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.

– Paul Johnson’s option offense took the ACC by storm last year. Despite an entire year’s worth of tape to study for opposing defenses, we think the Yellow Jackets offense will keep right on clicking this fall (just look at the improvement Johnson’s offense made in year 2 at both Navy and Georgia Southern). All of the key pieces return on offense and the back 7 of the defense are all back. GT gets both Virginia Tech and UNC at home this year, and could easily carry a top 10 ranking into the season finale against Georgia. Our Pick: 10-15

OVERRATED – #5 LSU
– No one can deny LSU’s talent and potential, but a top 5 preseason ranking is a little high in our opinion. The Tigers disappointed last year with a 7-5 regular season and only 3 conference wins. The bad news is the SEC slate doesn’t get any easier this year, and with road games at Georgia, ‘Bama, and Ole Miss and a game against the ‘Gators sandwiched between Georgia and Auburn, the Tigers could drop 3 or more and find themselves on the outside of the top 10. LSU certainly has the ability to win the SEC West and make a run at a BCS bowl, but we don’t think it happens this year. Our Pick: 10-15



UNDERRATED – #12 Oregon
– Anyone who read our Pac 10 preview knows we are super high on the Ducks this year. 12th isn’t a bad spot to put them, but we think they are worthy of a top 10 ranking. Yeah yeah, we know it’s Coach Chip Kelly’s first year and they have questions on the offensive line and lose a lot on defense, but the Ducks still have the potential to go BCS-bowling. Jeremiah Masoli presents as big of a match-up problem as any QB in the nation, and LeGarrette Blount is a load at RB. We think the transition to Kelly from Mike Bellotti will be seamless, and the defense has shown this spring that they will be able to hang with the offenses in the rest of the conference. If the Ducks can avoid an opening-week letdown at Boise State they will be primed for a run at the Pac 10 title and a birth in a BCS bowl. Our Pick: Top 8

SNUBBED – Notre Dame
– ND’s schedule is widely considered to be as soft as Andre Smith’s “abs” at the NFL combine. While some have the Irish in the top 10 (we’re looking at you, Phil Steele), EA has them out of the top 25 completely. We think the Irish will fall somewhere in the middle. Jimmy Clausen leads an offense that returns a ton from last year, and the team’s athleticism should be much improved all the way around. The game against USC will show that the Irish still have a long way to go to be considered elite again, but Charlie Weis’ team will ride a relatively easy schedule to about 8 wins and could make a run at a BCS bowl. Our Pick: 20th

One thing to keep in mind is that “our picks” are where we think the team’s will finish the season, so we were able to factor in the schedule and other variables that EA may have left out in their pre-season rankings.

Some honorable mentions include Virginia Tech (underrated) and Penn State (overrated). We are very high on Virginia Tech this year and think they can make a run at the National Championship, but their rough non-conference schedule and the potential of Georgia Tech and UNC kept us from arguing against the Hokies #10 ranking. Penn State loses a lot of talent, but with Darryl Clark and Evan Royster back to lead the offense and a potentially dominating D combined with a cake non-conference schedule and relatively easy conference slate, we think they can hang around the top 10 all season. If the Lions played anybody outside of the conference we would want them lower in the rankings, but as is we think they have the pieces to make another BCS bowl.

Sound off in our comments section to tell us who YOU think is overrated or underrated, or let us know how wrong we are with our picks. Be sure to check back regularly as we continue to update information on NCAA 10 and talk the 2009 college football season!

• 1. Florida (8-0) – The defending national champs return stud QB Tim Tebow, a deep RB corp with Jeffrey Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody, and ALL 11 STARTERS on defense that should be the best in the country. Throw in the biggest home field advantage and the best coach in the country in Urban Meyer, and there is nothing that can stop the Gators. If they can navigate tough games against Georgia and @ LSU, the Gators should roll to an undefeated season, another SEC crown, and a birth in the BCS Championship.
• 2. Georgia (6-2) – The Dawgs lose #1 draft pick Matt Stafford and star RB Knowshon Moreno, but return top-tier sophomore WR AJ Green, a talented defense, and an offensive line that should be much better than last year. Joe Cox should be solid replacing Stafford, and Caleb King and crew can carry the load to replace Moreno. However, the Bulldogs have a brutal non-conference schedule, opening up @ Oklahoma State, getting Arizona State at home, and closing the year @ Georgia Tech. But they have only 1 road game in their last 5, and should cruise after their Halloween date with the Gators.
• 3. Tennessee (4-4) – All the talk in the offseason centered around new coach Lane Kiffin and his aggressive style. But while mouthing off to whoever will listen, Kiffin has quietly assembled a phenomenal coaching staff, and has proved with his recruiting that the Vols will soon have as much talent as anybody in the conference. The verdict is still out, however, on whether or not all that can lead to W’s on the field. The Vols return instability at the QB position, so look for them to pound away with the run this year. All-american safety Eric Berry leads a great secondary that was part of the #3 defense in the nation last year, and new coordinator Monte Kiffin is one of the best minds in the game. Look for the Vols to show improvement, but the rough SEC hands them 3-4 losses.
• 4. South Carolina (3-5) – Steve Spurrier has never quite been able to put it all together at South Carolina, and the Gamecocks lose a lot of talent from last year’s 7-6 team. There are questions on the offensive line and in the secondary, and it’ll be up to sophomore QB Stephen Garcia to improve an offense that was awful last year. The defense should take a step back after losing Jasper Brinkley, Captain Munnerlyn and others, and the gamecocks will get roughed up in the SEC.
• T-5. Vanderbilt (2-6) – It was a tale of two seasons last year, as Vandy started 5-0 , then lost 6 of 7 before knocking off Boston College in the Music City Bowl. Vandy returns 9 starters from a defense that was their strength last year, and it’s a good thing, because the offense was horrible, ranking 117th in the country. Coach Bobby Johnson’s commodores could surprise some people this year, but we think the SEC is too tough to get through with more than 2 wins.
• T-5. Kentucky (2-6) – Coach Rich Brook’s Kentucky Wildcats will again need to ride a solid, opportunistic defense as the offense will struggle once again. Cornerback Trevard Lindley has all-american talent, but how far Kentucky goes will be up to junior QB Mike Hartline. We see no more than 3 SEC wins for the Wildcats, with 2-6 the most likely scenario.

SEC WEST

• 1. Alabama (6-2) – Coach Nick Saban had the Crimson Tide rolling earlier than expected last season as he led the team to an undefeated regular season. However, gone is QB John Parker Wilson, RB Glen Coffee and 3 starters on the O-line including top 10 pick Andre Smith. The 2009 team will need to be led by a defense that returns 9 starters and should be one of the best in the country. The D will need to keep the team in games until the offense can start to click with so many new starters. Despite the turnover though, ‘Bama returns WR Julio Jones, arguably the best receiver in the country, star-in-the-making RB Mark Ingram, and back-to-back loaded recruiting classes. Expect the ’09 team to take a small step back, but with a schedule that misses Florida and Georgia, the Tide should still challenge for the SEC crown.
• T-2. Ole Miss (6-2) – Rising QB Jevan Snead returns with nearly all of his weapons on offense, and 8 starters return from a top 20 defense. DE Greg Hardy has battled injuries, but when healthy is a star and should be All-SEC. Coach Houston Nutt will have his most talented team ready to play and the Rebels will challenge for the SEC West title.
• T-2. LSU (6-2) – LSU could easily win the West this year. Sophomore Jordan Jefferson will take over at QB and has a slew of weapons to work with, including stud RB Charles Scott, WR Brandon Lafell and TE Richard Dickson. The defense wasn’t great last year and loses most of its D-line, but welcome several new coaches and should improve. Coach Les Miles brought in yet another outstanding recruiting class and if LSU can handle a rough schedule they can make some major noise in the SEC.
• 4. Arkansas (3-5) – Michigan transfer Ryan Mallet will battle redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson, but should win the quarterback job. He will have several returning weapons wo work with, including star TE DJ Williams and senior RB Michael Smith. Add in some exciting newcomers like Ronnie Wingo and the Razorbacks offense should be much improved in 2009. The question mark will once again be the defense, which was young last year but returns 9 starters. Coach Bobby Petrino has the Razorbacks headed in the right direction, but the combination of a brutal road schedule, inexperience at QB and a suspect defense will prevent Arkansas from reaching the top half of the division this year.
• 5. Auburn (2-6) – Auburn made the controversial hiring of Gene Chizik, pulling him away from 2 down years at Iowa State. Chizik also brings with him Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn, who engineered the nation’s best offense the last 2 year’s at Tulsa. Power back Ben Tate returns to lead an offense that struggled mightily last year, and several key starters are lost from the defense. The tigers have the potential to have a big win or two, but it’ll be another couple of years before they are ready to compete in the West.
• 6. Mississippi St (0-8) – The Bulldogs brought in new coach Dan Mullen to improve an offense that was in the bottom 10 in the country last year. The defense should once again be solid, but it will take more time for the offense to improve enough to make the Bulldogs relevant in the SEC West. Miss St. could steal a win or two, but we don’t see it happening, as they suffer through a miserable winless SEC season.

Why is the SEC the best conference in college football? Let’s hear your opinion in the comments!