1. FLORIDA

(13-1, beat Oklahoma

24-14 in the BCS title game).

Coach: Urban Meyer,

44-9 in four seasons.

Star: QB Tim Tebow.

Key game: Oct. 10 at LSU.

Huddle: Meyer goes for his third title, Tebow seeks to establish himself as the most accomplished college football player of all time.

2. OKLAHOMA

(12-2, lost 24-14 to Florida

in the BCS title game).

Coach: Bob Stoops,

109-24 in 10 seasons.

Star: QB Sam Bradford.

Key game: Oct. 17 vs. Texas

in Dallas.

Huddle: The offense (716 points) will be worse; the defense (343) will be better; the confidence

after five straight BCS losses? Who knows.

3. CALIFORNIA

(9-4, beat Miami 24-17 in

the Champs Bowl).

Coach: Jeff Tedford,

59-30 in seven seasons.

Star: RB Jahvid Best.

Key game: Sept. 26 at Oregon.

Huddle: It’s been 51 years since the Bears, who get USC at home on Oct. 3, played in the Rose Bowl.

4. OHIO STATE

(10-3, lost 24-21 to Texas

in the Fiesta Bowl).

Coach: Jim Tressel,

83-19 in eight seasons.

Star: QB Terrelle Pryor.

Key game: Nov. 7 at Penn State.

Huddle: Working out of the “Pistol,” Pryor could be the most exciting player in the game.

5. TEXAS

(12-1, beat Ohio State 24-21

in the Fiesta Bowl).

Coach: Mack Brown,

115-26 in 11 seasons.

Star: DE Sergio Kindle.

Key game: Oct. 17 vs. Oklahoma in Dallas.

Huddle: Colt McCoy

to Jordan Shipley — the nation’s best QB-WR duo.

6. VIRGINIA TECH

(10-4, beat Cincinnati 20-7

in the Orange Bowl).

Coach: Frank Beamer,

177-89-2 in 22 seasons.

Star: LG Sergio Render.

Key game: Oct. 17 at Georgia Tech.

Huddle: Va. Tech, USC, Texas — the only programs with at least 10 wins in each of the last five seasons.

7. OLE MISS

(9-4, beat Texas Tech 47-34

in the Cotton Bowl).

Coach: Houston Nutt,

9-4 in one season.

Star: QB Jevan Snead.

Key game: Nov. 21 vs LSU.

Huddle: Nutt case? Winning at Arkansas was impressive; winning at Ole Miss is remarkable, but now the hunters become the hunted.

8. USC

(12-1, beat Penn State 38-24

in the Rose Bowl).

Coach: Pete Carroll,

88-15 in eight seasons.

Star: FS Taylor Mays.

Key game: Sept. 12 at Ohio State.

Huddle: New QB, new coordinators on O and D, and eight starters lost on defense mean Trojans could lose three games for the first time since 2001, Carroll’s first season.

9. BOISE STATE

(12-1, lost 17-16 to TCU

in the Poinsettia Bowl).

Coach: Chris Petersen,

35-4 in three seasons.

Star: QB Kellen Moore.

Key game: Sept. 3 vs. Oregon.

Huddle: Their key game is at home: beat the Ducks and the Broncos are in BCS play.

10. LSU

(8-5, beat Georgia Tech 38-3

in the Chick-fil-A Bowl).

Coach: Les Miles,

42-11 in four seasons.

Star: OT Ciron Black.

Key game: Nov. 7 at Alabama.

Huddle: I’ve never been completely won over by Miles, and with the rise of ‘Bama and Ole Miss, this could be a pivotal year.

11. OKLAHOMA STATE

(9-4, lost 42-31 to Oregon

in the Holiday Bowl).

Coach: Mike Gundy,

27-23 in four seasons.

Star: OT Russell Okung.

Key game: Nov. 28 at Oklahoma.

Huddle: QB Zac Robinson, WR Dez Bryant and RB Kendall Hunter — stop them if you can.

12. TCU

(11-2, beat Boise State 17-16

in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Coach: Gary Patterson,

73-27 in eight seasons.

Star: DE Jerry Hughes.

Huddle: Two early-season road games against ACC foes (Virginia and Clemson) could vault the Horned Frogs into prominence.

13. PENN STATE

(11-2, lost 38-24 to USC

in the Rose Bowl).

Coach: Joe Paterno,

381-129-3 in 43 seasons.

Star: LB Navorro Bowman.

Key game: Nov. 21 at Michigan State.

Huddle: Could again go into regular-season finale undefeated; and lose.

14. ALABAMA

(12-2, lost to Utah 31-17

in Sugar Bowl).

Coach: Nick Saban,

19-8 in two seasons.

Star: WR Julio Jones.

Key game: Oct. 10 at Ole Miss.

Huddle: If junior QB Greg McElroy, who comes from the same high school program as Chase Daniel, is ready, the Tide rolls.

15. NORTH CAROLINA

(8-5, lost 31-30 to West Virginia

in the Meineke Bowl).

Coach: Butch Davis,

12-13 in two seasons.

Star: LB Bruce Carter.

Key game: Nov. 28 at N.C. State.

Huddle: It’s “The U” North — Davis has recruited speed demons on defense, just as he did at Miami.

16. GEORGIA TECH

(9-4, lost 38-3 to LSU

in the Chick-fil A Bowl).

Coach: Paul Johnson,

9-4 in one season.

Star: SS Morgan Burnett.

Key game: Oct. 10 at Florida State.

Huddle: No coach runs the flexbone better than Johnson, and RB Jonathan Dwyer is a beast.

17. GEORGIA

(10-3, beat Michigan State 24-12

in the Capital One Bowl).

Coach: Mark Richt,

82-22 in eight seasons.

Star: LB Rennie Curran.

Key game: Oct. 31 vs. Florida

in Jacksonville.

Huddle: The World’s Largest Unsportsmanlike Conduct Party will again help decide the SEC and BCS titles.

18. OREGON STATE

(9-4, beat Pitt 3-0 in the Sun Bowl).

Coach: Mike Riley,

56-42 in eight seasons.

Star: RB Jacquizz Rodgers.

Key game: Dec. 3 at Oregon.

Huddle: Like Greg Schiano at Rutgers, Riley is a local guy who loves where he’s at and has done a magnificent job of making something out of nothing.

19. NOTRE DAME

(7-6, beat Hawaii 49-21

in the Hawaii Bowl).

Coach: Charlie Weis,

29-21 in four seasons.

Star: QB Jimmy Clausen.

Key game: Oct. 17 vs. USC.

Huddle: Wounded bear alert: Two seasons of embarrassing losses have the retooled Irish ready to fight against a favorable schedule.

20. BYU

(10-3, lost 31-21 to Arizona

in the Las Vegas Bowl).

Coach: Bronco Mendenhall,

38-13 in four seasons.

Star: DE Jan Jorgensen.

Key game: Sept. 5 vs. Oklahoma at Arlington, Texas.

Huddle: The Cougars gets TCU and Utah in Provo, but they better not get beat up in the opener in Norman.

21. IOWA

(9-4, beat South Carolina 31-10 in the Outback Bowl).

Coach: Kirk Ferentz,

70-53 in 10 seasons.

Star: OL Bryan Bulaga.

Key game: Sept. 26 at Penn State.

Huddle: With league road games at Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State, QB Ricky Stanzi will have to be at his best every week.

22. UTAH

(13-0, beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl).

Coach: Kyle Whittingham,

37-14 in four seasons.

Star: LB Stevenson Sylvester.

Key game: Nov. 28 at BYU.

Huddle: Guess who owns the nation’s longest win streak (16) and two undefeated seasons in the last five?

23. OREGON

(10-3, beat Oklahoma State

42-31 in the Holiday Bowl).

Coach: Chip Kelly, first season.

Star: QB Jeremiah Masoli.

Key game: Sept. 3 at Boise State.

Huddle: Burn notice — new coach and tough opener could set the stage for Ducks to tumble.

24. EAST CAROLINA

(9-5, lost 25-19 to Kentucky

in the Liberty Bowl).

Coach: Skip Holtz,

29-22 in four seasons.

Star: FS Van Eskridge.

Key game: Sept. 12 at West Virginia.

Huddle: The Pirates might finally have the depth to play their brutal non-conference sked — at West Virginia, at North Carolina, vs. Virginia Tech.

25. SOUTH FLORIDA

(8-5, beat Memphis 41-14

in the St. Petersburg Bowl).

Coach: Jim Leavitt,

87-52 in 12 seasons.

Star: DE George Selvie.

Key game: Sept. 26 at Florida State.

Huddle: Love Leavitt’s emotion and commitment, but team plays in peaks and valleys. The Oct. 24 game at Pitt is the most important league game.