They may not be flying under the radar as much as the other teams on this list, especially after a New Year’s Day thumping of South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, but the Hawkeyes are on the brink of a run similar to the early part of the decade, when they won 31 games in a 3-year span. We’ve all heard about the 4 losses by a combined 12 points last year, but if the Hawkeyes had executed better late in those games, they could have legitimately been 3-4 wins better. A lot of that falls on QB Ricky Stanzi, who progressed well in his first season as the starter and showed a lot of poise late in the season. Workhorse back Shonn Greene is gone, but Jewel Hampton will lead a talented group of running backs that could see 3 or 4 guys get significant touches. The WR corp should be improved, with the addition of converted QB Marvin McNutt, a healthy Trey Stross, and talented freshman Keenan Davis. The line loses two key players but also returns one of the best tackle tandems in the nation and a wealth of experience. Two sparkplugs on defense, Mitch King and Matt Kroul, are gone up front, but 8 starters return and they have the ability to be as good as or better than last season’s top 5 scoring D. All 5 road games will be brutal, but double-digit wins is not out of the question for the Hawkeyes this fall.

3. Nevada
The Wolfpack’s unique Pistol offense was wildly successful last year, when Nevada finished 3rd in the nation in rushing offense and fifth in total offense. QB Colin Kaepernick became just the 5th QB in history to run for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000. RB Vai Taua had over 1,500 yards after being buried on the depth chart at the start of the season. Both return along with 15 other starters. The flaw for the Wolfpack is defense, especially the pass D. But this year they return a pair of ends that each had double digit sacks and a lot of overall experience on defense, so look for them to make some improvements. The OOC schedule is tough, including games against Notre Dame and Missouri, but they have the talent on offense to hang with anybody and could wind up with 9+ wins.

2. Arkansas
The Razorbacks will boast probably the best offense no one will pay attention to. Ryan Mallet has as strong an arm as anyone in the country, and he will have a plethora of weapons at his disposal: RB Michael Smith, TE D.J. Williams, and a loaded WR corp. The problem for this team will again be the defense, which ranked last in the SEC last year. However, nearly all of that defense will be back and will (hopefully) be improved. The real decisive factor this year will be the rough road schedule. The Hogs have to travel to probably the 4 best teams in the conference in Florida, ‘Bama, LSU and Ole Miss. If Arkansas can take care of business at home and beat Texas A&M on the road, 7-8 wins is likely and 9 is not completely out of the question.

1. Illinois

It seems like Illinois under-achieves every year that Zook has been at the helm. Every off-season we here about what a great recruiter Zook is, and he has been able to put some insanely talented players on the field at Illinois. But with the exception of the 2007 Rose Bowl season, the results have not panned out on the field. This year the Illini return two All-American caliber players in QB Juice Williams and WR Arrelious Benn. Illinois should have no trouble scoring points, but the defense will need to improve on last season, when they allowed over 26 points per game. The Illini miss both Iowa and Wisconsin this year, and their two toughest conference tests will be right off the bat at Ohio State and against Penn State. If they can steal one of those games, the Illini will likely be favored in all of their remaining games and could end up in the hunt for the Big 10 crown.

When deciding who to use for our Top 5 Sleeper Teams, our main concern was picking teams we though would over-achieve; teams that will win more games than most predict. As such, these teams aren’t necessarily the teams that will be the most shocking, but rather the teams that have the potential for improvement. I’m sure there are some picks that many will disagree with, so sound off in our comments section!

Kellen Moore will be just a sophomore but is the focal point of the offense and is capable of carrying the load on an explosive offense. The defense could be equally good after allowing just 12.6 points per game last year. The Broncos are far and away the class of the WAC, and should cruise to another undefeated season in the conference. The real test this year will be the season-opener against Oregon. With such a generous pre-season ranking this year (top 15 in most early polls), if Boise can get a win over the hyped up Ducks, they will be set-up for a BCS-bowl season. And don’t think they can’t do it; the Broncos beat Oregon 37-32 at Oregon last year on their way to an undefeated season.

There is our top 5 non-BCS conference teams. We feel confident in the top 4, but that 5th spot was a tough one to fill out. We went with Houston based on the strength of their thrill-a-minute offense and outstanding QB. You can do a lot worse than watching Houston hang 50 points week in and week out.

Let us know what you think in our comments section.

This showdown will have the winners of the last 3 BCS National Championship games, as well as the only two teams to win the BCS National Title more than once. Last year Florida won this game big on their way to a second national title in three years. This year expect the game to be closer; LSU has a boatload of talent and the game is at Death Valley (at night no less). With the way these two teams stack up this year, this game could very well be a preview of the SEC Championship game, and with the winner of the last 3 SEC Championship’s having been the eventual National Champions, this game could give us an early look at our 2010 BCS National Champions.

1. Oklahoma vs. Texas, Oct. 17th (Dallas)
We all know the storylines surrounding this game: The Red River Rivalry, the match-up of two top Heisman contenders, a birth in the Big 12 Championship game on the line, and a very good possibility that a birth in the National Championship is on the line. Well, try telling that to Texas; the Longhorns beat the Sooners last year only to sit back and watch Oklahoma lose the title game to Florida. This year, both teams will enter the season in the top 5, and maybe even the top 3. If Texas can get by Texas Tech early they will roll into this game undefeated. Oklahoma, meanwhile, gets a couple tough games against BYU and at Miami, but should also enter the game undefeated. That would set up a meeting between two 5-0 teams likely ranked in the top 3, with the winner no doubt having the inside track to the National Championship game.

Well, there’s our top 5 conference games for the upcoming season. Criteria was based on the caliber of the teams, the national impact of the game, and of course the entertainment factor. Let us know what you think of our list and how you would improve it in our comments section below.

Georgia Dome in Atlanta

Last eason Alabama used an opening-week thumping of Clemson in the Georgia Dome to vault to a special season. They will have the opportunity to knock off another big-time ACC team this season with the Hokies. Both teams have high hopes not only within their respective conferences, but on the national stage as well, so this game will provide an early measuring stick for both teams. The game might mean more for Virginia Tech, who could use a big win to carry momentum into upcoming games against Nebraska and Miami. Even with a loss, Alabama will likely stay in the top 10-15 and, with the strength of the SEC schedule, could still have a shot at the National Championship game if they win out.

1. USC @ Ohio State, Sept. 12th
The Buckeyes got rolled last season at The Coliseum, 35-3, giving more fuel to the Big 10 haters. Despite OSU’s tendency to get rocked on the national stage, we think this year’s game will be much closer. The Buckeyes have two major factors working in their favor: this year’s game is at The ‘Shoe, and Terrelle Pryor won’t have to watch Todd Boeckman struggle all game long. Add in the fact that USC is breaking in a new QB and a new defense and this is the best chance the Buckeyes have had to start changing their image (and the conference’s) as a team that can’t compete with the top programs from other conferences. Despite everything working in OSU’s favor, they will still be hard-pressed to pull out a win. The Buckeyes have to replace several key pieces on both sides of the ball, and Pete Carroll’s Trojans are as loaded as any team in the nation. The Horseshoe will need to be rockin’ and OSU will have to set the tone early if they hope to hang with the Trojans and avoid another embarrassing performance on national TV. The winner of this game will be sitting pretty with a top 5 ranking and an inside track to the National Championship, while the loser will need to run the table in their own conference and hope for some luck.



There you have it, our top 5 best non-conference games of the 2009 college football season. Disagree with some of our choices? Let us know where we went wrong in our comments section.

Be sure to check back soon for our next entry in a series of “Top 5’s”: our top 5 conference games of 2009.