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WITH THREE SUPERSTAR QBS GUNNING FOR THE HEISMAN AND A NATIONAL TITLE, THE 2OO9 SEASON WELL BE ONE TO REMEMBER

We've been making the argument for a play-off system to decide the college football national championship for years. Enough with computer matchups. Enough with undefeated teams not getting a chance to make their case on the field. And enough with preseason polls that favor one team over another, thereby allowing a third-ranked team that loses no games to still wind up playing bridesmaid.

While not the most important chal­lenge facing the nation (have you looked at your 401(k) statement lately?), the issue of a play-off has been important enough to capture the attention of our president. Quoth Mr. Obama, "I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. If there's not a clear decisive winner, we should be creating a play-off sys­tem." Our do-everything president even prescribes the formula: "Eight teams. That would be three rounds to deter­mine a national champion. I don't know

1 OKLAHOMA

COACH: Bob Stoops, Playboy's Coach of the Year for 2009.

LAST YEAR: 12-2. The Sooners lost the BCS title game to Florida 24-14. STUDS: The list is long and headed by last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, at quarterback. Offensive line­man Trent Williams will take up where Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson, now both in the NFL, left off. DeMarco Murray fits into the tradition of great Oklahoma running backs, and Jermaine Gresham is the best collegiate tight end in the nation. On defense, tackle Gerald McCoy, linebacker Travis Lewis and cor­ner Dominique Franks are all menacing. SKINNY: Whatever falloff from last year's offensive production the Sooners experi­ence will be more than compensated for with the best defense in Stoops's 10-year tenure in Norman. Six of these play­ers will likely be NFL stars in the next year or two. In the three-way horse race between Florida, Texas and Oklahoma for this year's national championship, give the slightest nod to the Oklahoma Sooners because of their ability to domi­nate defensively.

SCHEDULE: It's tough to win out in the Big 12, but Oklahoma has the talent to do it. PREDICTION: 12-0

^ FLORIDA

COACH: Urban Meyer begins his fifth sea­son in Gainesville.

LAST YEAR: 13-1. The Gators won the national championship by beating Okla­homa 24-14. STUDS: There are lots of stars on both

any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this." Thank you, Mr. President; neither do we. If the recession, the war in Afghanistan and North Korea's intransigence are diffi­cult problems to solve, let's take care of something that has an obvious and easy solution.

In the meantime we have nothing against preseason polls, playboy has been doing them for more than 50 years—and better than any other publi­cation, we might humbly add. This year three outstanding college football teams will make a run for the title: Oklahoma, Florida and Texas. The first two have quarterbacks who have already won a Heisman Trophy—Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow—and the third has Colt McCoy, who could win it this year. And don't discount perennial powerhouse USC, always a contender since Pete Carroll took over as head coach.

Here's our roll of the dice for the com­ing college football season.

sides of the line. Leading the list is quarterback Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and could win it again. Mike Pouncey (six-five, 320 pounds) is a brick wall on the offensive line. Brandon James is a super return specialist. As strong as the offense is, the defense may be stronger. All 11 starters from last year return, including line­backer Brandon Spikes. SKINNY: The Gators will exhaust oppo­nents with a stifling defense and a run-oriented, ball-control offense. However, the loss of receiver Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow's penchant to run first and pass later may give the best SEC defensive teams an opportunity to force Florida into passing situations. SCHEDULE: Favorable, with only four games on the road, the toughest being October 10 at LSU. PREDICTION: 12-0

© TEXAS

COACH: Since taking over at Texas 11 years ago, Mack Brown is a best-in-the-nation 1 15-26.

LAST YEAR: 12-1. The Longhorns won their fifth consecutive bowl game by beating Ohio State (24-21) in the Fiesta Bowl.

STUDS: Number one stud is three-year starting quarterback Colt McCoy, who finished second in the Heisman voting last year. Jordan Shipley will be his target of choice at wide receiver. The defense loses Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Brian Orakpo, but defensive end Sergio Kindle is nearly as good. Linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy and defensive backs Earl Thomas and Blake Gideon will also be standouts. SKINNY: The road from Friday night

ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS TOP OUR LIST OF PRESEASON COLLEGE FOOT­BALL AWESOMENESS. COULD THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CAME FEATURE THE SAME TWO TEAMS AS LAST YEAR? WE THINK SO.

1 OKLAHOMA 12-0

2 FLORIDA 12-0

3 TEXAS 11-1

4 USC 11-1

5 PENN

STATE 10-2

6 ALABAMA 10-2

7 OHIO .

STATE 10-2

S MISSISSIPPI 9-3

9 CALIFORNIA 9-3

10 OKLAHOMA STATE 9-3

11 NOTRE

DAME 9-3

12 BOISE

STATE 12-1

13 WEST VHtGINIA 9-3

14 GEORGIA TECH 9T3

15 TCU 10-2

16 GEORGIA 9-3

17 KANSAS 9-3

18 UTAH 9-3

19 VIRGINIA TECH 8-4

20 IOWA 8-4

21 OREGON STATE 8-4

22 SOUTH FLORIDA 9-3

?* FLORIDA

STATE 8-4

24 NORTH

_ CAROLINA 8-4

25 PITTSBURGH 8-4

FOR A FULL BREAKDOWIT" OF THE TOP 50 TEAMS GO TO PLAYBOY.COM/COLLEGE FOOTBALL. >

lights to Austin is straight and short, allowing Brown to continue to pull in and develop some of the best college football players in the nation. It's dif­ficult to see any weakness in this team on either side. Only the bounce of the ball and the talent of the Sooners stand in the way of the Longhorns' chance to play for a national championship. SCHEDULE: The big game for the Horns this year and every year is Texas vs. Oklahoma (October 17). Texas should be wary of a road game at Oklahoma State two weeks later. PREDICTION: 1 1-1

©use

COACH: In eight seasons Pete Carroll has won 88 games and turned out 33 All-Americans, including three Heis-man Trophy winners. LAST YEAR: 12-1. The Trojans beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl 38-24. STUDS: Despite the incredible num­ber of impact players from last season who are now gone (Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Rey Maualuga, Mark Sanchez, Patrick Turner), the Trojans are so deep that the team will keep rolling along. Chalk it up to Carroll's recruiting brilliance. Watch for USC's rushing game to be ferocious, with Joe McKnight leading the way. It appears Aaron Corp will take over the quarter­back spot vacated by Sanchez, though Matt Barkley, Garrett Green and Mitch Mustain could figure in the mix. Lots of new but talented players will be on defense. Back again is two-time Playboy All America safety Taylor Mays. SKINNY: USC may not be the nation's dominant team this season, but it has certainly been the dominant team of

the decade. And while it may have to take a half step back as new talent replaces departed stars, it's still the best team west of the Rockies and has an outside shot at being the best west of the Atlantic.

SCHEDULE: An early-season visit to Columbus against Ohio State will be the Trojans only early challenge. PREDICTION: 11-1

^ PENN STATE

COACH: Joe Paterno. It appears only God can make the 82-year-old patriarch step down as coach of the Nittany Lions. LAST YEAR: 11-2. Penn State was a last-second field goal short of a per­fect regular season. Then came the Rose Bowl, in which USC quarterback Mark Sanchez picked the Lions apart for a 38-24 victory. STUDS: Evan Royster, a 1,200-yard rusher last season, and backup Steph-fon Green give Penn State plenty of power from the tailback spot. Daryll Clark is a savvy and versatile quar­terback. The defensive line—led by Abe Koroma, Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu—will shut down most oppo­nents' run games.

SKINNY: The offense is strong at the skill positions, but there are big holes to fill on the line. Veteran Stefen Wis-nicwski will move from right guard to center and is expected to anchor things until the rookies are broken in. The defensive secondary is also green. SCHEDULE: Relatively easy. The Lions could be undefeated until Ohio State challenges them in early November. PREDICTION: 10-2

(concluded on page 122)

PLAYBOY'S Alala

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OUR SOURCES? NFL SCOUTS. COLLECE COACHES AND OUR OWN KEEN EVES. HERE WE PRESENT OUR PICKS FOR THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE COLLECE CAME.

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PIGSKIN

(continued from page 80) ^ALABAMA

COACH: The inimitable Nick Saban. LAST YEAR: 12-2. Bama lost to Utah (31-17) in the Sugar Bowl. STUDS: Linebacker Rolando McClain is the best player on a very good defense. Nose tackle Terrence Cody has dropped to a svelte 350 pounds and is ready to play every down instead of being shutded out in third-down situations. Saban will spot wide receiver Julio Jones at some other offensive positions in an effort to utilize his speed. SKINNY: It's a strong year for defenses in the SEC, and Alabama has one of the best. Quarterback Greg McElroy, new at the starling spot but experienced as a backup, will run Saban's ball-control offense, which led the conference in time of possession last season. If incoming freshman running back Trent Richardson lives up to his billing, the Crimson Tide should be set at tailback. SCHEDULE: Having only four road games, the toughest against Ole Miss on October 10, gives Alabama an advantage. PREDICTION: 10-2

OHIO STATE

COACH: Jim Tressel begins his ninth season

in Columbus.

LAST YEAR: 10-3, with a loss to Texas (24-

21) in the Fiesta Bowl.

STUDS: Sophomore quarterback Terrelle

Pryor, lasi season's Big Ten Rookie of the

Year, will be a major star for the Buckeyes

over the next season or two. Mike Brewster at center, Cameron Howard and Thaddeus Gibson on the defensive line and free safety Kurt Coleman are all blue-chippers. SKINNY: After the NFL drafted seven play­ers from last year's team, you'd expect a significant talent dropoff. Not so in Colum­bus. Dan Herron and Brandon Saine will pick up where Beanie Wells left off at run­ning back, and there's a lot of young talent ready to step up in other positions. This team won't play for the national champion­ship, but it's good enough to beat anyone on any given Saturday. SCHEDULE: An early-season home game against USC and then a late-season visit to Happy Valley against Penn State will be the Buckeyes' biggest hurdles. PREDICTION: 10-2

^) MISSISSIPPI

COACH: Houston Nutt is in his second year in Oxford.

LAST YEAR: 9-4. Ole Miss upset Texas Tech (47-34) in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. STUDS: Junior quarterback Jevan Snead is one of the best young quarterbacks in the nation. Tackle John Jerry, at six-five and 350 pounds, is a massive force on the offen­sive line. Defensive end Greg Hardy is the best of a very good defensive front for the Rebels.

SKINNY: Nutt almost immediately got the arrows pointed up for Ole Miss when he came over from Arkansas. Snead continues to improve under center, and there is depth at running back and wide receiver. Left tackle Michael Oher's graduation leaves a big hole on the offensive line, though Nutt

expects freshman Bobbie Massie to be an

adequate replacement.

5CHEDULE: Having Alabama, Arkansas.

Tennessee and LSU all at home works in

Mississippi's favor.

PREDICTION: 9-3

VJEJ CALIFORNIA

COACH: Jeff Tedford has a 59-30 record since taking over at Berkeley seven years ago.

LAST YEAR: 9-4. including a 24-17 victory over Miami in the Emerald Bowl. STUDS: Jahvid Best, who rushed for almost 1,600 yards last season, will be the best running back in the nation this year. He has two outstanding left-side linemen to block for him: Mitchell Schwartz at tackle and Mark Boskovich at guard. Tyson Alualu puts lots of pressure on opposing quarterbacks from his defensive-end spot, and Syd'Quan Thompson is a ball hawk at cornerback.

SKINNY: Quarterback Kevin Riley, who passed for nearly 1,400 yards last season with six interceptions, needs to connect with receivers Verran Tucker and Jeremy Ross so opposing defenses can't stack the box against the running game. The Cal defense showed signs of coming on strong toward the end of the year but needs to be more consistent.

SCHEDULE: All of Cal's losses last year were on the road. This year's road opponents aren't quite as strong, which gives the Bears a chance to match their nine-win total of last season. PREDICTION: 9-3

OKLAHOMA STATE

COACH: Mike Gundy enters his fifth season at his alma mater.

LAST YEAR: 9-4. The Cowboys lost to Oregon (42-31) in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.

STUDS: OSU has three outstanding players on its offense. Quarterback Zac Robinson, entering his third season as starter, was a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards last season. He will prob­ably own every significant quarterbacking record at OSU before season's end. Run­ning back Kendall Hunter was the Big 12's leading rusher last year by a signifi­cant margin, and Dez Bryant is the leading returner-receiver in the nation. SKINNY: The Cowboys always appear better on paper than they are on the field. With the offensive weapons on hand this season plus the addition of defensive coordinator Bill Young, Oklahoma State has an oppor­tunity to equal last season's nine wins. SCHEDULE: A challenging opener on Sep­tember 5 against Georgia will test the Boys. They then take a breather until facing Texas and Oklahoma as part of a demand­ing Big 12 schedule. PREDICTION: 9-3

For more team-by-team breakdowns go to

playboy.com/collegefoolball.