An Early Look at the 2008 Top 25 and Heisman Candidates | FIOMattyH's Blog

With the Bowl Season fresh in our memories, I have decided to rank the Top 25 teams in the nation for 2008 as of right now. The rankings have taken into consideration juniors that have decided to leave early and have left out recruiting classes, since National Signing Day is still two weeks away (February 6). Also found below, I have named the Top 5 Heisman candidates heading into next season.

A Look Ahead: 2008 Top 25
Even though the season just ended and we have not even reached National Signing Day yet, here are the Top 25 teams for 2008 based on the teams as they stand right now.

1. Georgia - Knowshon Moreno, Matthew Stafford and a host of other starters return for the Dogs in 2008. They play a tough schedule but have the best returning nucleus in the nation.

2. Florida - With 9 games in the state of Florida, and almost the entire team coming back, the Gators should be vastly improved. The loss of Derrick Harvey could hurt the defense, but TE Cornelius Ingram chose to stay in school for his senior year, which should really help the offense. Oh yea, they still have Tim Tebow.

3. Missouri - The Tigers lose Tony Temple, Martin Rucker, Tyler Luellen and Adam Spieker on offense, but return Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin and Derrick Washington, plus almost the whole defense. Couple that with the fact that they play a Kansas-like schedule in '08, and Mizzou will have another big year.

4. USC - If Pete Carroll leaves (there are still some quiet rumors of that happening), their ranking could drop a bit. However, with Joe McKnight, Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, and Matt Sanchez returning, plus the guaranteed top-notch recruiting class, USC will still be a force.

5. Ohio St. - The Buckeyes will return almost all of their starters including seniors-to-be QB Todd Boeckman, James Lauranaitis, and every other junior except Vernon Gholston. Beanie Wells, Brian Hartline and most likely Brian Rosiskie will be solid next season. Their schedule will be more difficult, so if they make it to the BCS title game again, they may actually have a chance this time. And if they do not make the National Champions Game or win the Big Ten, at least the Buckeyes have this.

6. Texas - The Longhorns will need to find a replacement for Jamaal Charles and Colt McCoy will need to play better, but Mack Brown has brought in Will Muschamp to improve the defense and Texas already has a good recruiting class taking shape.

7. Clemson - James Davis will be gone, but C.J. Spiller, Cullen Harper, and Aaron Kelly will be back. The defense could return up to nine starters. An improved kicking game will be key for the Tigers.

8. Oklahoma - At least 9 offensive and 7 defensive starters will be returning for the Sooners... (Read the full article here: An Early Look at the 2008 Top 25 and Heisman Candidates)