Preseason LEGENDS POWER RANKINGS

1. BOISE STATE BRONCOS

With almost every starter from a year ago coming back in 2010, the Broncos are easily the favorite to repeat as MWC champs. But again, the goals and aspirations of everyone in Idaho are much higher these days and much will be determined on Labor Day when the school faces off against Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C. With both teams ranked high in the national polls entering the season, this is a matchup that will make or break each team's season. Of the other non-conference meetings for the Broncos, both Oregon State and Toledo will be at home on the blue turf where BSU is virtually unbeatable, while the battle against Wyoming on September 18th is slated for Laramie. Not having to make the trek to Hawaii this year should help the Broncos, as will catching conference foe Fresno State in Boise as well. Aside from the VaTech meeting, the only other real test for the Broncos appears to be that versus Nevada, on the road in Reno, at the end of November. Those two schools have played some epic games in recent years and it could easily determine the conference champ.
Bottom line here is that everything hinges on the game with the Hokies and if that goes in favor of Boise the Broncos will again be in line for a BCS date come the end of the season.

2. MIAMI HURRICANES

Everyone will get a chance to see just how far this team has come and has to still go week two with a trip to Columbus to take on Ohio State. That game is followed by another road trip to Pittsburgh. The remainder of the non- conference slate includes the season finale against South Florida. ACC play begins on October 2nd at Clemson, a third straight road game for the 'Canes. Other road tilts within conference play come at Duke, at Virginia and at Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes have a grueling ACC home schedule with Florida State, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia Tech all coming to Sun Life Stadium. The Hurricanes have a pretty tough schedule but if the team survives some early-season battles, it could propel Miami to a 10+ win campaign, an ACC crown and a BCS bowl berth.

3. NOTRE DAME FIGHTIN' IRISH

The Irish have a lot of targets on the offensive side of the ball with the best WR in the nation when healthy Michael Floyd, and one of the best TE's in the nation in Kyle Rudolph, they have great running backs in Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and Cierre Wood could suprise a lot of people this year.
Dayne Crist will throw for a lot of yards this year and touchdowns but can he deliver in crunch time and win some games for the Irish this year?

4. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

The Hokies also return Tyrod Taylor for his fourth season at quarterback, and boast experience at wide receiver and on the offensive line. So the Tech offense should be at least as effective as last season, when it averaged 31.85 points per game. But the Hokies lost eight starters from a magnificent 2009 defense, which allowed only 15.6 points per contest. It remains to be seen whether Tech can improve on last year's 10-3 campaign. reclaim the ACC championships or perhaps even contend for a national title. It could all depend on how quickly coordinator Bud Foster rebuilds the defense.There's not a lot of time for indecision. Tech, which is ranked No. 10 nationally, opens its season Sept. 6 vs. No. 3 Boise State at Landover, Md.


5. PITTSBURGH PATHERS

Pittsburgh has the most talented player in the Big East in running back Dion Lewis. Lewis posted 1799 yards last year, good enough for third in the nation. This year he has the potential to put up big enough numbers to earn a few votes for the Heisman Trophy.The defense returns Greg Romeus to lead one of the best pass rushing teams in the Big East. This team will be tested early against Utah and Miami but will be in the hunt for the conference championship late in the year. Ending the season with three out of four games on the road in the Big East potentially means the Panthers are up for another late-season collapse.

6. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

On offense the Noles return a bounty of talent led by quarterback Christian Ponder and an offensive line that returns a group that are one of the top in the country. On offense the Seminoles will be explosive and will be hard to contain. The defense is another matter, as they finished last season 108th nationally in total defense. They will need help with a defense that was abused all season long a year ago. If the defense can adjust to the new scheme that will be employed this year the Noles will be in contention for the ACC title. If not, the offense will be asked to win games to keep Florida St on top in the ACC Atlantic.

7. TCU HORNED FROGS

Simply put, 2009 might have been the most successful season in the history of Texas Christian football. The Horned Frogs defeated two BCS conference foes on the road and then proceeded to maraud through the MWC schedule, going undefeated while posting an average margin of victory of 34 points per game! While they fell short in a defensive-minded Fiesta Bowl against Boise State, no one questioned TCU’s 6th place final ranking when the dust settled. With an overwhelming number of players returning, can TCU repeat this fall as Mountain West Champions and even make a legitimate run at a National Championship?

8. CLEMSON TIGERS

Clemson looks to keep the good fortune they experienced in 2009 when they represented the ACC in a BCS bowl game. The offense takes a hit as explosive running back C.J. Spiller is now in the NFL, but they should still put up a formidable attack. With a tough road schedule against the likes of Auburn, Florida St, North Carolina, and Boston College don’t look for Clemson to repeat this year.

9. UTAH UTES

The final season before departing for the Pac 10 should be a proper send off for the Utes from the league that allowed them to become a nationally known power. Utah has a great running game, they are really strong along both lines of scrimmage and their quarterback appears to be a rising star. While they have a challenging schedule, Utah has the majority of their tough games in the 2 nd half of the year and that should allow their young defense to get their feet underneath them in the early going. I expect Utah to challenge for the Mountain West this year but I think that TCU is just too good this fall and that will leave the Utes with a 2 nd place finish. A ten win season, however, is a very realistic possibility in their final Mountain West campaign.

10. CINCY BEARCATS

The Bearcats are a completely different team from a year ago. Brian Kelly jumped ship to Notre Dame and the NFL drafted key position players such as Tony Pike and Marty Gilyard. Cincy will work wonders with a talented offense led by Zach Collaros. The problem is they return five players on a defense that was one of the worst in the country. Improving a defense like that will take some time. The Bearcats will win a few key games behind a terrific offense, but will be hard pressed to be a title contender.

11. UCONN HUSKIES

The Huskies are ready to shine in the Big East. The Program has turned this program around. Eight starters will return on both sides of the ball. Running back Jordan Todman can carry the load for the Huskies offense. Zach Frazier can lead this team in crunch time. The defense brings all key positions back but still has to improve in the secondary where they were vulnerable last year. The schedule maker was very kind to the Huskies with home games against Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Cincinnati. A big contest in Michigan could set the bar for a great season for the Huskies.

12. AIR FORCE FALCONS

The Falcons have been a fundamentally sound team since Frisk’s arrival and I don’t expect this year’s team to be any different. Air Force will try to run the ball and control the clock, especially with the concerns up front on defense. However, they have a tough schedule and are not going to be great along the line of scrimmage and that’s a fundamental flaw. With so many worries, I think that the Falcons are going to take a step back this season but they should still be bowl eligible.

Nice job so far Emmdot, lookin great man.

Good stuff Frisk looks like some moving already

i missed this the othery day man...great work

This is AWESOME!! loving all the extra work people put in on here! Nice job Emm!

We gonna see anymore of these Emm? I love me some power rankings!