Gothamist's Div. 1A Top 15

With the first full week of college football now over, Gothamist Sports proudly unveils our first Top 15 ranking for college football. Ranking the top 15 this early is obviously a crap-shoot, but that's never stopped anyone before. It's difficult to rank teams early in the season, but we gave it a shot, so don't take it personally if your team is lower than you think they should be.

We'll publish the rankings on Tuesday of every week. Justin S., a friend of Gothamist, is the kind computer behind the rankings.

1. Oklahoma - #1 by default? USC was shaky and LSU downright bad. Their whole offense returns from last year and plenty of talent on D. Still, this team was exposed somewhat at the end of 2003 and has something to prove.

2. Georgia - Gothamist might be reaching a bit here, but this team has talent and experience on both sides of the ball. The SEC is always tough but they get LSU at home this year, and besides the Tigers don't look so tough.

3. USC - Tons of talent, but much of it young due to the departures of so many of last years' stars. Leinhart struggled in week 1 without his WRs and OL from last year. Weak schedule should keep them in the BCS mix till the end though.

4. Miami - Plenty of speed and skill as usual, but must get better QB play this year. Brock Berlin has been over-hyped throughout his career and is not a top QB. His play will make or break this team - 12 TD - 17 INT last year kept this team from their 3rd straight title game.

5. FSU - Similar to Miami, with a senior QB (Chris Rix) who has been up and down (though better than Berlin). Problem is, they can't beat Miami, and have to open up in the Orange Bowl, an FSU house of horrors, Friday night. ACC isn't so easy anymore, and Bowden isn't getting any younger, so this will be an interesting program to watch the next few years.

6. LSU - We guess we have to put them somewhere. Huge dropoff in QB play from last year, and non-existant offense in first game. Needed a miracle (3 missed extra points) to beat Oregon State at home, not a good sign. Great D still, but will slip a notch this year. Still a top program though with excellent coaching and recruiting.

7. West Virginia - Another reach? Maybe, but this team is talented, and don't forget they killed VT and Pitt last year and had Miami beat in the Orange Bowl before Kellen Winslow's miracle catch. Lots of returning talent and an easy schedule, but can they finally beat Maryland of all teams? Look for RB Kay Jay Harris as a darkhorse Heisman candidate.

8. Texas - New year, same team. Lots of talent, will beat the average/bad teams, but can't beat Oklahoma. How many more tries will Mack Brown get?

9. Michigan - Lousy year to have to break in a freshman QB - great D and WRs. Biggest question mark will be the running game; Chris Perry will be sorely missed. Chad Henne will be a star, but how soon? There will definitely be growing pains, and if they can't run the ball, watch out. Still teams like LSU and OSU have shown recently that you can win with an average offense if your D is great. Still the best team in a somewhat down year for the Big 10.

10. Florida - 16-10 in 2 years will not get it done for Ron Zook. Bottom line, he was a lousy NFL D coordinator, and a poor choice to replace Spurrier. Still, he has recruited well, and there is too much talent to not improve this year.

11. OSU - You don't lose 14 players to the NFL and not have a drop-off. QB play will not be good this year, and if they had trouble scoring points in 02 and 03, it could get ugly in 04. D is still strong though, so they won't fall too far.

12. California - Remember this name - Jeff Tedford. Whichever top program hires him next will get a great one. Great QB coach and offensive mind; this team will score a lot of points. Only team to beat USC last year, but this year must travel to SoCal.

13. Minnesota - Best offense in the Big 10 by far. But, can they stop anybody? Lucky for Michigan fans the Gophers travel to Ann Arbor this year. OSU is off the schedule for them which certainly helps.

14. Utah - Another name to watch - Urban Meyer. Turned Bowling Green into a power in 2 years, now doing the same out west. Weak schedule will mean lots of wins this season. Might Meyer end up at Notre Dame in the near (or distant) future.

15. Virginia - Lots of possibilites here, similar teams - Wisconsin, Clemson, Tennessee, KSU, Missouri, etc. Cavs get the nod due to the fact that they have a strong core of juniors who have started since year one. Still, replacing QB Matt Schaub will not be easy, but Al Groh can rely on his stingy Defense while the new QB Hagans develops.

- Rankings by Justin S.