So here I am writing this blog on an airplane on a flight between Las Vegas and Houston. It’s the first leg of a trip that eventually gets me back to my home in South Florida. My wife and I are returning from the Vegas Insider Annual Football Seminar which takes place every August at the lovely Red Rock Casino and Spa. This year I had the fortunate opportunity to moderate three of the eight seminars in front of a packed crowd every time. The seminars delve deeply into the NFL and College Football with the emphasis on information and gambling angles. Each seminar has a panel of experts that for the most part totaled about eight of the top “cappers” in the business. It is a great way for fans and bettors to prepare for the 2009 football seasons.

The first panel I led on Saturday afternoon was dubbed the “2009 College Football Forecast” and it dealt solely with the upcoming college football season. When it was all said and done most of the panelists and audience members were in agreement that Florida will likely play Texas on January 7th for the National Championship. There was an Oklahoma -- or even a Penn State -- mention along the way but the consensus was -- it would be the Gators vs. Longhorns. Truth be told, I wanted to come up with a different matchup, but in the end I found myself agreeing with the masses. Tim Tebow is back for Florida and there’s not a better and/or more focused player in the nation. Even with the loss of Percy Harvin and a few guys on defense the Gators should be an absolute power house. Colt McCoy is back at quarterback for Texas after a dazzling 2008 season and I believe his team is the most balanced in the Big 12.

Certainly Heisman Trophy award winner Sam Bradford and the Oklahoma Sooners pose a serious threat ,but Stoop’s defense is younger and probably not as good as Mack Brown’s.
The Big 10 is more top heavy this year than it’s ever been with the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions atop the conference. Ohio State could be a threat for the National Championship if quarterback Terrelle Pryor picks up the new offense. The Buckeyes issue is another early season match up against the USC Trojans. Penn State, on the other hand, only plays five teams with winning records this year and none outside the conference. Plus the Lions return their quarterback Darryl Clark and running back Evan Royster.

Usually USC is in this discussion but despite Pete Carroll’s ability to reload there are some that are hesitant to pick the Trojans because the of the quarterback situation. With Mark Sanchez going to the New York Jets there’s not a lot of experience under center for USC. I still consider USC a very dangerous team that is still loaded at the running back and wide receiver positions. Although the defense did take a hit, especially at the linebacker position.

The purpose of this blog is to give college football fans 5 teams to keep an eye on that could potentially be very good this year. So while most people continue to chat about the chalk here are some other alternatives.

Georgia Tech: (ACC)
This should be another season where the play inside the ACC is not all that impressive. Most people have Florida State winning the Atlantic and some admit that’s by default. The only team in that division that can pose a threat is North Carolina State. The Wolfpack come armed with a very dangerous quarterback in Russell Wilson and a pretty easy schedule. We’ll learn a lot about N.C. State when they host Steve Spurrier in week one.

Virginia Tech is another team that continues to garner a lot of attention. They also sport a very mobile quarterback in Tyrod Taylor and coach Frank Beamer always has a solid defense. But the Hokies did lose their star running back Darren Evans to injury and they have to play Alabama and Nebraska in the first three weeks. Georgia Tech is the team that I think wins the ACC outright and has a chance to do some real serious Bowl damage. They also have a very mobile quarterback in Josh Nesbitt and the best running back in the conference in Jonathan Dwyer. Couple that with 17 returning starters and the easiest of the non conference schedules (they do host Clemson early) and you have the makings of a winner.

Troy: (Sun Belt)
I’m not implying that Troy has a chance at the National Championship (that would be silly!), but I am telling you they are a very good football team. If you don’t believe me just ask Urban Meyer. Troy has a date with the Gators in week two and it could be a much closer game than Vegas would lead you to believe. Arkansas State and FAU should be pretty good inside the Sun Belt, but I don’t expect either to challenge the Trojans. Troy returns their stud quarterback in Levi Brown who racked up 15 touchdowns and only 3 picks all of last year. Also back are running back DuJuan Harris (1,077 yards) and a bunch of good wide receivers. Defensive linemen Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield are both back this year and that duo combined for 16 sacks last season. Obviously Sun Belt football doesn’t get the national recognition like the SEC or the Pac-10, but Troy is still a team worth watching.

Iowa: (Big 10)
As I said earlier in this piece there is no question that Ohio State and Penn State are the cream of the crop inside the Big 10. But, if I was to pick a team that’s kind of lurking on the outside looking in it would be the Iowa Hawkeyes. Coach Kirk Ferentz is widely recognized as one of the best and his team quietly comes off a nine-win season. The Hawkeyes did take a hit with running back Shonn Greene going to the Jets (1,850 yards) but they replace him with impressive sophomore Jewel Hampton. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is back and so is a lot of their defense. The Hawkeyes also play seven home games this year in a stadium where the team has won 42 of their last 51 over the last 8 years. If the Buckeyes or Nittanly Lions stumble the Hawkeyes may very well be there for the kill.

Boise State: (WAC)
Picking Boise State to be good at this point is like picking the Patriots to fare well. Chris Petersen is now 35-4 over his last three seasons with the Broncos and has to be considered one of college football’s coaching elite. There’s little argument that some of the disrespect comes with the conference. As my dear friend Marc Lawrence (Odd’s Couple on Opensports.com) noted in his Playbook publication the WAC’s combined record outside of Boise was 43-58 last year. Regardless Boise is a team that I expect to go undefeated and play in a BCS Bowl this year. They return big time sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore, speedy running back Jeremy Avery and some of their best defenders. Plus the Broncos have Oregon and Nevada on the “Blue Turf” this year.

Oregon: (Pac-10)
If you adhere to the school of thought that USC may stumble along the way without experience at quarterback then you may want to look elsewhere in the Pac-10 for a legitimate challenge. Lots of the prognosticators are impressed with Jeff Tedford and his California football team. And the optimistic outlook comes with good reason. Cal running back Jahvid Best comes off a nation’s best 8.4 yards per carry on his way to nearly 1,600 yards last season. But even with that said, I believe the Oregon Ducks could be the team to beat. Even though Mike Bellotti is out and Chip Kelly is in, the Ducks return quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and running back LeGarrette Blount. The Ducks also have seven home games on the schedule, but the first two weeks may tell the story of the whole season. Oregon plays September 3rd on the “Blue Turf” at Boise State and returns home nine days later to host the Purdue Boilermakers.

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