Been a long time

I am ready for some football.

Not the NFL, though. Unlike most men in the United States, I really could care less about pro football. I watch it. I follow it. I watch the pregame shows and the highlight shows. But I find myself a little less passionate about it with each passing fall.

NCAA football, on the other hand, gets me pumped up.

Maybe it's because I work on college campuses for a living, but there's something about the pageantry of college football that makes me smile. I can spend a Saturday watching five, six games from about four different conferences without so much as breaking a sweat. Unless it's a playoff game, I can't sit through an entire NFL game without flipping to something else.

So, it is about college football that I write today. Over the next couple of weeks, I plan on providing a snapshot of the upcoming football season in Division 1-A. The focus will be on the BCS conferences, but the MACs and the WACs of the world won't be ignored.

We'll start this journey with the first of my top 25 lists. These are the teams, in order, that I feel are the best teams at the start of the season. Each week in this space, I will try and post a new list. Normally, I would look at that week's performance and the season overall, but this list is based on returning talent, new talent, and complete speculation. In other words, how do these teams look on paper?

But as Kenny Mayne would say, "Football games aren't played on paper. They're played in TV sets." On to the list:

Dave's Preseason Top 25 (Team name followed by conference/division affiliation, record, conference record (in parentheses) and postseason result when applicable: 1. Southern California, PAC 10: 12-1 (7-1); National Co-Champions. Beat Michigan in Rose Bowl 2. Louisiana State, SEC (West Division): 13-1 (7-1); National Co-Champions. Beat Georgia in conference title game, beat Oklahoma in Sugar Bowl 3. Oklahoma, Big XII (South Division):12-2 (8-1); lost conference title game to Kansas State, lost to LSU in Sugar Bowl 4. Florida State, ACC: 10-3 (7-1); lost to Miami in Orange Bowl 5. Georgia, SEC (East Division): 11-3 (6-2); lost conference title game to LSU, beat Purdue in Capital One Bowl 6. Miami (FL), ACC (1st year): 11-2 (6-1 in Big East); beat Florida State in Orange Bowl 7. Texas, Big XII (South Division): 10-3 (7-1); lost to Washington State in Holiday Bowl 8. Ohio State, Big Ten: 11-2 (6-2); beat Kansas State in Fiesta Bowl 9. Kansas State, Big XII (North Division): 11-4 (6-2); beat Oklahoma in conference title game, lost to Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl 10. Michigan, Big Ten: 10-3 (7-1); lost to Southern California in Rose Bowl 11. Purdue, Big Ten: 9-4 (6-2); lost to Georgia in Capital One Bowl 12. Auburn, SEC (West Division): 8-5 (5-3); beat Wisconsin in Music City Bowl 13. Iowa, Big Ten: 10-3 (5-3); beat Florida in Outback Bowl 14. Florida, SEC (East Division): 8-5 (6-2); lost to Iowa in Outback Bowl 15. Missouri, Big XII (North Division): 8-5 (4-4); lost to Arkansas in Independence Bowl 16. Tennessee, SEC (East Division): 10-3 (6-2); lost to Clemson in Peach Bowl 17. California, PAC 10: 8-6 (5-3); beat Virginia Tech in Insight Bowl 18. Minnesota, Big Ten: 10-3 (5-3); beat Oregon in the Sun Bowl 19. Clemson, ACC: 9-4 (5-3); beat Tennessee in Peach Bowl 20. North Carolina State, ACC: 8-5 (4-4); beat Kansas in Tangerine Bowl 21. West Virginia, Big East: 8-5 (6-1); lost to Maryland in Gator Bowl 22. Wisconsin, Big Ten: 7-6 (4-4); lost to Auburn in Music City Bowl 23. Texas Tech, Big XII (South Division): 8-5 (4-4); beat Navy in the Houston Bowl 24. Utah, Mountain West: 10-2 (6-1); beat Southern Mississippi in Liberty Bowl 25. Hawaii, WAC: 9-5 (5-3); beat Houston in Hawaii Bowl

Others receiving consideration: Toledo, MAC; Marshall, MAC; Navy, Independent; Connecticut, Big East (1st year); TCU, Conference USA