Last season Oklahoma lost for the second consecutive year in the Fiesta Bowl. In 2006, the were upset by Boise State in what some call one of the greatest college football games ever played. In 2007, the nation was given an introduction to Noel Devine and the new leader of West Virginia football in Bill Stewart. Coming into 2008, the Sooners have high expectations and have the pieces needed to end their BCS bowl losing streak.

The offense is run by fantastic sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford. In 2007, Bradford led the nation in passing efficiency and set the NCAA freshman record for most touchdown passes in a season with 36. At running back, DeMarco Murray returns and should have a nice season now that he will be allowed to carry the majority of the load for the Sooners. Tight end Jermaine Gresham is my top tight end in the nation and could eventually be a Top 10-15 pick. At wide receiver, Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson are the top targets for Bradford. The offensive line is among the best in the nation with Duke Robinson, the best guard in the nation, and 6-8, 350 lb Phil Loadholt anchoring the left side of the line.

The defensive line is one of the stronger units on the team. At defensive end, Auston English returns after leading the Big 12 in sacks last season with 9.5 despite missing three games with a fractured ankle. DeMarcus Granger and Gerald McCoy are two of the top defensive tackles in the nation and form a dominating presence in the interior of the Sooners defensive line. At linebacker, Ryan Reynolds is expected to try and replace last year’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in Curtis Lofton. In the secondary, Nic Harris is one of the top safeties in the nation and he plays alongside another very good player in safety Lendy Holmes.

Oklahoma’s 2008 schedule isn’t frightening, however there are still some trap games that could come up. Cincinnati at home should be a good game in Week 2. With non-conference games at Washington and TCU at home and their first conference game at Baylor, the Sooners could enter the Texas game in Dallas at 5-0. This game will likely determine who wins the Big 12 South. Their next four games, two at Kansas State and at Texas A&M, and home games against Kansas and Nebraska, shouldn’t be that difficult, however they then finish off the year at home against Texas Tech and then their final game at Oklahoma State.

Because of the success of Sam Bradford last season and the rest of the role players that have been put around him, I really think that Oklahoma will end their bowl losing streak this season. The Sooners schedule really shapes up so that they could easily end up being in the hunt once again for the National Championship.

I apologize for not updating the last two days; I was out of town for the weekend.

- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes rookie contracts at the top of the draft have become “ridiculous” and intends to take action.

- Undrafted wide receiver Adarius Bowman erupted for 112 yards and a touchdown on six catches in his debut for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. His 73-yard TD clinched Saskatchewan’s win over the Edmonton Eskimos. It’s amazing that a player with this much talent can go from being a sure Day-1 pick to going completely undrafted and having to settle for the CFL. If he continues to play like this, he should get some looks from some NFL teams.

- Rookies that have signed with their respective teams: Kroy Biermann (Falcons), Alex Brink (Texans), Chauncey Washington (Jaguars).

- NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says Lions linebacker Jordon Dizon’s pre-draft DUI arrest will not be reviewed under the league’s personal conduct policy.

- Cardinals rookie offensive tackle Brandon Keith pled guilty to misdemeanor rioting and interference with officials stemming from an incident during his college days.

- Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland believes that undrafted rookie Davone Bess could be a receiver Miami can “hang your hat on for a little while.”

- Chad Jackson saw extensive action with the Patriots’ starting offense during OTA’s.

- The Tampa Tribune confirms that Carnell Williams is likely to begin the season on the PUP list.

Led by 2007 Heisman-Trophy winner Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators have the talent and experience needed to compete for a second National Championship in three years. Florida loses just two starters from an offense that led the SEC and was third in the nation in scoring (42.5 points per game). They also add former USC running back Emmanuel Moody, who is expected to split time in the Gators backfield.

The Gators offense will once again be led by Tim Tebow, he who is vying for his chance to become just the second player to ever win two Heisman Trophies. Alongside Tebow is wide receiver Percy Harvin, one of the most explosive players in the country. Despite missing two games last season with migraines, Harvin still finished the year with 1,622 yards of rushing and receiving. At running back, Kesthan Moore and Chris Rainey are the favorites to receive the most carries. In the team’s spring game, Emmanuel Moody led the rushing attack with 14 carries for 111 yards and one touchdown. Between those three backs, the Gators backfield is going to be an extremely dangerous unit this season. The team also returns tight end Cornelius Ingram who decided not to enter the NFL Draft last season, but rather to return to school for another year. Carl Moore, one of the top junior college wide receivers is another player to watch for this year.

The defensive unit is led by outstanding junior linebacker Brandon Spikes, an All-SEC selection last year. I’m personally pretty excited about the Gators defensive line, specifically their defensive ends. Jermaine Cunningham is a solid player and Carlos Dunlap is only a sophomore, but he’s a player that is going to be very good.This was shown this spring when he recorded four sacks in the Gators’ spring game. At defensive tackle and in the secondary, the Gators have plenty of talented players, but not all positions have a sure starter at this point.

The Gators special teams is another strength. Returner Brandon James led the SEC and was second in the nation in punt returns last season with an 18.1 yards per return average. Sophomore punter Chas Henry was very good last year, averaging 39.3 yards per punt and helped giving up only 22 yards on five total punt returns. Freshman kicker Caleb Sturgis kicked a 60 yard field goal in the spring game.

Florida’s schedule, for an SEC team, does not appear to be that difficult. The face Hawaii and Miami to open the season, then have games at Tennessee, Ole Miss at home, at Arkansas and then have two home games against LSU and Kentucky before heading to Jacksonville to take on Georgia in what is expected to be one of the bigger games on the college football calender this year. Following the game against the Bulldogs, they have two road games at Vanderbilt and Florida State and two home games against South Carolina and The Citadel. The Gators very easily could go undefeated in the regular season before heading to the SEC Championship game. The winner of the Florida vs. Georgia game could really determine which power from the SEC gets a shot at the National Championship this year. With Tim Tebow at the helm and a very talented roster around him, I wouldn’t put it past them to make it to the big game this year.

The past two seasons the Buckeyes of Ohio State have come up just short and have lost in the National Championship game. In 2006, it was to Florida and in 2007, it was to LSU. They enter this season returning 18 starters, having to replace just four starters from last year. With the top recruit in the nation entering the mix in 2008, this team could be better than each of the past two year’s teams.

The Buckeyes’ offense is led by quarterback Todd Boeckman and Heisman-candidate running back Chris “Beanie” Wells. Wells is expected to power the Ohio State offense this season, running behind an excellent offensive line who loses only one player (Kirk Barton) from last year. True freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the top recruit in the nation, is expected to get a fair share of playing time, similar to that of Tim Tebow in his freshman season when Florida won the National Championship. Pryor’s speed and agility should help to make plenty of mismatches for the defense. The Buckeyes return Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline at receiver and Rory Nicol at tight end. Alex Boone, Steve Rehring and Jim Cordle anchor the experienced offensive line.

One of the top defensive units in the nation, the Buckeyes defense is led by star-studded linebacker James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins turned down millions from the NFL last year to come back to Ohio State for one last shot at a National Championship. Alongside him is senior linebacker Marcus Freeman, a very good player who tends to not get the same publicity as Laurinaitis. At defensive end, Lawrence Wilson steps into the hole that is left from Vernon Gholston’s departure to the NFL. What’s interesting is that Wilson was expected to have the same production that Gholston had last year, but Wilson broke his leg in the season opener. There are high expectations for his return to the starting lineup. In the secondary, Malcom Jenkins teams with Donald Washington to form one of the better cornerback tandems in the nation.

With so much talent and experience, there’s a good chance that Ohio State could advance to a third-consecutive National Championship game. However, they’re likely going to have to take down USC in Southern California on September 13th if they want to have a good shot at getting to the big game. If they lose to USC, then I think that a Rose Bowl berth could be the likely scenario. When looking at their schedule, outside of the road game at USC the only other games that could be trap games are at Wisconsin, at Michigan State, at Illinois and Michigan at home. Outside of those games, they face Youngstown State, Ohio, Troy, Minnesota, Purdue, Penn State and at Northwestern, a nice looking slate of games.

From an NFL Draft perspective, Laurinaitis could be a Top 5 pick and Jenkins a Top 10 pick next April. Beanie Wells, if he comes out, could also be a Top 15 pick.

With Jim Tressel leading Ohio State, you always know that the Buckeyes will contend for a National Championship. With Terrelle Pryor entering the mix this year, this team could be even more dangerous than they have been in year’s past. One thing that could be interesting is that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is going for a 2nd-Heisman trophy. The only player to ever win two Heisman’s is Ohio State running back Archie Griffin. Imagine if an Ohio State running back in Beanie Wells prevented Tebow from joining that exclusive group.

- The Detroit Free Press says that Jordon Dizon is unlikely to be suspended after getting a DUI just before being drafted.

- Jason Hill is working at split end behind Bryant Johnson. After a non-productive rookie season, Hill appears to be battling rookie Josh Morgan for backup duties behind Johnson.

- Rookies who have signed with their respective teams: Derek Fine (Bills), Barry Richardson (Chiefs), Tyler Schmitt (Seahawks), Brandon Coutu (Seahawks),

- Lions first-round pick Gosder Cherilus will serve one year of probation and must pay a victim $52,000 for his role in a July 2007 bar brawl.

- Titans running backs coach Earnest Byner says first-round pick Chris Johnson has showed an excellent work ethic and mind for the game during OTAs.

- Olindo Mare reportedly showed better accuracy than rookie kicker Brandon Coutu during Seahawks minicamps.

- The Raiders have signed former Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller.

A team that is more re-loading than re-building, the USC Trojans enter the 2008 season having to replace 12 players, 10 of which were drafted into the NFL. However, as usual with USC, they still remain the favorites because of head coach Pete Carroll’s outstanding recruiting every year.

The biggest question for the the Trojans will be whether or not Mark Sanchez can replace John David Booty at quarterback. In the few games that I saw him play in last year, I personally was impressed with Sanchez. He may even be a better player than Booty was. What I liked best about him was his quick drop back and very good footwork. At running back, Stafon Johnson impressed me last year. He will likely team up with Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable to form one of the best backfields in the nation. Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton and David Ausberry are the stars at wide receiver. I personally feel that Hazelton may be the most talented of any of them and could have a breakout season this year. A big question mark for USC this year will be their offensive line, where they will have to replace four of their five starters from a year ago.

On defense, the front seven is led by two of the best linebackers in the nation in Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing. Along the defensive line, the team will have to replace Sedrick Ellis, however they still have Fili Moala, one of the best defensive tackles in the nation this year. Everson Griffen is one player who will be asked to try and replace Lawrence Jackson at defensive end. At linebacker, Kaluka Maiava is expected to replace Keith Rivers. In the secondary, USC has one of the top safeties in the nation in Taylor Mays. Along with safety Kevin Ellison and cornerback Cary Harris, this unit is once again among the best in the nation.

Next April, both Maualuga and Moala have a very good chance of being Top 10 picks, while Cushing should come off the board right after them. If he enters the draft, Mays could be among the Top 15 picks as well. This team is loaded with talent, it’s just a question of whether Mark Sanchez can mature quickly and develop into a starting quarterback capable of leading his team to the national championship.

When looking at the team’s schedule, their September 13th game against Ohio State figures to be one of the best games of the entire season. With games at Virginia, at Oregon State and at UCLA, as well as at home games against Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, California and Notre Dame, their schedule isn’t exactly the easiest, however it’s the type of schedule that they’ll have to go through if they want a shot at the National Championship.

With Pete Carrol at the helm, there’s no reason that anyone should ever think that USC doesn’t have a shot at the title. They’ll just have to make sure that they don’t have any games similar to that of the Stanford game last season. If they can avoid that, then I’d expect for them to be in Dolphin Stadium next January for the National Championship.

- Tramon Williams is the favorite to be Green Bay’s starting nickel back this year. He’s ahead of Will Blackmon and Patrick Lee. As Lee develops, I’d expect for him to compete for this position.

- Rookie quarterback Brian Brohm reportedly showed poor decision making and took too many “would-be” sacks at Packers pre-training camp workouts. Matt Flynn reportedly looked worse than Brohm, displaying a weak arm and picking up the offense slowly.

- The Packers are expected to bring third-round rookie tight end Jermichael Finley along slowly.

- The Falcons have waived center Doug Datish. A sixth-round pick in 2007, Datish spent his rookie year on injured reserve with a broken wrist.

- Lions rookie linebacker Jordon Dizon was arrested on DUI charges six days before April’s draft.

- Following the 49ers’ signing of Barry Sims, second-round pick Chilo Rachal is expected to move to guard after being used at tackle during OTAs.

- Rookies that have signed with their respective teams: Rob Jackson (Redskins), Bryan Kehl (Giants), Jonathan Goff (Giants), Andre Woodson (Kentucky).

What seems to be many people’s favorites for this season, the Georgia Bulldogs enter the 2008 season with high expectations. Led by two Heisman candidates on offense, this team has everything needed to be the next SEC power to win a national championship.

Star quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the attack on offense. Stafford could ultimately be one of the top picks in the 2009 NFL Draft if he decides to leave school early. He has all of the skills needed to be a very good starter in the NFL. He’s still a bit inconsistent, however he was also only a sophomore last season, so I expect for him to continue to develop this season. Behind Stafford is my Heisman Trophy favorite in running back Knowshon Moreno. Moreno is the best running back at Georgia since Herschel Walker. He doesn’t have outstanding size, however his speed and agility is among the best in college football. I’ve also been very impressed with his cutback ability. The Bulldogs lost just one wide receiver and also bring in one of the nation’s top recruits in A.J. Green.

Georgia’s defense which ranked 14th nationally last season returns nine starters. The defensive line is led by defensive tackle Jeff Owens, a potential 2nd or 3rd Round pick come next April. At linebacker Dannell Ellerbe will provide the defense’s intensity. In the defensive backfield, Asher Allen and Prince Miller form one of the better cornerback tandems in not just the SEC but maybe even the nation.

I have only two worries for this team. At kicker, freshman Blair Walsh will have to fill some pretty big shoes that were left when Brandon Coutu left for the NFL. Lastly, Georgia’s schedule is among the hardest in the nation this year. Just on the road they will have to go to South Carolina, Arizona State, LSU, Kentucky and Auburn. At home, they’ll have a bit of a test with Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. Add in their November 1st date against Florida in Jacksonville. If they can escape this extremely difficult schedule, then I fully expect for them to play for a national championship.

There are two main reasons why I like Georgia so much this season. Head coach Mark Richt has been simply amazing in turning this team into the title contender that they’ve become. In his seven years as the coach of the Bulldogs, he’s gone 72-18! Second, I’m very high on Knowshon Moreno and really think that because he’s a redshirt freshman and has been out of high school for three years, that he could potentially be a Top 5 pick next April. If Matthew Stafford is able to develop into the star-studded quarterback that many expect him to become, then I wouldn’t be surprised if they went into Dolphin Stadium in January and claimed the national championship.

Because of the lack of news that is coming out at this time of the year, I’ve decided to preview the top college football teams for the 2008-2009 season. Beginning tomorrow I’ll rank my top 15-20 teams according to how I feel they will do this season.

- Lions fifth-round pick Kenneth Moore is expected to compete for the team’s No. 5 receiver position.

- Dwayne Jarrett pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of DWI.

Not much news the past few days.  Here’s the latest:

- Rookies who have signed with their respective teams: Geno Hayes (Buccaneers), Harry Douglas (Falcons), Robert Henderson (Giants), Kareem Moore (Redskins), Josh Morgan (49ers).

- 49ers 2007 third-round pick Ray McDonald worked behind former NFL Europa defensive end Walter Curry at OTAs.

- Cowboys defensive end Chris Canty is angling for a long-term deal.

- The Titans remain interested in free agent running back Kevin Jones and will be in attendance for his June 28 workout.

- Free agent offensive lineman Barry Sims has reportedly narrowed his choices to the Rams and the 49ers and is expected to sign on Monday.