Recapping the Recruiting

The 2008 college football recruits have been signed and the speculation of who’s going where has ended. Almost. The obvious exception is all-world QB Terrelle Pryor. Here’s what Terrelle had to say on signing day:

Pryor is reportedly headed for official recruiting visits to Penn State and Oregon, of which the latter should be bad news for both Ohio State and Michigan.

The recruiting ratings are recited frequently by fans but as you can see from the table below, if there’s science to it, the scientists don’t agree.

Regardless of how accurate the rankings are, we decided to update our 2008 preview post with the final Scout.com numbers. That information is below. We’ll also put out a very early pre-season Ocho in the coming days.

1. LSU
Key Senior losses RT Carnell Stewart, TE Keith Zinger, TE Mit Cole, WR Early Doucet, QB Matt Flynn, RB Jacob Hester, LT Glenn Dorsey, DE Kirston Pittman (assuming he can’t get another year of eligibility), LB Luke Sanders, LB Ali Highsmith, LB Jonathan Zenon, SS Craig Steltz, CB Chevis Jackson, P Patrick Fisher

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Ryan Perrilloux should step in nicely as the full-time starter. We think he’ll hit some speed bumps along the way, but if the SEC Championship game was any indication, the QB position is in good hands.

Recruiting? Ranked # 6 (according to Scout.com)

How does the schedule line up? Pretty favorably- no key out-of-conference matchups, Georgia and Alabama at home, road games at Florida and Auburn.

Are they a contender? Always. The holes on defense are going to be awfully hard to replace, not to mention the loss of D-Coordinator Bo Pelini. Both the Auburn and Florida games are in the first half of the season which may prove to be trouble for such a young defense. Still, the SEC West should be theirs again for the taking which could mean a potential re-match with Florida or the matchup with Tennessee that never materialized this year.

2. Georgia
Key Senior losses SE Sean Bailey, C Fernando Velasco, RT Chester Adams, TB Thomas Brown, TB Kregg Lumpkin, DE Marcus Howard, SS Kelin Johnson, PK Brandon Coutu, PR Mikey Henderson, PR Thomas Flowers

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Sure do. Matthew Stafford returns for his Junior season after an improved Sophomore year.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 4

How does the schedule line up? Rough. A non-conference road game at Arizona State plus a stretch of four road games in a row to close out conference play (at LSU, at Florida, at Kentucky, at Auburn). At least the Bulldogs get Tennessee in Athens…

Are they a contender? Remains to be seen. Bulldog nation sure thinks so. Most of the key contributors return but Georgia has a brutal schedule. It also will be interesting to see if Georgia can come up with big wins when they’re “the hunted” all season long. It’s easier to play the role of the underdog as they did in 2007 in a conference as tough as the SEC. The bulls eye is going to be squarely planted on Georgia’s back as they’ll be pre-season top-5 for sure.

3. USC
Key Senior losses LT Sam Baker, C Matt Spanos, RT Drew Radovich, TE Fred Davis, QB John David Booty, TB Chauncey Washington, SNP Will Collins, DE Lawrence Jackson, NT Sedrick Ellis, LB Keith Rivers, CB Terrell Thomas

Key Junior losses OG Chili Rachal

Do they have a Quarterback? Sort of. It appears that the job is mark Sanchez’ to lose. Waiting in the wings is Arkansas traitor Mitch Mustain.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 9

How does the schedule line up? Pretty tough. USC opens the season at Virginia and then will have two weeks to get ready for the OSU Buckeyes to come to town. That will be one of the biggest early season match-ups in the last five years. The conference schedule lines up nicely with the road games being at Oregon State, Washington State, UCLA, Arizona, and of course the rematch with Stanford. Oh, and Notre Dame comes to town in the second to last game of the season.

Are they a contender? Always. The Trojans don’t rebuild, and they don’t reload either. They just keep shooting- the chamber never empties. Never. They’re going to have to rebuild the offensive line and get consistency quickly at the QB position.

4. Missouri
Key Senior losses WR William Franklin, LT Tyler Luellen, C Adam Spieker, TE Martin Rucker, TB Tony Temple, WR Jason Ray, NG Lorenzo Williams, CB Darnell Terrell, CB Paul Simpson

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Sure do. 4th place Heisman vote getter Chase Daniel returns to command the offense again.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 31

How does the schedule line up? Nicely. The non-conference opener against Illinois will be a huge challenge, but the rest of the slate is a walk in the park. The Big XII North is theirs for the taking if they can beat Kansas again at the end of the season. The only other challenge is the matchup at Texas on October 18th, and of course the Big XII Championship game.

Are they a contender? Doubtful. Assuming they can get past Illinois and Texas, they’ll likely have Oklahoma again in the Big XII Championship and that’ll be a tall order. It’s probably too much to expect a one-loss and a two-loss team to end up in the BCS Championship game again next year.

5. Ohio State
Key Senior losses RT Kirk Barton, FB Dionte Johnson, LB Larry Grant

Key Junior losses DE Vernon Gholston

Do they have a Quarterback? Sort of. Starter Todd Boeckman returns for his Senior season after mixed results in 2007. He finished the season with only two touchdowns against six interceptions and has to be better next year to be successful. Waiting in the wings is Antonio Henton, provided he stays out of trouble. Tressel is loyal almost to a fault so he’ll give the sixth-year Senior Boeckman loads of latitude to keep the starting job, but if he has a real meltdown early on, expect to see Henton.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 7

How does the schedule line up? Mixed bag. The third game of the season is in LA against USC which will be a titanic matchup. They’ve also got to go on the road against Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Illinois. Michigan has to come to Columbus.

Are they a contender? Following the blowout loss to Florida in the championship game two years ago, most people would have assessed 2008 as the possible repeat trip, not 2007. Nearly everyone is back for the Buckeyes including five of the six Juniors that would have been drafted into the NFL had they declared early. The loss of Vernon Gholston at end will create a big void but Lawrence Wilson coming back from injury should handle the assignment as well or better. As the 2007 season hinged, 2008 will depend upon Quarterback play: solid play should put them in the thick of it when Michigan comes to town in November.

6. West Virginia
Key Senior losses DL Keilen Dykes, LB Bobby Hathaway, DB Antonio Lewis, LB Marc Magro, DB Ridwan Malik, DB Ryan Mundy, RB Owen Schmitt, DB Eric Turner, DB Eric Wicks, DB Larry Williams

Key Junior losses RB Steve Slaton, WR Darius Reynaud, DE Johnny Dingle

Do they have a Quarterback? Sure do. Pat White returns to an offense that returns mostly intact, well, mostly.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 37

How does the schedule line up? Mixed bag. Auburn comes to Morgantown and an away game at Colorado highlight the non-conference. If they can split those games, that should set them up nicely for the Big East schedule which is pretty easy- Rutgers, South Florida, and Cincinnati all at home, Uconn on the road.

Are they a contender? Anything is possible in the Big East. They obviously have to replace Rich Rodriguez and the loss of Steve Slaton is key. Pat White proved down the stretch he’s neither durable enough nor reliable enough of a thrower to be the entire offense. Noel Devine will fill in nicely as Slaton’s replacement but Devine doesn’t have the size to carry the entire load, and with Owen Schmitt gone also, another running back is going to need to step up. Oh yeah, they need to rebuild a lot of the defense too.

7. Kansas
Key Senior losses RT Cesar Rodriguez, TE Derek Fine, WR Marcus Henry, RB Brandon McAnderson, DT James McClinton, K Scott Webb, P Kyle Tucker,

Key Junior losses CB Aquib Talib, OT Anthony Collins

Do they have a Quarterback? Sure do. Todd Reesing returns for his Junior season after a 21-38 performance against Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 48

How does the schedule line up? A hell of a lot harder than 2007. Non-conference game at South Florida should be fun to watch. The Jayhawks get Texas and Texas Tech at home but have to travel to Oklahoma plus the season finale against Missouri, and the Big XII Championship game should they get that far.

Are they a contender? We don’t think so. Too many key losses (best DB, best RB, special teams) plus Oklahoma and Texas both back on the schedule mean the fighting Manginos will have a hard time getting to the Big XII championship game, let alone the National Championship.

8. Oklahoma
Key Senior losses TE Joe Jon Finley, RB Allen Patrick, DT Steven Coleman, DE Alonzo Dotson, LB Lewis Baker, CB Marcus Walker, SS D.J. Wolfe, K Garrett Hartley,

Key Junior losses WR Malcolm Kelly, LB Curtis Lofton, DB Reggie Smith

Do they have a Quarterback? Sure do. Sam Bradford returns for his Redshirt Sophomore season after a record-breaking Freshman season.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 13

How does the schedule line up? Pretty good. The only non-conference game with a pulse is the home date with Cincinnati. The Sooners get Texas Tech and Kansas at home with no difficult road games to speak of…maybe Oklahoma State or Kansas State. Maybe.

Are they a contender? Absolutely. Bradford is losing several of his weapons but that isn’t usually an issue at Oklahoma. The secondary is going to have to have to gel quickly with Cincinnati coming in the second game and Texas showing up in game six. The Sooners should also be looking to avenge their embarrassing loss to West Virginia.

9. Virginia Tech
Key Senior losses SE Josh Morgan, FL Eddie Royal, FS D.J. Parker

Key Junior losses CB Branden Flowers

Do they have a Quarterback? Uhhhh…sort of. Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor both proved to be servicable throughout the 2007 season. Unfortunately, both also played at times like they belong behind center at Florida State. One of them is going to have to do better than the 91.93 QB rating Glennon had in the Orange Bowl or the -2.53 rating Taylor had (I’m not making this up).

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 20

How does the schedule line up? Cake, with a side of pie. The stiffest non-conference test is at Nebraska. When you stop laughing, I’ll continue. The Hokies don’t have to play Clemson (until the ACC Championship game) and get Virginia and Maryland at home. Road games at Miami and Florida State may be mildly interesting.

Are they a contender? Without a doubt. It’s all going to revolve around what kind of QB play they can get. Most of the team is returning, including a very strong defense, and there’s little standing in their way in the ACC with Boston College rebuilding. If they can beat Clemson in the ACC Championship game, this may be the year for the Hokies to get to the NC.

10. Texas
Key Senior losses LB Scott Terry, CB Brandon Foster, C Dallas Griffin, S Marcus Griffin, OT Tony Hills, S Erick Jackson, WR Nate Jones, S Drew Kelson, LB Robert Killebrew, DT Derek Lokey, DT Thomas Marshall, DT Frank Okam, WR Limas Sweed

Key Junior losses RB Jamaal Charles, TE Jermichael Finley

Do they have a Quarterback? Colt is thy name. McCoy is thy clan.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 17

How does the schedule line up? Pretty well. Arkansas comes into town for the non-conference intrigue. Home conference games include Missouri and Oklahoma State. Road games include Kansas and Texas Tech plus the neutral matchup with Oklahoma.

Are they a contender? Don’t think so. Texas has a lot of holes to fill and should be underdogs vs. both Oklahoma and Missouri. If they can find some inspiration, they might be able to win the Big XII South. Maybe.

10. (tie) Boston College
Key Senior losses WR Kevin Challenger, LT Gosder Cherilus, LG Ty Hall, QB Matt Ryan, TB Andre Callender, TB L.V. Whitworth, DE Nick Larkin, FS Jamie Silva, CB Taji Morris, P Johnny Ayers

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Nope. Matt Ryan heads off to the NFL along with all of BC’s hopes and dreams. Senior-to-be Chris Crane threw exactly four passes in 2007 completing two. Sophomore-to-be Billie Flutie threw one pass.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 22

How does the schedule line up? No thanks to the BC Athletic Department, who don’t list the 2008 schedule on their website, just fine. Non-conference is laughable. Maryland, Clemson, and Virginia Tech all at home. At Florida State is the only challenging conference road game.

Are they a contender? Not at all. The defense should be good but losing Silva will hurt. The offense is going to struggle. The Eagles had no running game and loses their top two running backs. Matt Ryan was the offense in 2007 and they’re going to be searching for answers next year.

12. Tennessee
Key Senior losses RT Eric Young, TE Brad Cottam, TE Chris Brown, QB Erik Ainge, DE Xavier Mitchell, DT J.T. Mapu, DE Antonio Reynolds, LB Ryan Karl, CB Antonio Gaines, FS Jonathan Hefney, SS Jarod Parrish

Key Junior losses LB Jerod Mayo,

Do they have a Quarterback? Nope. Jonathan Crompton was the backup this year throwing exactly twelve passes, completing nine of them, two of which went to the other team unfortunately.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 35

How does the schedule line up? Pretty rough. The non-conference slate includes a visit to UCLA in the second game of the season. The SEC run includes away games at Auburn, Georgia, and South Carolina. Florida comes to Knoxville, as does Alabama.

Are they a contender? Nope. No quarterback, a challenging schedule and heavy losses on the defensive side spell average to below average season for Volunteer nation. Fortunately, RB Arian Foster decided to return for his Senior season which should make breaking in a new QB a little easier. Not enough though.

13. Florida
Key Senior losses WR Andre Caldwell, OT Carlton Medder, C Drew Miller, K Joey Ijjas, DT Clint McMillan, S Tony Joiner

Key Junior losses DE Derrick Harvey

Do they have a Quarterback? Lord Tebow himself

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 12

How does the schedule line up? Very nicely, thank you. Two intriguing non-conference games with both Hawaii (not the same Hawaii) and U. of Miami coming to Gainesville. The SEC slate lines up very nicely with the two biggest games at home- LSU and Georgia. Road games include at Tennessee, at Arkansas, and the finale out of conference at Florida State.

Are they a contender? Without a doubt. A very young defense returns without a star pass-rusher in Harvey but largely intact. We learned this year that no matter how good the offense is, that defense has to develop at a quicker pace, and they should. We’re picking the Gators as the early favorites in the East with a very good chance at winning the conference and advancing another SEC team into the NC.

14. BYU
Key Senior losses WR Matt Allen, C Sete Aulai, RB Joe Semanoff, DE Judd Anderton, LB Bryan Kehl, LB Kelly Poppinga, LB Markell Staffieri, LB Chris Bolden, S Kayle Buchanan, S Ben Criddle, S Andrew Saulsberry, DB Korby Hodgkiss, FS Ben Criddle

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Yep. Max Hall and his 3,800 yards return for his Junior season.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 60

How does the schedule line up? Non-conference games include at home to UCLA and at Washington. The rest is the Mountain West- what else do you really want to know.

Are they a contender? No. Massive defensive losses mean maybe even another two-loss season may not be possible.

15. Auburn
Key Senior losses FB Carl Stewart, QB Brandon Cox, LT King Dunlap, TE Cole Bennett, DE Quentin Groves, DT Josh Thompson, SS Eric Brock, DB Patrick Lee, DB Jonathan Wilhite

Key Junior losses DT Pat Sims

Do they have a Quarterback? Nope. Brandon Cox is out the door and either the Kodi Burns or the Blake Field eras are about to begin.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 19

How does the schedule line up? Really well. Non-conference at West Virginia in game # 2. The Tigers get LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia all at home. At Alabama in the finale is the only road challenge.

Are they a contender? Nope. Replacing a QB and multiple defensive standouts is too much to ask in the SEC.

16. Arizona State
Key Senior losses LG Robert Gustavis, C Mike Pollak, RT Zach Krula, RT Julius Orieukwu, TE Brent Miller, TE Brady Conrad, WR Rudy Burgess, WR Tyrice Thompson, TB Ryan Torain, P Jonathan Johnson, DE Kellen Mills, DT Michael Marquardt, LB Robert James, CB Chris Baloney, FS Josh Barrett, CB Justin Tryon

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Definitely. Rudy Carpenter and his 145.1 passer rating is back for his Senior season.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 16

How does the schedule line up? Pretty rough. Georgia comes into town for a non-conference tilt. Conference road games include at Cal, USC, and Arizona. Oregon comes to town.

Are they a contender? No. Keegan Herring returning at RB and the aforementioned Rudy Carpenter should soften the blow of the other departures. Still, too many holes to fill with that schedule to think the Sun Devils will have any chance of sniffing the National Championship.

17. Cincinnati
Key Senior losses DE Angelo Craig, DT Jon Newton, DE Anthony Hoke, LB Leo Morgan, LB Jon Carpenter, SS Haruki Nakmura, SS Evan Sparks, LT Digger Bujnoch, LG Ken Rodriguez, TE Doug Jones, TE Earnest Jackson, WR Mike Daniels, WR Antwuan Giddens, RB Butler Benton, RB Bradley Glatthaar, RB Greg Moore, QB Ben Mauk

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Sort of. 2007 starter Ben Mauk moves on and Dustin Grutza takes over what was once his. Grutza was the on-and-off starter in both 2005 and 2006 so and will be a Senior next year.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 54

How does the schedule line up? Not good for 2nd year Head Coach Brian Kelly. Non-conference road games at Oklahoma and Hawaii plus conference road games at West Virginia, Uconn, and Louisville. South Florida and Rutgers are at home.

Are they a contender? Nope.

18. Michigan
Key Senior losses LT Jake Long, C Adam Kraus, RG Jeremy Ciulla, RG Alex Mitchell, QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, K K.C. Lopata, K Jason Gingell, DE Tim Jamison, DT Will Johnson, LB Shawn Crable, LB Max Pollock, LB John Thompson, LB Chris Graham, CB Morgan Trent, FS Brandent Englemon, SS Jamar Adams, SS Charles Stewart, CB Doug Dutch

Key Junior losses WR Mario Manningham, WR Adrian Arrington, QB Ryan Mallett (not a Junior, transferred)

Do they have a Quarterback? Not unless Tyrelle Pryor commits. Even if Pryor does come to Ann Arbor, he better be the next coming of Vince Young if he expects to live through his Freshman year. He’ll be with a rebuilt offensive line, without his top running back and without the top two wide receivers, and the defense is going to have to be rebuilt also. What do you think TP? You sure you want to come to Michigan?

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 8

How does the schedule line up? Not too bad. Fortunately, Appalachian State is off the schedule this year. In their place is Utah in the home opener. The Wolverines have to play at Penn State and at Ohio State but get Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan State at home.

Are they a contender? Not even close. If Rich Rodriguez can get a top two finish in the Big Ten next year he gets my nomination for coach of the year. He’ll be installing a new offensive scheme with the cupboards pretty bare. It could be ugly at Michigan next year.

19. Hawaii
Key Senior losses WR C.J. Hawthorne, RG Larry Sauafea, QB Colt Brennan, WR Jason Rivers, LG Hercules Satele, DE Amani Purcell, DT Michael Lafaele, DT Siave Seti, DE Karl Noa, DE Francis Maka, LB Micah Lau, LB Timo Paepule, LB Brad Kalilimoka, CB Myron Newberry, CB Keenan Jones, S Jacob Patek, CB Gerard Lewis,

Key Junior losses WR Ryan Grice-Mullins, WR Davonne Bess

Do they have a Quarterback? Pretty much. Colt Brennan is off to see if he’s a system QB or not in the NFL. Tyler Graunke has gotten plenty of experience so he should be able to step in admirably next year. Too bad the team he’s taking over will be heavily depleted.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 94

How does the schedule line up? Not good. Non-conference home games against Cincinnati and Washington State plus n-c road games at Florida and Oregon State. The only two WAC games that matter are both on the road- Boise State and Fresno State.

Are they a contender? Contenders to be .500 maybe. With a new coach and loads of new starters on both sides of the ball, expectations should be made very low in Hawaii for ‘08.

20. Illinois
Key Senior losses LG Martin O’Donnell, RT Akim Millington, FB Russ Weil, WR Jacob Willis, DT Chris Norwell, DT Mike Ware, LB J Leman, LB Antonio Steele, LB Anthony Thornhill, FS Justin Harrison, SS Kevin Mitchell, SS Justin Sanders, K Jason Reda

Key Junior losses RB Rashard Mendenhall

Do they have a Quarterback? Yes*. *I’m still not convinced Juice Williams is the answer. He’s sporadic at best. He did have the best game of his career against Ohio State but finished the season throwing 13 touchdowns against 12 interceptions with a 57% completion percentage. I think Eddie McGee gives them the best chance to win, but who am I, Ron Zook? Either way, both QB’s will be back next year so they’re set.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 18

How does the schedule line up? Brutal. The season opener is again against Missouri. Road conference games include at Penn State, at Michigan, and at Wisconsin. They do get Indiana and Ohio State at home, but I’m guessing that’s going to be a pretty angry Ohio State team coming into Champaign. Good luck with that.

Are they a contender? No. There’s loads of young talent but the loss of Rashard Mendenhall can’t be understated. If the Illini fail to establish a running game, teams are going to squeeze the juice. The defense also loses lots of folks, none bigger than J Leman. The USC beatdown in the Rose Bowl should keep expectations modest in Champaign, which is where they should be.

21. Clemson
Key Senior losses OT Barry Richardson, OG Chris McDuffie, OG Brandon Pilgrim, WR La’Donte Harris

Key Junior losses DE Phillip Merling

Do they have a Quarterback? Definitely. Cullen Harper will be returning for his Senior season after a tremendous Junior effort (27 TD’s, 6 INT’s)

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 11

How does the schedule line up? Pretty well. South Carolina is the toughest of the non-conference foes. Florida State and Virginia both on the road.

Are they a contender? They just might be. The schedule is manageable. The recent announcement that James Davis is returning for his senior season might unlock the key for Clemson to be among the elite in 2008.

22. Texas Tech
Key Senior losses TE David Schaefer, WR Danny Amendola, WR Grant Walker, DE Tyler Yenzer, LB Paul Williams, LB Chad Hill, SS Joe Garcia, CB Chris Parker, K Alex Trlica

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Definitely. Graham Harrell returns for his Senior season and brings with him his 10,682 career passing yards and his 71.8% completion rate from last year.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 59

How does the schedule line up? Not too shabby. The non-conference is laughable. The conference slate splits Texas at home with Oklahoma on the road. Road games at Kansas and Kansas State will also be a challenge.

Are they a contender? Probably not. They’re going to have to get by both Texas and Oklahoma to be a contender, or beat one and then hope for some help to get into the Big XII title game. After that, who knows.

23. Oregon
Key Senior losses LG Josh Tschirgi, RT Geoff Schwartz, WR Garren Strong, DE David Faaeteete, DT Jeremy Gibbs, LB A.J. Tuitele, LB Kwame Agyeman, FS Matthew Harper, WR Cameron Colvin, QB Dennis Dixon, WR Brian Paysinger

Key Junior losses RB Jonathan Stewart

Do they have a Quarterback? Nope. No Dennis Dixon = No Offense

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 24

How does the schedule line up? Rough. The non-conference is tricky with a road trip to Purdue and Boise State coming to Eugene. Conference road games include at Arizona State, at Cal, at Oregon State and at USC.

Are they a contender? Nope. Too many holes to fill and too tough of a schedule.

24. Wisconsin
Key Senior losses QB Tyler Donovan, TE Andy Crooks, WR Paul Hubbard, C Marcus Coleman, C Danny Kaye, DE Kurt Ware, DT Nick Hayden, DE Brandon Kelly, CB Ben Strickland, P Ken DeBauche, P Paul Standring, K Taylor Melhaff,

Key Junior losses CB Jake Ikegwuono

Do they have a Quarterback? Nope. With the departure of Tyler Donovan, Allan Evridge appears to be the heir apparent. There are lots of QB’s on the roster but Evridge is the only one with any real experience. Still, they’re starting over at that position.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 26

How does the schedule line up? Pretty well. A road game at Fresno State is as tough as it gets in the non-conference. The Big Ten schedule starts with a road game at Michigan but otherwise is pretty manageable. Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois all come into Madison. The only other road game of consequence is at Michigan State.

Are they a contender? Maybe. Wisconsin could be a dark horse, at least in the Big Ten. If they can get a quarterback to step in right away, and repair the depleted special teams, the schedule lays out nicely.

25. Oregon State
Key Senior losses WR Brandon Powers, C Kyle Devan, OG Roy Schuening, TB Yvenson Bernard, WR Matthew Sieverson, RB Clinton Polk, FB Andy Stewart, WR Anthony Brown, DE Dorian Smith, DT Gerard Lee, DT William Vea, DT Curtis Coker, DE Jeff Van Orsow, LB Derrick Doggett, LB Alan Darlin, LB Joey LaRocque, CB Gerard Lawson, S Daniel Drayton, K Alexis Serna

Key Junior losses None

Do they have a Quarterback? Yes. Both Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao return.

Scouts Recruiting Ranking? # 61

How does the schedule line up? So so. The non-conference includes Hawaii at home plus road trips to Penn State and Utah. The conference schedule is a little more forgiving with USC, Arizona State, Cal, and Oregon all at home

Are they a contender? Not a chance. There’s rebuilding and then there’s re-populating. The Beavers are losing their entire backfield, the greatest kicker in Oregon State history, and nearly their entire defense. Beaver fans should save the game tape from the Emerald Bowl this year because 2008 is going to be rough.

You’re welcome.