| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|
| 1 | USC Trojans - The Trojan's first season off of the postseason bans have them coming in at #1. With Matt Barkley leading the charge, USC has a chance at a title run once more. | -- |
| 2 | LSU Tigers - Les Miles and his squad are picking right up where they left off. Solid recruiting and playmakers all over the field will help LSU contend for a title again. | -- |
| 3 | Alabama Crimson Tide - The Crimson Tide are right there with LSU, just like last season. With returning starter A.J. McCarron improving and a more-than capable running back in Eddie Lacy, things are looking bright for Bama. | -- |
| 4 | Georgia Bulldogs - One of the darkhorses in the SEC this season, the Bulldogs have the talent to compete with the best of them, starting with QB Aaron Murray. A favorable schedule helps as well. | -- |
| 5 | Oregon Ducks - While Chip Kelly and the Ducks lose LaMichael James and Darron Thomas, Oregon still has plenty of firepower in DeAnthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner. | -- |
| 6 | Oklahoma Sooners - Landry Jones is back again and the receiving core is one of the best in the country with Kenny Stills and Jaz Reynolds returning, as well as signing top receivers in the 2012 recruiting class. | -- |
| 7 | South Carolina Gamecocks - Marcus Lattimore is coming off of an ACL tear, but Connor Shaw will try and lead the Gamecocks without WR Alshon Jeffrey. This really comes down to Lattimore. | -- |
| 8 | Florida St. Seminoles - Jimbo Fisher is recruiting like a madman, signing top prospects such as Mario Edwards and Eddie Goldman. E.J. Manuel returns to quarterback the offense in 2012. | -- |
| 9 | West Virginia Mountaineers - The Mountaineers have everything going for them, following the Orange Bowl smashing of Clemson, 70-33. Geno Smith and Dustin Garrison look to improve on the 2011 season and become an early favorite to win the Big 12. | -- |
| 10 | Arkansas Razorbacks - Arkansas lost a lot of talent at the wide receiver position, but with Knile Davis returning from an injury and QB Tyler Wilson, the Razorbacks will try to take the SEC by surprise under John L. Smith. | -- |
| 11 | Michigan Wolverines - Coming off of a Sugar Bowl-winning season, the Wolverines look to finally take back the Big Ten title in 2012. Early Heisman candidate Denard Robinson will lead UM on offense while Greg Mattison continues to improve the defense. | -- |
| 12 | Wisconsin Badgers - Russell Wilson is gone, but the Badgers were able to nab Montee Ball from joining the NFL, instantly making the Badgers competitors in the Big Ten. The coaching staff lost 6 assistants over the course of the off-season, so it's up to the school to replace them with quality coaches. | -- |
| 13 | Clemson Tigers - Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins are back as one of the top dynamic duos in the country. While they need to figure things out defensively, Clemson can still get back to national prominence under Dabo Swinney. | -- |
| 14 | Michigan St. Spartans - The Spartans will have to replace some key positions, including the QB spot that Kirk Cousins held down for the past couple of years. A stingy defense will help propel any offensive troubles, as MSU tries to head back to Indy for the B1G Championship Game. | -- |
| 15 | Nebraska Cornhuskers - Taylor Martinez enters his 3rd year as a Cornhusker and again big things are expected from the Big Red. Rex Burkhead will have to be more than efficient to help Nebraska in it's second season in the Big Ten. | -- |
| 16 | TCU Horned Frogs - A recent addition to the Big 12, TCU will try to show what they've got under head coach Gary Patterson. TCU brings back much of its firepower on offense, with quarterback Casey Pachall, tailbacks Waymon James and Ed Wesley and receivers Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson coming back. | -- |
| 17 | Kansas St. Wildcats - With quarterback Collin Klein and linebacker Arthur Brown coming back this season, the Wildcats might be among the Big 12 favorites, along with Oklahoma and West Virginia. Klein is also an early candidate for the Heisman trophy. | -- |
| 18 | Illinois Fighting Illini - You might be surprised to find the Fighting Illini this high, but don't be. With Nathan Scheelhaase in his third year as a QB, expect him to be among the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Under new head coach Tim Beckman, the Illini should not be overlooked. | -- |
| 19 | Texas Longhorns - The Longhorns rebounded nicely this past season, after a head-scratching 5-7 finish in 2010. David Ash will have the edge entering spring practice, but he'll continue to be pushed by Case McCoy. The running game should be better if tailbacks Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron can stay healthy, and incoming freshman Johnathan Gray. | -- |
| 20 | Washington Huskies - Quarterback Keith Price has given Huskie fans some hope for this season. Price has the offense resting completely on his shoulders, but after dazzling against RG3 in the Alamo Bowl (though they lost), Washington should be pretty decent this year. | -- |
| 21 | Virginia Tech Hokies - Quarterback Logan Thomas will be back for his second season as a starter and he showed he was capable in 2011. Incoming freshman Joel Caleb might need to emerge as a big-play threat early in his career. The good news is that as many as eight starters might be back on defense. | -- |
| 22 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys - If OSU coach Mike Gundy is going to keep his program near the top of the Big 12, he's going to have to rebuild his record-setting offense after losing quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon. Rising junior Clint Chelf, RS FR J.W. Walsh and incoming FR West Lunt will battle for the starting QB job this spring. | -- |
| 23 | Boise St. Broncos - The Broncos went 73-6 in coach Chris Petersen's first six seasons and flirted with playing for a BCS national championship in each of the past two seasons. Rising junior Joe Southwick will be the favorite to replace Moore, but he'll get competition from rising sophomore Grant Hedrick and incoming freshman Nick Patti. | -- |
| 24 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Brian Kelly will again oversee a quarterback battle in the offseason, with Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson and freshman Gunner Kiel (who enrolled in January) battling for the starting job. | -- |
| 25 | Stanford Cardinal - David Shaw lead Stanford to an 11-2 record and BCS bowl game in his first season and also signed arguably the best recruiting class in school history. Stanford signed top offensive line prospects, including tackles Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy and guard Josh Garnett. Tailback Barry Sanders Jr., the son of NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, also was a big recruiting coup. Of course, the Cardinal have to replace quarterback Andrew Luck. | -- |
