Letter to Max: 2008 College Football Top Ten

***UPDATE*** Braves has signed on and as of right now we are at an even 20. We will pay the top five. 200-80-60-40-20. First place will get half of the money. I will go ahead and update the NFL Pick 'Em Preview with Braves profile as soon as I get back from watching a little college football today. There is a slight rumor about another possibly joining us (Brad Walliser), but I haven't heard directly from him, so who knows. We welcome Braves to the league and look forward to the upcoming season.

I have to take a deep breath. Us here at King of Arguments have never experienced a day like this before. The response to the Preseason NFL ATS Pick 'Em was overwhelming. We were flooded with phone calls, e-mails and facebook messages all day long. Apparently the mini-profile with the Las Vegas odds appealed to some people. I'm anxiously waiting to see the Nielsen ratings for K.O.A. tomorrow morning, they should be one of the highest we have ever received. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and read, responded and signed up for the league. It is much appreciated.

(Deep exhale)

Last season my buddy Max Norris asked me to send him his top ten list for college football just to try and gauge what I thought about the upcoming season. So, we are going to do the exact same this year. What can I say I am a creature of habit and absolutely love traditions. Every college football ranking I come out with will be titled, "Letter to Max." That's just the way my mind works.

My national championship prediction last year was LSU over West Virginia. If it were not for Dave Wannstedt and his magical crutches, I would have been spot on. Any one can pick the winner, but it is truly remarkable to correctly pick the runner-up. That is the standard I am holding myself to this college football season.

Before we get into the picks I need to address my Fighting Irish right here, because you will not find them in this top ten. Again, looking back to last year I predicted Notre Dame to go 7-5. Whoops. Well, we are going to make that very same prediction for THIS year's team. I see the Irish being improved offensively (they can't get any worse, 41% of their plays last year went for zero or negative yards!!) with their defense holding strong. Jimmy Clausen has a year under his belt (most of that time spent on his back), and should use that experience to gain some poise in the pocket. The big thing for Notre Dame and Head Coach Charlie Weis, is that they take advantage of this weak schedule and get into a winnable bowl game. Notre Dame's season will be defined by their ability, or inability, to win a bowl game. One game, period.

Saddle up and ride for my 2008 College Football Top Ten.

10) LSU - Did the same thing last year with Florida. If you win it all the year prior, you deserve a spot in the top ten. Not having Matt Flynn will hurt these Tigers, and I'm not expecting much from them offensively at all. Their defense will win some games by themselves, and they should expect to be playing in a decent New Years bowl.

9) Texas Tech - Watch out for the Red Raiders this year. They return a slew of starters offensively and will absolutely light up defenses. Texas Tech ended Oklahoma's national championship dreams last season and they will prove this year that their big victory was not a fluke at all. They are second best team in a much improved Big 12 conference.

8) West Virginia - Have to represent the Big East somewhere in these rankings. A healthy Pat White should be enough to win just about any conference game. Yeah Pittsburgh has gotten better but they do have Dave Wannstedt calling their shots, which means the Panthers can only be so good. Running back Noel Devine should step in and fill Steve Slaton's shoes. Expect a BCS bowl game for the Mountaineers.

7) BYU - Things could get very interesting if these Cougars run the table, which they are more than capable of doing. They are currently ranked just outside the top 15 in the major polls, and if they can get past UCLA on September 13th, they might be knocking on the doors of a - dare I say it - national championship bid? Look, they have won two straight MWC titles and return a ton of talent. Weirder things have happened.

6) Florida - I hate the Gators, but they also bring back several key pieces offensively this season, including last years' Heisman Trophy winner Mr. Tim Tebow. Oh and by the way, I don't like Tebow either. The way people drool over him they should just hand him two more Heisman's right now and be done with it. Defense is a question mark, and if you play in the SEC, that's never a good sign. They could play for a national title, but I don't see it.

5) USC - I hate Pete Carroll and it gives me no pleasure putting the Trojans on my list, but this is the absolute lowest I could rank them. For the first time in a long time, Carroll doesn't have a sure-thing at quarterback, and I believe (I really mean hope here) that will cost the might USC one or two games. Stanford had no business beating the Trojans last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost another game of that nature in 2008. Maybe it will be the Irish? Doubt it.

4) Clemson - Perhaps I'm a little too high on these Tigers. Watch, they will more than likely get blown out by Alabama later tonight. If they can avoid the curse of me really liking them, then they just might win it all. The ACC is particularly weak this season and Clemson should take full advantage of this, especially with their dynamic duo of QB Cullen Harper and WR Aaron Kelly. If everyone stays healthy, the Tigers will win the ACC and might just be playing for the National Championship. They need to get by 'Bama first. We'll see.

3) Ohio State - Let's be real here. The Buckeyes ENTIRE season comes down to USC. If they win that game @ the Coliseum, they will be in the national championship game. I say this because the Big Ten is (yet again) down. Illinois might be tough and maybe Wisconsin can do something, but I'm willing to bet neither put up much of a fight. These Buckeyes are the class of the Midwest. It will be interesting to see how the QB situation plays itself out, and for Buckeye fans at least, they are hoping it doesn't turn into a situation at all. Beanie Wells will have a tremendous year and is a top-flight preseason pick for upending Tebow for the Heisman.

2) Georgia - This team returns the most talent out of the entire nation. They have two things working against them however. First and foremost, they have a head coach by the name of Mark Richt, who might be one of the biggest morons in Division I. His planned team celebration after one TD against Florida last year was an absolute joke and it was a total disgrace. Secondly, they have a brutal road schedule, having to travel all the way to Arizona State before playing road conference games against the likes of LSU, Kentucky and Auburn. I don't see them escaping those slate of games flawless. They will lose one, maybe even two.

1) Oklahoma - As you know, I'm a huge Bob Stoops fan, but it is not just my man-crush on the Sooners Head Coach as to why I'm taking the Sooners to win it all. It is their QB, Sam Bradford. I love the way this kid plays. He is accurate, smart and flat out knows how to win games. Their schedule, something that plays against Georgia, helps the Sooners. Their toughest contests are all at home. Texas, Texas Tech and Kansas all have to travel to Norman, Oklahoma this year, which gives the Sooners a huge advantage. I am not that high on Missouri, but they did beat Oklahoma last season, but luckily for the Sooners, they do not play this year. Everything points in the direction of Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Heisman Finalists - RB Beanie Wells (Ohio St.), QB Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Can Do Everything Tim Tebow (Florida) and WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech).

Heisman Winner - QB Sam Bradford - Oklahoma

BCS Title Game: Oklahoma vs. Ohio St.

I see two undefeated teams playing this year, I honestly do. After last seasons' debacle resulting in a two-loss LSU team winning it all, the NCAA gods are kind to us and give us a pair of undefeated giants battling it out for everything. Ohio State gets by USC, while Oklahoma out gun-slings the Red Raiders in each teams' toughest game. As for Clemson, well, in typical Tommy Bowden fashion, they will drop a game they should have won, resulting in them missing out on the title game.

In the end, I'm taking the Sooners to win 34-31 in a tight contest. Bob Stoops gets his first national championship since 2000, while the Buckeyes drop their third straight title game, making them the college equivalent of the Buffalo Bills.

I would be a happy guy.

Go Irish.

(PICTURES COMING TOMORROW)