tacked on one more score for a 55-21 bludgeoning of Pete Carroll's Trojans.

Carroll was not happen with Harbaugh, asking him in the postgame handshake, "What's your deal? What's your deal?"

Harbaugh retorted, "What's your deal?"

Carroll, when asked about Stanford's try for two, said: "I don't know what they were thinking with that."

Harbaugh offered this: "I thought it was an opportunity, the way we were coming off the ball, the way our players were playing — that it was the right thing to do."

5. Pete Carroll, USC

One would think Carroll would have learned a lesson about being a good sport after what Harbaugh did to him, but USC's coach failed to rise above it in his team's next game on Nov. 28. With the Trojans holding a 21-7 lead over UCLA with 52 seconds remaining, Carroll decided to stick it to the Bruins, calling for Matt Barkley to throw deep to Damian Williams. The play worked for a 52-yard touchdown and Carroll celebrated like a 13 year old at a Miley Cyrus concert.

The benches emptied and the teams nearly went at it. When things settled down, USC held on for a 28-7 victory.

Carroll and USC said afterward that Rick Neuheisel and UCLA deserved it because they were using timeouts with the verdict already decided. Of course, Carroll didn't feel the same way two weeks earlier when Stanford rolled it up on USC.

6. Max Hall, Brigham Young

The Cougar quarterback let his feelings be known after a 26-23 overtime victory over rival Utah.

"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything. It felt really good to send those guys home."

Video later surfaced of Hall landing a cheap shot to a Utah player after his winning touchdown pass.

7. Mike Leach, Craig James and Texas Tech

Plenty of blame to go around. Leach allegedly put receiver Adam James in an electrical closet off the press room at Jones AT&T Stadium. That resulted in a complaint by James' dad, Craig, an analyst for ESPN. Leach was suspended and eventually fired, a day before he was due an $800,000 bonus. Leach then said Adam was a slacker and that Craig was a always calling and acting like a LIttle League dad.

Craig said he was merely protecting his son, but documents suggest he threatened the university with a lawsuit for improper treatment of a student-athlete, i.e. his son, who was recovering from a concussion. The only winners here are Tommy Tuberville, the new Tech coach, and attorneys. The fans? The heck with them! Tech just announced a hike in ticket prices for 2010!

Leach's appearance on "Friday Night Lights" was filmed in Austin on Sept. 18, the night before his team played Texas and lost, 34-24. No wonder he lost control of the team in midseason.

8. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan

You can't do this list without Rich Rod, who continues to drag this storied program to new, embarrassing lows.

No stranger to litigation (see West Virginia), Rich Rod was sued for allegedly defaulting on a real estate loan to build condominiums near Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium. One of his business partners in the failed venture is facing five felony counts and possibly 50 years in prison.

Michigan has gone to 33 consecutive bowl games until Rich Rod arrived. Now they've missed the postseason two years in a row. If that's not bad enough, the NCAA alleges that Rich Rod's program committed five potential major rules violations. Somehow, he's still the coach.

9. Mike Locksley, New Mexico

Nothing quite like punching your receivers coach in the face after a coaches meeting. That's what Locksley did, landing a blow to Jonathan "J.B." Gerald in September.

Locksley showed more fight than his team, which finished 1-11 and ranked near the bottom in nearly every NCAA offensive and defensive category.

*Sports Agent Gary Uberstine was extremely influential throughout this coaching search. Uberstine is the agent for Pete Carroll, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian and Ed Orgeron. He was also indirectly involved in the Jack Del Rio negotiations even though he doesn’t directly represent him. Once negotiations broke down with Del Rio Monday evening, Uberstine and his coaching clientele were USC’s fall back option.

Uberstine immediately went to work on both Kiffin and Sarkisian with the caveat from the powers that be at USC that a top tier staff be assembled around whoever gets the job. Kiffin was the logical choice due to the type of staff he could assemble and his tireless attitude regarding recruiting.

*Orgeron/Chow on board before Head Coach hired?: Over the weekend, Ed Orgeron pretty much knew he would be back at USC. Whoever was named the head coach was told that Orgeron would be on the staff.

The minute Pete Carroll resigned from USC, Norm Chow’s son (his agent) contacted USC and told them that Norm was interested in coming back. He really enjoyed the culture at USC and didn’t know if UCLA would be able to afford him now that the Tennessee Titans no longer have to pay the majority of his contract. USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett is a big fan of Chow and was always frustrated by the rift that developed between Carroll and Chow.

A strong mutual interest exists in having Chow back at USC. In fact, Norm Chow felt confident enough to tell UCLA Head Coach Rick Neuheisal this weekend that he would be moving on.

It is very plausible that USC already had handshake agreements with both Chow and Orgeron before the Kiffin announcement.

*More on Chow, Recruiting and Kiffin after the jump...

The Trojans ended their season on a high note with a 24-13 victory over Boston College on a cold and rainy night in San Francisco. The disciplined performance (only 6 penalties for 36 yards) while shutting out Boston College in the second half provides the Trojans the positive energy they need going into the offseason.

Here’s a quick review to the keys of the game:

Avoid Complacency: One thing Pete Carroll tends to do very well is have his teams ready to play in bowl games even when the game seems like a disappointment. Despite playing in a lower tier bowl, the Trojans played with positive enthusiasm and the coaches had the team well prepared. The team seemed to grow up a little bit by avoiding unnecessary celebratory penalties and battled through mid-game adversity, especially Matt Barkley.

Stuff RB Montel Harris early: Though Montel Harris had a great second quarter, the Trojans stopped him in his tracks in the first quarter and were able to take a 14-0 lead.
Fortunately, he fumbled near the goal line in the 3rd quarter which allowed USC to maintain the lead and eventually open up a two score advantage forcing Boston College to turn to its erratic passing offense.

Confuse the BC Quarterback: 25 year-old True Freshman Quarterback Dave Shiniskie continued to struggle against a defense focused on speed. He was 14-33 with 1 TD and 1 INT. Against Virginia Tech, North Carolina and USC, Shiniskie was 27-64 with 2 TD’s and 7 interceptions. Once Boston College had to throw the ball to try and win the game, USC hurried him into quite a few bad throws and should have ended up with 3 interceptions.

Open up the offense while running Bradford 20-25 times: Despite throwing two interceptions, this was a very good performance for Barkley coming off a very tough November. Throwing for 350 yards and two touchdowns clearly solidifies him as one of the leaders heading into the offseason. Damian Williams was the focal point of the offense with 12 catches for 189 yards, however play caller Jeremy Bates did a good job of spreading the ball all over the field as Stanley Havili, Ronald Johnson and Alan Bradford (17 carries) got plenty of touches. Havili, Johnson, Bradford and Barkley provide a great base for the offense to build on next season.

MVP’s for USC:
**Damian Williams: Unfortunately for USC fans this was probably the last game that Williams will play at USC. His performance in the Emerald Bowl solidified him as one of the top WR’s in the country and a probable 1st round draft pick in this year’s draft.

**Stanley Havili: The best fullback in the country showed why some think he would be drafted in the late 1st round if he decided to go pro. Fortunately, Havili will stay at USC next season and he should get at least 10-15 touches a game next season.

**Shareece Wright: I predicted he would have a pick and not only did he have a pick but he clearly upgraded the defensive backfield. He is a special player that could earn All-American honors next year.

The Skinny’s keys to the off-season and insider observations on the program will be out later this week.

A focused Trojan effort should lead the Trojans to a victory over a Boston College team that plays a conservative pro-style offense, fitting right into what USC defends against the best. The Trojans also possess offensive speed, even without RB Joe McKnight and Tight End Anthony McCoy that Boston College has yet to see this year.

However, getting the Trojans to play focused and passionate in a normal bowl game will be a tall order for Coach Carroll.

Keys to the Game:

Avoid Complacency: Since 2002, the Trojans have been playing in BCS bowls so it is a foreign concept for the Trojan players to be participating in a lower tier bowl to finish the season. Typically, teams in this situation do not play with the focus and passion that is required to beat an opponent who is looking forward to knocking off a top tier program. With four losses including two where they were soundly beaten, the Trojans cannot think for a second that a pedestrian effort will win this game. Couple that with the loss of four big contributors due to academics or NCAA investigation (McCoy, Spicer, Smith and McKnight), Troy has no room for error.

On the flip side, a focused effort should result in a victory to help wash away some of the disappointment of the season.

Stuff RB Montel Harris early: Boston College Running Back Montel Harris has rushed for 1,355 yards this season and accounts for about 70% of BC’s offense when they win. He is a strong straight ahead runner who also possesses good break away speed. When Harris is running well, especially early, it allows BC to play it safe in the passing game and avoid turnovers. It will be interesting to see how SC fares against Harris. BC runs a very simple offense with uncomplicated blocking schemes which should play right into the Trojans hands. Against similar schemes this year, the Trojans were successful stopping the run but those teams didn’t possess a back like Harris.

It will be bad news for the Trojans If Harris runs the ball around 30 times and rushes for over 150 yards. . .

Confuse the BC Quarterback: 25 year-old freshman Quarterback Dave Shiniskie has had a solid year for BC throwing for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdown passes in a run happy offense. However, he has also thrown 13 interceptions and played awful against teams that mixed things up defensively and possessed team speed like the Trojans. Against Virginia Tech and North Carolina, both games that BC fell behind early and had to throw, Shiniskie was 13 for 31 with 6 interceptions and only 1 td pass. He ended up being pulled in the second half of both games. He does not do a good job of throwing the ball away against pressure and will literally throw it up for grabs at times. The BC coaches have been working with him on just taking the sack or throwing it out of bounds but the Trojans should still get opportunities at multiple interceptions if they contain the running game.

*Offensive keys to the game, players to watch and a little inside the locker room info after the break

TEAM BLUR
Note: Some players have the same jersey number, but won't be on the field at the same time.
No. Player Pos. Ht., Wt. School (State) College
1 Chris Dunkley WR 5-11, 170 Pahokee (Fla.) Undecided
1 Joshua Shaw CB 6-2, 181 Palmdale (Calif.) Florida
2 William Gholston DE 6-7, 250 Southeastern (Mich.) Michigan State
3 Kadron Boone WR 6-1, 197 Trinity Catholic (Fla.) Texas Tech
3 Lamarcus Joyner CB 5-8, 165 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) Undecided
4 Dietrich Riley S 6-1, 196 St. Francis (Calif.) Undecided
5 Michael Dyer RB 5-9, 200 Little Rock Christian (Ark.) Auburn
5 Cody Riggs CB 5-8, 154 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) Undecided
6 Jordon James RB 5-10, 188 Corona (Calif.) UCLA
7 Christian Jones OLB 6-4, 215 Lake Howell (Fla.) Undecided
7 Antonio Goodwin WR 6-1, 170 Booker T. Washington (Ga.) Auburn
9 Tai-ler Jones WR 6-0, 182 Gainesville (Ga.) Notre Dame
9 Alec Ogletree S 6-3, 214 Newnan (Ga.) Georgia
10 Demarco Cobbs WR 6-1, 200 Tulsa Central (Okla.) Texas
11 Shaun Lewis OLB 6-0, 197 Hightower (Texas) Oklahoma St.
11 Chase Rettig QB 6-3, 201 San Clemente (Calif.) Boston Coll.
12 Brandon Coleman WR 6-6, 200 Bishop McNamara (Md.) Undecided
14 Blake Bell QB 6-5, 212 Bishop Carroll (Kan.) Oklahoma
15 Jesse Scroggins QB 6-2, 189 Lakewood (Calif.) USC
17 Nick Dew S 6-2, 190 First Colonial (Va.) Virginia Tech
21 Ryan Ayers CB 5-10, 175 South Paulding (Ga.) Georgia Tech
21 Da'Rick Rogers WR 6-2, 205 Calhoun (Ga.) Georgia
22 Kip Smith K 6-0, 200 Legacy (Colo.) UCLA
43 Jackson Richards DE 6-4, 235 Carroll (Texas) Texas Tech
44 Konrad Zagzebski ILB 6-3, 220 D.C. Everest (Wis.) Wisconsin
48 Jeff Luc ILB 6-1, 241 Treasure Coast (Fla.) Undecided
51 Michael Taylor OLB 6-0, 193 Westlake (Ga.) Tennessee
52 Shane McDermott C 6-3, 265 Palm Beach (Fla.) Miami
55 Corey Lemonier DE 6-4, 221 Hialeah (Fla.) Undecided
56 James Kittredge DT 6-4, 250 Don Bosco (N.J.) Vanderbilt
56 Kolton Houston OG 6-5, 265 Buford (Ga.) Georgia
64 James Stone OG 6-5, 297 Maplewood (Tenn.) Undecided
68 James Hurst OT 6-5, 285 Plainfield (Ind.) North Carolina
70 Ja'Wuan James OT 6-6, 305 North Gwinnett (Ga.) Tennessee
71 Brent Benedict OT 6-5, 280 Bolles (Fla.) Georgia
72 Cam Feldt OT 6-5, 290 Pilot Point (Texas) Arkansas
73 Michael Thornton DT 6-1, 273 Stephenson (Ga.) Undecided
75 Chaz Green OT 6-5, 286 Tampa Catholic (Fla.) Undecided
76 Torrian Wilson OG 6-4, 300 Miami Northwestern (Fla.) Stanford
77 Louis Nix III DT 6-3, 318 Raines (Fla.) Notre Dame
80 Xavier Grimble TE 6-5, 241 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) USC
81 Dakota Mosley TE 6-4, 250 Little Rock Christian (Ark.) Auburn
88 Blake Barker TE 6-6, 238 B.B. & Nichols (Mass.) Harvard
90 George Uko DT 6-4, 299 Don Antonio Lugo (Calif.) Undecided
91 Bronson Kaufusi DE 6-8, 240 Timpview (Utah) BYU
93 Corey Miller DE 6-4, 231 James Byrnes (S.C.) Tennessee
95 Todd Chandler DT 6-1, 283 Miami Northwestern (Fla.) Miami

TEAM NITRO
Note: Some players have the same jersey number, but won't be on the field at the same time.
No. Player Pos. Ht., Wt. School (State) College
1 Aaron Benson OLB 6-2, 205 Cedar Hill (Texas) Texas
1 Justin Hunter WR 6-4, 172 Ocean Lakes (Va.) LSU
2 DeMarcus Milliner CB 6-0, 185 Stanhope Elmore (Ala.) Alabama
2 Mike Davis WR 6-0, 176 Skyline (Texas) LSU
4 Toney Hurd Jr. CB 5-9, 179 Thurgood Marshall (Texas) Notre Dame
4 Darius White WR 6-3, 195 Dunbar Senior (Texas) Undecided
5 Jonathan Dowling S 6-3, 180 Southeast (Fla.) Florida
5 Nick Montana QB 6-2, 177 Oaks Christian (Calif.) Washington
7 Demar Dorsey S 6-1, 180 Boyd Anderson (Fla.) Florida
7 Devin Gardner QB 6-4, 198 Inkster (Mich.) Michigan
8 Adrian White CB 5-11, 175 DeSoto (Texas) Texas
10 John Fulton CB 6-1, 180 Manning (S.C.) Undecided
10 James Louis WR 5-11, 180 Atlantic Community (Fla.) Ohio State
11 Solomon Patton WR 5-10, 175 Murphy (Ala.) Florida
14 Phillip Sims QB 6-1, 218 Oscar Frommel Smith (Va.) Alabama
15 LaDarius Owens DE 6-2, 225 Jess Lanier (Ala.) Auburn
15 Corey Brown WR 6-0, 171 Cardinal O'Hara (Pa.) Ohio State
18 Cody Parkey K 6-0, 190 Jupiter Community (Fla.) Auburn
19 Corey Nelson OLB 6-1, 195 Skyline (Texas) Texas A&M
23 Luke Muncie S 6-2, 200 Klein Oak (Texas) LSU
32 Jordan Hicks OLB 6-2, 210 Lakota West (Ohio) Undecided
32 Storm Johnson RB 5-11, 210 Loganville (Ga.) Miami
33 Leon Orr DT 6-5, 315 Gulf (Fla.) Florida
33 Mack Brown RB 5-11, 185 Martin Luther King (Ga.) Florida
35 Alfy Hill DE 6-4, 240 West Brunswick (N.C.) Alabama
40 Dakota Royer DE 6-3, 220 Manheim Central (Pa.) Penn State
41 V.J. Fehoko ILB 5-11, 210 Farrington (Hawaii) Undecided
41 Travis Dickson TE 6-3, 230 Ocean Springs (Miss.) LSU
45 Taylor Bible DT 6-3, 280 John H. Guyer (Texas) Texas
47 Dominique Easley DE 6-3, 260 Curtis (N.Y.) Penn State
50 Jake Holland ILB 6-1, 220 Pelham (Ala.) Auburn
54 Miles Dieffenbach C 6-5, 277 Fox Chapel (Pa.) Penn State
55 A.J. Cann OG 6-3, 260 Bamberg-Ehrhardt (S.C.) South Carolina
72 Luke Joeckel OT 6-6, 280 Arlington (Texas) Texas A&M
75 Evan Hailes DT 6-1, 315 Oscar Frommel Smith (Va.) Penn State
75 Evan Washington OT 6-6, 286 DeSoto (Texas) LSU
76 Eric Mack OG 6-4, 318 Calhoun County (S.C.) South Carolina
77 Ian Silberman OT 6-5, 256 Fleming Island (Fla.) Florida
79 Chad Lindsay OG 6-3, 307 The Woodlands (Texas) Alabama
82 Brian Vogler TE 6-6, 245 Brookstone (Ga.) Alabama
83 Adrian Hubbard DE 6-7, 227 Norcross (Ga.) Undecided
85 Ashton Dorsey DT 6-2, 275 John Tyler (Texas) Texas

A look at how prognosticators from around the country view this week's games.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: Texas keeps plodding along. Oklahoma is 0-2 in its only true tests. Yes, Sam Bradford is back, but that's not enough for the Sooners. Take the Longhorns and give the points in the Red River Rivalry.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Idaho can become bowl eligible with a victory against Hawaii. Don't worry about the points because the Vandals are going to cover with ease. In the Pacific 10, watch out for those Washington Huskies at Arizona State.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hlastradamus loves friendly Pete Carroll more than surly Charlie Weis, but business is business. Take Notre Dame and the points against USC.

Double D, Boston Herald: The conservative playcalling of Jim Tressel is to blame for Terrelle Pryor falling way short of expectations. Nonethless, Ohio State is overdue for an offensive explosion. Take the Buckeyes and lay the points at Purdue.

John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor's offense is still trying to find itself without Robert Griffin. Playing Iowa State should help. The Bears win, 27-24.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News: Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield is mobile, just maybe not enough to avoid Ndamukong Suh. Nebraska wins, 41-36.

Phil Steele: The top 25 forecast calls for Virginia Tech to defeat Georgia Tech, 34-27. In Madison, look for Wisconsin to edge Iowa, 24-23.

College Injury Report: A look at who is hurt and who is healthy.

Get the latest college numbers from Doc's Sports. Also check Doc's for the latest NFL numbers.

For complete TV listings, check Matt Sarzyniak's Sports.

Visit the Wiz's Resources page for all your reference needs.

On Wednesday, Boise State is at Tulsa. This could be one of the last major challenges for the Broncos, who are trying to go undefeated and earn a berth in a Bowl Championship Series game. Boise State is favored by 8.

Cincinnati and South Florida square off Thursday in the biggest game of the season thus far in the Big East. The Bulls are favored by 1.5 points.

On Friday, there's another Big East game between Pittsburgh and Rutgers. The visiting Panthers open as 3-point favorites.

Saturday's games of note: Texas (-1.5) vs. Oklahoma in Dallas; Iowa (-2) at Wisconsin; South Carolina at Alabama (-17); USC (-8) at Notre Dame; Texas Tech at Nebraska (-6); Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (pick); Stanford at Arizona (-4); and Arkansas at Florida (-22).

For the latest numbers, visit Doc's Sports.

2. USC

3. Alabama

4. Texas

5. Penn State

6. Brigham Young

7. California

8. Ole Miss

9. LSU

10. Boise State

On the Cusp:  Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Oregon State, Houston, Miami

Before the season starts no one really knows anything about anything. There are no sure things in sports. Too many variables can change a season in an instant. The experts want you think they know what they are talking about, but they really don’t. That being said, I am going to attempt to give some non-expert “homer” analysis before every game. I present to you Freerdo thoughts of the day. Here is my first edition:

USC has the one of the best and deepest offensive lines in the nation. If they can give Barkely time to throw, he will succeed. It might be nice to see the O-Line platoon. Games are won and lost on the front lines, look for the Trojans to wear out San Jose State.

Stafon Johnson is the most underrated running back in college football.

Another guy we don’t give enough love to, Stanley Havili. No one runs a better wheel route.

Ever been sitting in a movie and had to go to the bathroom? I am a fan of holding it (I hear it makes your wang bigger). But if you can’t this is a great application for your iphone. Courtesy of the Palmer Brothers.

Over Under on how many beers I will nervously drink while watching the new Matt Barkley era begin tomorrow: 7.

Speaking of 7, I love that Barkley picked that as his number. I really want this kid to succeed. He seems like a good guy.

NFL scouts, I would like to introduce you to Chris Galippo, Malcom Smith and Mike Morgan. The tradition of bad ass linebackers at USC lives on.

More thought provoking analysis after the jump...

• Returned a senior Heisman contender in his third year as a starter at quarterback.
 • Were subsequently exceptional (and balanced) on offense, finishing in the top six nationally in total yards and scoring.
 • Were ludicrously talented: Miami sent eight players up in the '03 draft (four in the first round), and USC had 11 players taken in the '06 draft (five in the first two rounds, all on offense).
 • Went wire-to-wire on top of both major polls entering the bowl game.

And, of course, both lost classics as relatively substantial favorites (Miami -11 over Ohio State, USC -7 over Texas) in the final game.

The superficial similarities between this year's Gators and the '05 Trojans are really startling -- both are coming off championship wins over Oklahoma in Miami and have no competition whatsoever as the preseason favorite -- down to their Heisman-winning, golden boy quarterbacks taking it easy in the classroom. There's also the "greatest ever?" hype that incensed so many fans ahead of the '06 Rose Bowl, and that looms ominously over the horizon if Florida gets out of Baton Rouge unscathed on Oct. 10. The parallels are hardly lost on Pete Carroll, given the task of throwing cold water on the Washington Times' "Tebow greatest?" story on Tuesday:

"Look, I think Tim Tebow is fabulous, but it seems like just yesterday we were having exactly the same discussion about Matt Leinart and along comes Texas and Vince Young. It can all change in the blink of an eye, so I think we have to let it all play out before we evaluate careers."

I'll sign on to that bit of hindsight/foresight, especially if it means we get a game as enthralling as the '03 Fiesta or '06 Rose bowls this January.

Another interesting corollary between '02 Miami and '05 USC: Both had to come from behind for a literally last-second win over a rival in October (Miami survived an upset bid from Florida State on the "Wide Left" kick; USC has the Bush Push at Notre Dame), and both were somewhat exposed in too-close-for-comfort shootouts late in the season against outmanned Virginia Tech and Fresno State, respectively, widely ignored signs of their eventual demise. Just worth keeping in mind if LSU or Georgia takes the Gators to the brink.

1. Florida (53)
2. Texas (4)
3. Oklahoma (1)
4. USC (1)
5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Virginia Tech
8. Penn State
9. LSU
10. Mississippi

Follow the jump for the rest of the list.

First, the inside guys:

1. Brandon Spikes, Florida–An HP preseason and postseason AA in 2008, he is the Butkus favorite after collecting 93 tackles, 8 TFL and 4 interceptions last year.

2. Rolando McClain, Alabama–Built upon a big freshman year with an even bigger sophomore year.  Led the Tide with 95 tackles including 12 TFL and 8 pass deflections.

3. Pat Angerer, Iowa–Impressive in coverage, he had 5 interceptions last season while leading the Hawkeyes in tackles with 107.

4. Micah Johnson, Kentucky–The Wildcats were much improved defensively last year and Johnson is a big reason why.  He had 13 TFL and 93 tackles.

5. Joe Pawelek, Baylor–A tackling machine who can do it all.  Had 128 tackles, 7 pass breakups and 6 interceptions!

Honorable Mention: Ryan Reynolds, Oklahoma; Reggie Carter, UCLA; Martez Wilson, Illinois; Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina; Greg Jones, Michigan State

Outside Linebackers

1. Navorro Bowman, Penn State–All over the field for the Nittany Lions last year, collecting 106 tackles, along with 16.5 TFL and 5 pass break ups.  The latest addition to Linebacker U.

2. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri–Had a staggering 155 tackles last year (which led the nation), including 18.5 for losses, 7 pass breakup and 3 interceptions. 

3. Rennie Curran, Georgia–A third-team selection to last year’s HP AA team, he led Georgia with 115 tackles and 10 TFL.

4. Mark Herzich, Boston College–As productive a linebacker as you’ll see in all of college football.  Had 110 tackles, with 13 TFL, 8 pass breakups and 6 interceptions. 

5. Keenan Clayton, Oklahoma–Helped keep things together for the Sooners last year when Ryan Reynolds went down.  Had 82 tackles, including 10 TFL and 9 pass breakups. 

6. Clinton Snyder, Stanford–A tough, mouth-to-mouth tackler who had 58 tackles and 6.5 TFL last year.  Very underrated. 

7. Kavell Conner, Clemson–Led a stout Clemson defense with 125 tackles and 6 TFL.   

8. Michael Mohamed, California–The Bears’ leading returning tackler with 87, he also had 3 interceptions and 6 TFL while starting only five games in 2008.

9. Nate Irving, NC State–A budding star who had 80 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 pass breakups and 4 interceptions despite only starting nine games last year due to injury.

10. Eric Norwood, South Carolina–An all-conference outside backer who had 75 tackles, 14.5 of them for a loss last year.

Honorable Mention: Patrick Benoist, Vanderbilt; Keaton Kristick, Oregon State; Cody Grimm, Virginia Tech; Sean Spence, Miami; Eric Norwood, South Carolina; Justin Winters, Buffalo

My favorite quote from the article above:

Hill “committed to Lute but Lute retired and I didn’t want him to go there not knowing who the coach was going to be,” Crawford said. “He always loved the school. He bleeds more red and blue than (USC’s) crimson and gold.”

Perfectly encapsulates where we stood with Solomon.

----

Jones is considered one of the nation's top high school senior point guards, though asking him alone to fill the team-high 37.3 minutes per game Hackett logged last season would seem a tall order. Jones spent one season at Oak Hill after spending previous seasons at American Christian High in Aston (Pa.) and Rice High in New York City.

While USC is said to be his school of choice, Jones has changed his mind before. He verbally committed to Louisville, then switched to Virginia Tech before backing out of that in March.

Many believe Lamont is ready to step in right away at the PG spot.  He has a quick step, solid handles, and decent jumper.  With our PG situation, it's almost guaranteed he'll get major playing time immediately.

Of the “pre-preseason” top 25s that have been issued in the past couple months, there seems to be a consensus that the Florida Gators, who lose Percy Harvin going into '09 but retain nearly everyone else of note, will once again be the team to beat; Texas and Oklahoma are also expected to return as powerhouses. Below that, though, the selections range from the brave to the downright silly. Among the most inexplicable:

•Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) was the first out of the gate, throwing up a top 25 literally the same night as the BCS National Championship Game, and it shows. Barnhart has Alabama in the top five despite the fact that they lose their starting QB (and were less than a week removed from getting punked by Utah), Oklahoma State at #7, Florida State at #12, and Vanderbilt at #25. I realize you're an SEC guy, but jeez, Tony. He also provided an object lesson in the dangers of sticking your neck out too early by putting Pittsburgh at #10 based on “running back LeSean McCoy and seven starters on defense coming back”; McCoy declared for the NFL draft less than a week later.

•Dennis Dodd (CBS Sports) shared Barnhart's optimism for Alabama (#4) and pumped Kansas at #14, saying “any team with quarterback Todd Reesing is capable of anything.” Anything except for winning the Big 12 North, evidently.

•Matt Hayes (The Sporting News) will see your Notre Dame optimism and raise you: He's got the Irish at #11 based on “the confidence QB Jimmy Clausen gained from his play at Hawaii.” Yes, there's nothing like beating up on the nation's 88th-ranked pass-efficiency defense in a bowl game to mold a player into a leader. Hayes also has Ole Miss at #5 and Auburn at #24, which would make him one of exactly four people in the country who think Auburn will be better with Gene Chizik than they were with Tommy Tuberville (and the other three are Gene Chizik, Jay Jacobs, and Jay Gogue).

•Stewart Mandel (SI.com), like Hayes, has Ole Miss at #5, and like Barnhart he gets burned by early personnel assumptions gone wrong: He puts Oklahoma State at #6, explaining that “nearly every key player is back” on the Cowboy offense, but three of OSU's top four receivers left the program for one reason or another within a month of Mandel posting his list. He's also got Florida State at #18.

•Jon Wilner (San Jose Mercury News) says he updated his list on January 21, which makes one wonder what his original rankings looked like. He's got Florida State at #7 and Oklahoma State at #6, saying he actually dropped the Cowboys because he's “now counting [the Oklahoma game] as a loss for OSU.” The Sooners, last seen piling 61 points on the Cowboys, are grateful for your generosity, sir. Wilner also thinks Pitt and West Virginia will be better without LeSean McCoy and Pat White, respectively — he's got both in his top 25 despite the fact that neither team cracked the final coaches' poll of 2008.

•College Football News is buying into the ACC big-time in '09: They've got North Carolina at #9, Georgia Tech at #11, and Clemson at #15. And based on their color-coding system, CFN thinks Miami “should be worse” than they were last year, yet they've still got the Hurricanes, 7-6 and unranked at the end of 2008, at #19 on their list. Strangely, the one ACC team to get downgraded relative to last season is the defending conference champions — Virginia Tech winds up just one slot ahead of the 'Canes.

•Mark Schlabach (ESPN.com) has also revised an earlier list, but he's still got Alabama at #4 despite openly conceding what huge losses John Parker Wilson and Andre Smith will be; he's also got Notre Dame at #22.

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Doug Gillet is the proprietor of Hey Jenny Slater and a regular contributor to Dr. Saturday.