College Football 2006: The Top 25

Now that we've previewed the major conferences, the Heisman hopefuls and whatnot, it's time to get down to the real meat and potatoes of the college football preseason - predicting the national champion.

This season is even more fun considering there's no clear-cut choice or dominating favorite. Never before has the national championship race been so wide open. Every contending team has some weakness they must deal with.

Talent alone isn't the only method available for making a national championship pick, strength of and favorable scheduling plays a big part as well. Experience and depth are other factors to consider and many times, good old-fashioned luck is needed to survive a grueling season unscathed.

All these factors must be mixed into a recipe that's a flavorful one when it comes to making a national champion choice. With all those factors in mind, here's a look at the Corner's very own Top 25 for 2006. The list is in descending order.

25. Tulsa
24. Texas Tech
23. Tennessee
22. TCU
21. Oregon
20. Penn State
19. Nebraska
18. Virginia Tech
17. Clemson
16. Georgia
15. Iowa
14. Louisville
13. Miami (Fla)
12. Michigan
11. Oklahoma
10. Florida State
9. USC
8. California
7. Florida
6. LSU
5. Texas
4. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
2. Auburn
1. West Virginia

There you have it. The Corner predicts a West Virginia/Auburn BCS clash for national glory. Although don't count out Ohio State crashing the party if its defense comes around. No matter, the Mountaineers have tons of talent, a favorable schedule and the coaching to claim the schools first ever national championship.

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