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Longhorns should rustle up another oneby Mike Kern
<!-- begin body-content --> So, who's No. 1?
And does it really matter, when the national championship game is still more than 4 months away? It's only an opinion, based on projections. But since America needs to know, here we go again.
Almost nobody goes wire-to-wire anyway. You can look it up. And most years, the preseason polls and the final polls bear very little resemblance. Yet that doesn't stop us from trying to do our best Carnac impersonation. It's fun. And never forget that often it's not about who has the best team, but which team has the more conducive schedule. (The Associated Press will unveil its preseason Top 25 later today.)
Besides, it's mostly the usual suspects. Generally, it's safe to go with the defending national champion to start, unless there's a good reason not to. And the loss of Vince Young might prove to be just that. We'll see early, when the Longhorns host Ohio State on Sept. 9. And did you know that the last time there was a No.1 vs. No. 2 game in the regular season was 1996, when Florida lost at Florida State by a field goal in mid-November. Fortunately for the Gators, they got a rematch in the Sugar Bowl, where they beat the Seminoles by a bunch to claim their lone national title.
So for now, take it for what it's worth. And let those arguments begin. I already can see those e-mails from the Clemson, Georgia and LSU fans, to name just three. See you on Jan. 8 in the Arizona desert.
Mike Kern's Top 15 appears Mondays in the Daily News during the college football season.
MIKE KERN'S PRESEASON TOP 15
2005 Team Record Three biggest games
1. Texas 13-0 vs. Ohio St. (Sept. 9), vs. Oklahoma (Oct. 7), at Nebraska (Oct. 21)
2. Ohio State 10-2 at Texas (Sept. 9), vs. Penn St. (Sept. 23), vs. Michigan (Nov. 18)
3. Southern Cal 12-1 vs. Cal (Nov. 18), vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 25), at UCLA (Dec. 2)
4. Notre Dame 9-3 vs. Penn St. (Sept. 9), vs. Michigan (Sept. 16), at USC (Nov. 25)
5. Oklahoma 8-4 at Oregon (Sept. 16), vs. Texas (Oct. 7), vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 11)
6. Auburn 9-3 vs. LSU (Sept. 16), vs. Florida (Oct. 14),
7. West Virginia 11-1 vs. Maryland (Sept. 14), at Louisville (Nov. 2), at Pitt. (Nov. 16)
8. Florida 9-3 at Auburn (Oct. 14), vs. Georgia (Oct. 28), at Florida St. (Nov. 25)
9. Miami (Fla.) 9-3 vs. Florida St. (Sept. 4), at Louisville (Sept. 16), vs. Va. Tech (Nov. 4)
10. Michigan 7-5at Notre Dame (Sept. 16), at Penn St. (Oct. 14), at Ohio St. (Nov. 18)
11. Florida State 8-5 at Miami (Sept. 4), vs. Clemson (Sept. 16), vs. Florida (Nov. 25)
12. Iowa 7-5 vs. Ohio St. (Sept. 30), vs. Purdue (Oct. 7), at Michigan (Oct. 21)
13. Louisville 9-3 vs. Miami (Sept. 16), vs. West Virginia (Nov. 2), at Pitt. (Nov. 25)
14. Penn State 11-1 at Notre Dame (Sept. 9), at Ohio St. (Sept. 23), vs. Michigan (Oct. 14)
15. California 8-4 at Tennessee (Sept. 2), vs. UCLA (Nov. 4), at USC (Nov. 18)