College Football Preseason Top 25. Part Five.

DeAnthony Thomas

5. Oregon-It is a unique situation for a top 5 team to still be in a quarterback battle. Marcus Mariotta and Bryan Bennett are continuing to battle it out every single day.  Either one who wins the starting job will be walking into a powerful offense. Oregon is that one team outside the SEC, that has SEC speed. Kenyon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas are two quick little backs that will cause defenses to have fits. They can make plays in a variety of ways and will have Oregon's on warped speed all year long. The biggest issue with the Oregon defense is that it just has to be stable and in-shape. Oregon's offense scores at such a rapid pace, that the defense is on the field as much as any unit in the country. Dion Jordan is a hybrid end/linebacker that will be a very good player this season.  Oregon does not have the colossal opening game this season. They have a schedule that will allow them to break in a new quarterback and gain some confidence. The biggest game will be the November 3 date with USC in The Colosseum.

Sam Montgomery

4. LSU-LSU has a veteran offensive line. The Tigers have two experienced backs with Spencer Ware and Michael Ford. Zach Mettenberger will be the new quarterback. LSU proved last season that they do not need an outstanding quarterback, but just a game manager. The name of the game for the Bayou Bengals is the defense. LSU was the second rated defense in the country in 2011. They are missing some vital pieces from that unit. LSU will be breaking in two new cornerbacks with Morris Claiborne being drafted and Tyrann Mathieu being dismissed from the team. Sam Montgomery and Bennie Logan are All American candidates on the defensive line, and have been receiving plenty of preseason hype. Eric Reid is an experienced Safety, and he will be an All American candidate as well. They might not have the most experience, but LSU has arguably the best talent. This team will develop new stars, and they will be in the race towards the end.

Landry Jones

3. Oklahoma-The Sooners could be set to return to the national championship. Landry Jones is an All American quarterback, that will be in the Heisman running. Jones threw for over 4,000 yards last season. He will be throwing to Kenny Stills, who caught 61 passes last season. Oklahoma will also benefit from the transfer of Justin Brown, who came in lieu of the Penn State sanctions. The Sooner running game will be led the remarkable Dominique Whaley. Whaley is a former walk-on, that has set records in the Oklahoma weight room. The Defense returns seven starters, including all four members of the secondary. They were the number one rated scoring defense in the Big 12. That is an important stat, because everyone in the league scores at a high rate. The Sooners have a tough schedule, as does anyone in the Big 12. They will welcome Notre Dame to town in October in the middle of the Big 12 schedule.  They have the offensive firepower to outrun and outscore anybody they play. This team can make a run at a championship.

AJ McCarron

2. Alabama- The defending national champions will be right in the thick of that race again in 2012. They have all the talent in the world, as Nick Saban has been the top recruiter in the country for a few years now. The offense will be led by four returning linemen. Cyrus Kouandjio will eb the fifth starter on the unit, and he was a former top recruit. AJ McCarron will be back as the quarterback, and should be more comfortable running the show this time around.  The running game will be manned by Eddie Lacy, and true freshmen TJ Yeldon. The Alabama defense was the best in the country last season, but they will need to replace seven starters. The wonderful recruiting of Saban should offset those losses, but it will not be as good as last year. The schedule is tough once again. They start with Michigan in Arlington and play at Arkanasa two weeks later. They also get LSU on the road this season, so their three toughest games will not be in Tuscaloosa. They have the talent and coaching to overcome the obstacles.

Matt Barkley

1. USC-There is not a team in the country that can match the star power of the USC Trojans. They have All Americans all over the field, and they have the Heisman front-runner controlling the offense. Matt Barkley leads a group of eight returning offensive starters. The sure fire number one pick in next year's draft has all the tools to win the Heisman trophy. Robert Woods is arguably the best receiver in the country, and certainly one of the most productive. He will team up with Marquis Lee to form a lethal duo. The running game has two running backs coming off 1,000 yard seasons. Curtis McNeal will see plenty of touches, but Penn State transfer Silas Redd puts this offense over the top. Not to mention there are four linemen back from last year. The defense will be led by TJ McDonald, one of the best Safeties in the nation. Dion Bailey is already doing big things at inside linebacker.  This team has everything to win a National Championship. They get Oregon and Notre Dame in The Coliseum. The schedule is much more managable than anyone trying to come out of the SEC, and they have equal talent. USC is my pick to take home the National Championship trophy in 2012.