The time of mascots, cheerleaders, pigskin, tailgating, Lee Corso, BCS-playoff debates, upset specials, sweat-drenched jerseys and a rainstorm of yellow flags is once again nearly upon us. If you couldn't put those various items together and think "college football," you probably would not be the best candidate for the "$25,000 Pyramid" game show or you simply do not follow sports a great deal.

Another item linked with college football is the ever-debated Top 25 teams in the country (however, for this article, I will only be doing the Top 10). Unlike last season, when the USC Trojans and Texas Longhorns were at the top of almost everyone else's list with a blend of other teams right behind them, this time around the top spots are as wide open as they have been in a while. There is no real clear-cut favorite but instead, a large collection of teams who, given the right amount of luck, could easily find themselves in the BCS National Championship Game January 8.

As a result, this should be a season when fans and pundits will debate more than they ever have how the college postseason is handled. The current BCS format pits the top two teams in the BCS' rankings instead of operating a playoff system similar to what is done for college basketball, a widely accepted method to rooting out a champion. (Although Florida's title run this past season drew a few groans, especially with talent-laden teams like Connecticut and Duke failing to reach the Final Four.)

This debate, although nothing new to the collegiate world, has become more heated since the split national title between USC and LSU in 2003 and when Auburn missed out on participating in the national title game after the 2004 season despite having an undefeated record (and through the Southeastern Conference of all things!). With so many teams out there who could easily claim that they have the talent and ability to play for the national title this season and no clear-cut favorites to stand ahead of them like last season, the debate should fester to levels unseen before.

With that said, let's try to sort out the mess of contenders and pretenders to create a Top 10.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes -The Buckeyes might have been in the national title game last season if they had avoided blowing two of their biggest games of the season. They allowed Texas to score nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose their undefeated status and claim to a title bid. (Texas and USC were undefeated going into the title game.) They allowed Penn State to capture the program's first victory over Ohio State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993 with a 14-point second quarter that put PSU ahead for good en route to a 17-10 win.

This season should turn out much different for OSU. Texas is without superstar quarterback Vince Young and a handful of the key players that helped the Longhorns post an undefeated record and win the national title over the Trojans, Penn State should take a step backward in 2006 after a resurgent 2005 and Michigan has a lot to prove after the Wolverines posted a lackluster 7-5 campaign last season amid talks that they were a title contender.

Although they lost wide receiver Santonio Holmes to the Pittsburgh Steelers via the NFL Draft as well as eight other Buckeyes to the pros (second only to USC's 11), Ohio State is returning the majority of their offensive weapons. Quarterback Troy Smith will be in his last season behind center for OSU and will be handing the ball off to running back Antonio Pittman when he is not airing the ball out to speedy receiver/returnman Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn was not as productive as Holmes was in the passing game but as the go-to receiver he should post much better numbers. Replacing Ginn as OSU's split end will be junior Anthony Gonzalez, who should see way more catches than the 28 he had in 2005 behind Holmes and Ginn on the depth chart. The right side of the offensive line is also returning.

Last season, Ohio State won with defense while sometimes relying on a developing offense to carry them. The exact opposite should occur this season with the Buckeyes winning with offense while sometimes relying on a developing defense to carry them. Six players from last season's unit were selected in the NFL Draft and three of those were first-round selections (linebacker A.J. Hawk to Green Bay at No. 5, strong safety Donte Whitner to Buffalo at No. 8 and linebacker Bobby Carpenter to Dallas at No. 18). Mammoth-sized senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock (6-5, 295 lbs.) returns to wreck havoc on opposing offensive lines but for the most part, the rest of the defense is new or inexperienced enough to be considered solid. However, senior linebacker John Kerr has the best shot to become one of OSU's latest defensive playmaker.

With a high-powered offense and a defense that should reload instead of rebuild, Ohio State is one of the teams that have more reasons than most to assume that they will be playing in the BCS title game. If Smith can continue to show the poise under pressure he displayed last season against Michigan and Notre Dame and the Buckeyes can defeat the Longhorns, Nittany Lions and Wolverines, they should find themselves with an undefeated season and a national title bid.

2. West Virginia Mountaineers - At this time last season, not many around the nation (WVU fans included) though that the Mountaineers would be in a position to compete for a national title bid this season.

West Virginia had just come off of one of the most disappointing seasons in the program's history, losing to Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Florida State (in the Gator Bowl). It was a season that had national title aspirations hovering in the Morgantown air the first few weeks of the season until it all fell apart bit by bit. One of the problems the Mountaineers had was inconsistent play from the quarterback position as Rasheed Marshall, although fast on his feet, was a below-average passer and frequently made poor decisions running with the ball or through the air. The other was a lack of true leadership on the field. Wide receiver Chris Henry (now with the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL) and cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones (now with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL) were two of WVU's best players but instead of providing the leadership expected from a team's top players, the two were constantly causing trouble on the field (needless penalties for poor sportsmanship) and off the field (such as skipping practices and classes).

Things are different in Morgantown this season - quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slaton are both gifted in football talent and brains.

There are plenty of reasons to rank the Mountaineers this high than two seasons ago. This season, WVU is a team led by one of the NCAA's best coaches playing one of the easier schedules of title contenders with a roster that has two of the nation's best offensive superstars in White and Slaton. Both are 1000-yard rushing threats and possible Heisman candidates and should be even better than last season with a talented and experienced offensive line that features center Dan Mozes, who should be a 1st round pick in the NFL Draft. The defense is also experienced in almost every position except the secondary, where strong safety Eric Wicks is the only starting defensive back returning from last season. Linebacker Kevin "Boo" McLee is another one of those WVU linebackers who is a force to be reckoned with.

But what is most important is that there are no headcases to be found on this WVU squad.

One of the things the Mountaineers will need to do if they are to march onto glory is put the hype aside and just play football. This not only will help avoid headcases from developing but will help a team that is still quite young at some key positions from letting the hype get to their heads. (White, Slaton, receivers Dorrell Jalloh and Darius Reynauld and kicker Pat McAfee are all sophomores and most of the other starters are juniors.)

Schedule-wise, West Virginia's only real challenge will be Louisville on the road November 2, a team that took multiple overtimes to be finally put to rest when the Cardinals fell to WVU, 46-44 in triple overtime. Pittsburgh should be an improved team from their 5-6 mark in 2005 but they do not have the talent to dethrone the Mountaineers, even with a former NFL head coach at the Panthers' helm. Although it will be a hyped-up matchup in the state of West Virginia (and one that most everywhere else could care less about), the Mountaineers will not have to worry about Marshall in their season opener.

If West Virginia defeats Louisville and doesn't have one of their patented near-collapses against a team they should easily defeat (such as their 20-15 win over East Carolina last season), the Mountaineers should finish the season undefeated and right in the mix for a national title appearance.

3. California Bears - With USC, UCLA and Oregon all set to take a major step backward this season from their respective positions last season, California seems poised to take over as the best team in the Pacific 10 Conference. No longer is the three-year-long shadow of USC's Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Lendale White hanging over Berkeley - the time of the Golden Bear is now.

The Golden Bears will be aided by a soft schedule on their bid for a national title appearance. They play at Tennessee to start the season but the Volunteers' program stumbled last season to a sub-.500 record of 5-6 with a team that was supposed to contend for the national title. They lost numerous starters on offense and defense and despite the program's resume of being one of the best teams in the nation year-in and year-out, they still have something to prove and should fall to Cal. Besides the Vols, Cal's only other major challenge should come from USC despite their key losses. The Trojans have a history of plugging top talent in for guys who move on when their USC career is over. (Example - Matt Leinart replaced Carson Palmer when Palmer was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 NFL Draft with the 1st overall pick.)

The Bears should rely heavily on the running game led by one of the best one-two punch at tailback in the country with juniors Marshall Lynch and Justin Forsett. Lynch should be one of the top running backs selected in the 2007 NFL Draft if he can build on his impressive 2005 numbers (196 rushes for 1246 yards and 10 touchdowns) despite splitting time with Forsett. At quarterback, sophomore Nate Longshore should earn the spot that he was unable to possess last season after suffering a season-ending leg injury in the Bears' season opener. Cal also has one of the best collections of receivers in the conference with sophomore DeSean Jackson and juniors Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins.

Defensively, Cal has the conference's best unit. Tackle Brandon Mebane, who had 7.0 sacks last season as a junior, returns as one of the defense's leaders and a likely first-round draft pick. Mebane is joined by Abu Ma'afala, Matthew Malele and Nu'u Tafisi to create what should be one of the best defensive lines in the nation. The linebacking core and secondary are both just as impressive.

Cal has had one of nation's better teams the past few years but has been hidden behind the shadow of Pete Carroll's USC. This season, the Bears should thrust themselves into the spotlight if they play to their strengths and Longshore returns to the offense and produces like Steve Levy did for them late last season. This could be a truly special season for the Golden Bears.

4. Florida Gators - It was a season of high expectations last year for Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer's Gators and huge disappointments as a result of those expectations. However, it is in the second season of his stay that Meyer's teams make their move (nine wins at Bowling Green and a 12-0 record at Utah) and what better time to make that move than the 100th anniversary season of Florida football?

This is also the season for quarterback Chris Leak to finally prove his worth. He has a solid season in 2005 with a 20:6 touchdown-interception ratio but that was not enough for the Florida fans who are used to high-level production from their players after Steve Spurrier, who now coaches SEC rival South Carolina, led the Gators to six SEC titles (1991, 1993-1996, 2000) and an average national ranking of 6.8. Things should be a bit different for Leak this season as Meyer has revamped the offensive strategy of moving the pocket around a running quarterback instead of hoping the quarterback can handle himself out of the pocket with his feet like most speedy QB's do but if he falters, freshman Tim Tebow is ready to step in behind center.

Leak is one of the lesser problems that Florida will have to deal with this season. The primary one is production around the offense and defense. There are no real playmakers out there except for possibly defensive end Jarvis Moss, who had seven-and-a-half sacks in 2005. What Meyer does have is a slew of talented freshman that are capable of replacing the older players on the team and produce just as much if not better than the former starters did.

Another problem could be the schedule - the Gators have to play a resurgent Tennessee and LSU to go along with Georgia, Spurrier's South Carolina and Florida State to close the season. The Georgia game could determine who will win the SEC East this season and although the Bulldogs lost some playmakers after a season that went so well until their crushing loss to West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl, they are still an SEC contender.

It will be a hit-or-miss season for the Gators this season. They will either fire on all cylinders and be a national title contender or they'll fall flat on their face and disappoint their fans again.

5. Oklahoma Sooners - Losing in the Rose Bowl to USC the year before last was a tough pill to take for the Sooners, especially after all the hype surrounding their team. They had a former Heisman trophy winner behind center in Jason White, a stud freshman-now-junior running back in Adrian Peterson and an offensive line that some claimed was one of the best in college history. Oops. A year later, Oklahoma took a slight step backward as a program, having its first single-digit win season after four straight 11+ win campaigns. Quarterback Rhett Bhomar struggled to replace White, throwing 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Peterson struggled as well to regain the magic he had the year before but finished the season strong, totaling another 1000+-yard season with 14 touchdowns. (Although a good reason for his decreased production was a lingering high-ankle injury that took away some of his playing time and slowed him down a step earlier in the season.)

Now that Bhomar has a year of experience on his belt, he should produce better than he did in 2005 and Peterson should be putting up big-time numbers in hopes of impressing NFL scouts because he likely will depart after his junior year instead of his senior season. Bhomar caught on late in 2005, throwing for 229 yards and earning offensive MVP honors in a Holiday Bowl victory over a surprising Oregon squad.

But it will be the defense that carries the Sooners. Oklahoma might have the best defensive line in the nation with ends C.J. Ah You, who was named defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl, and Calvin Thibodeaux and tackle Carl Pendleton. The fourth spot should go to the winner of a position battle during fall practice. Ah You had seven sacks last season but was eclipsed in production by Thibodeaux, who posted ten sacks. Linebacker Rufus Alexander has a legit shot at earning the Butkis Award for the nation's best linebacker.

The Sooners were in Texas' rearview mirror last season as the Longhorns did what they could not do the year before. That probably has left Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops a bit red in the face and hungry to leapfrog Mack Brown's team to the program's second conference title in the past three seasons. It certainly is possible but the Sooners have to watch out for a possible upset out on the West Coast against Oregon.

6. Texas Longhorns - Losing quarterback Vince Young and defensive back Michael Huff will certainly hurt the Longhorns but not too much. Texas was poised to make a title run this season with or without Young and had Texas won the BCS title game without needing a stunning performance from Young, he might still be in the Texas instead of backing up quarterback Billy Volek in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. Now that Young is gone, the weight of the world will fall on the shoulders of redshirt freshman Colt McCoy and it will be up to him and tailback Jamaal Charles to help carry the Longhorn offense now that Young and running back Ramonce Taylor, who decided to transfer, are gone. Fortunately for McCoy, the only real loss in his receiving core is tight end David Thomas, who caught 10 passes in the Rose Bowl against USC. Junior receivers Limas Sweed and Billy Pittman are back and the offensive line should give McCoy plenty of time with tackle Justin Blalock, center Lyle Sendlein and guard Kasey Studdard making up part of one of the nation's best offensive lines.

Defensively, the Longhorns have to replace Huff and fellow defensive back Cedric Griffin, tackle Rod Wright and linebacker Aaron Harris. It will likely get done splendidly but those four were all first-team All-Big 12 selections.

Senior safety Michael Griffin returns to lead the Texas secondary along with cornerback Aaron Ross. Both had three interceptions apiece in 2005. End Brian Robison also returns to encore a season in which he had seven sacks as does fellow end Tim Crowder. Rashad Bobino is a developing star linebacker after being a Freshman All-American last season.

Replacing a star like Vince Young will be a difficult task to perform for Head Coach Mack Brown but the Longhorns have dealt with legends such as Bobby Layne and Ricky Williams leaving their program in the past and handled it well. Texas has been a team that never rebuilds but reloads - they have posted 10+ win seasons the past five years and likely will do so again.

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Notre Dame had a surprising season in 2005 the year that former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis left the NFL to take up the job opening left by the firing of coach Ty Willingham. The Fighting Irish went from a program that had only one double-digit win season in the past four years to a 9-win team that was one Reggie Bush non-shove away from upsetting USC and being a 10-win ballclub. The question is whether or not last season was Notre Dame overachieving with the talent that Willingham recruited to South Bend or if the Fighting Irish are a title contender. (I'm inclined to say no but the talent they have on that roster is putting me on edge.)

Quarterback Brady Quinn threw 32 touchdowns to seven interceptions a year after a 17:10 ratio in the same respective stats. His primary receiving target was now-senior Jeff Samardzija, who caught 77 passes for 1249 yards and 15 touchdowns. One intriguing storyline that may distract Samardzija is his pro future after being drafted in the 5th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. During the summer, Samardzija threw 45 pitches in a bullpen session at Wrigley Field and was awed by the prospect of pitching in the historic ballpark. He also got a taste of the Cubs' minor league system, starting the season at Boise, where he went 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in five starts before being promoted to the club's single-A ballclub in Peoria, where he surrendered three runs in five innings in his only start before having to leave the club to prepare for the football season. Samardzija could be a star in baseball or football and deciding which one as the season goes on could be a major distraction for Quinn's go-to receiver. Running back Darius Walker also returns to the fold after rushing for 1196 yards and nine touchdowns on 253 carries in 2005. Every starter on the Irish's offensive line is a senior which should help open lanes for Walker to scoot through and protect Quinn.

Defensively, the Irish will have problems in the linebacking core, having only one starter from last season return, Maurice Crum Jr., and he had back surgery in the offseason. The secondary should be the strength of Notre Dame's defense now that linebackers Brandon Hoyte (92 tackles and six sacks in 2005) and Corey Mays (80 tackles, five sacks) are gone. Those two were in the Irish's top three in sacks last season. The other player was end Victor Abiamiri, who brought the quarterback down eight times and figures to be an All-American this season.

The Irish play an easy schedule with their only challenges being Georgia Tech (if they constitute a challenge), Michigan and USC. Navy is on the Irish's schedule and although they should be a double-digit win program this season, they are not in the same league as Weis' squad. If they stumble and pick up one loss, they will still earn a likely BCS bowl bid but two losses could put them out of the BCS picture.

8. Auburn Tigers - Auburn is perhaps most recently remembered for their undefeated season two years ago that was not good enough to reach the national title game. It is possible that the same thing could happen this season to a talent-loaded Auburn team. Offensively, quarterback Brandon Cox is returning for his junior season and will be handing the ball off to tailback Kenny Irons, who will likely be an All-American this season if he repeats his eye-popping 2005 stats (256 carries, 1293 yards, 13 touchdowns). The defense is also impressive and a slight bit reshuffled. Former starting safety Will Herring will now be playing linebacker for his senior year and former running back Tristan Davis will be manning free safety this season. These moves should help Auburn employ an aggressive blitz scheme that new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who followed former LSU Head Coach Nick Saban to the NFL for a year before returning to the college game, loves to use.

But what is perhaps most important for the Tigers is that second-year offensive coordinator's Al Borges' offense continues to shine. Last season, Auburn led the SEC in total offense (409.8 yards per game) and scoring offense (32.2 points per game). They were also second in rushing offense (194.1 yards per game). The Tigers will have to continue to improve upon those numbers and get production from their new defense if they are going to make a run through the SEC, reach the SEC title game and beyond.

9. Southern California Trojans - USC has always had a knack for being able to reload instead of rebuild after losing top talent year after year as evidenced by Matt Leinart replacing Carson Palmer as the Trojans' quarterback after Palmer was drafted first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 NFL Draft. So losing former Heisman winner Leinart, running backs Reggie Bush (last season's Heisman winner) and Lendale White as well as eight other starters from last season should not be too much of a problem (although finding a new running back may be the most difficult problem for the Trojans - they went so far as to convert linebacker Ryan Powdrell to tailback during the spring).

The problem for the Trojans this season is that their Pacific-10 Conference counterparts are much improved since last season. California, Arizona State and Oregon could all possibly jump USC in the standings if Pete Carroll's squad doesn't watch what they are doing carefully. This is not a season that USC should not be a major contender as they had been in the past but with a couple lucky bounces of the pigskin, they could have a double-digit win season for the fifth year in a row.

10. Louisville Cardinals - After being a favorite to compete for the national title in what was rumored to be a watered-down Big East conference last season, Louisville disappointed, losing to West Virginia and South Florida in the regular season and to the thug-led Virginia Tech Hokies in the Gator Bowl. Things should be different this season as most of UL's key players are returning and such as quarterback Brian Brohm, running back Michael Bush, receiver Mario Urrutia, center Eric Wood, guard Kurt Quarterman and linebacker Nate Harris. Sure, the Cardinal defense is not overly impressive but it should be enough to go along with an offense that is led by Brohm and Bush, who both should be NFL draft picks in 2007. If the offense can be as productive as it was last season and the Cards can pull off a win over the stumbling Miami Hurricanes (who could possibly have eight wins this season), they should finish 2006 as a one-loss team.

(Trophy Photo Credit: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/media_content/m-8194.jpg, Smith Photo Credit: http://sports.ign.com/articles/710/710936p2.html, Slaton Photo Credit: http://sports.ign.com/articles/711/711540p12.html, Hughes Photo Credit: http://sports.ign.com/articles/713/713500p2.html; Leak Photo Credit: http://sports.ign.com/articles/710/710936p4.html, Peterson Photo Credit: http://sports.ign.com/articles/711/711540p1.html)