| NCAA Football Power Rankings |
| Rank |
LW |
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Team |
| 1 |
2 |
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USC Trojans (13-0)
The Trojans didn't really put it all together until their last few games, but when they did, it was a thing of beauty. The scary thing is, they'll be a deeper, more experienced, more complete team next year, with or without Matt Leinart.
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| 2 |
1 |
 |
Auburn Tigers (13-0)
Talk about bad timing. Not only are the Tigers the first team to go 13-0 and not at least share the national title, but watching them against Virginia Tech you can tell they're very similar to last year's LSU team -- which did win a title, despite losing a game.
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| 3 |
5 |
 |
Utah Utes (12-0)
The Utes never got a chance to match up with an elite team, but considering the way they dismantled everyone, finishing with Pittsburgh, I find it highly unlikely Alex Smith would have curled up in the fetal position just because Oklahoma was on the other sideline.
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| 4 |
3 |
 |
Oklahoma Sooners (12-1)
Jason White likely will be the fall guy for OU's second straight title-game collapse, but the Sooners' real Achilles' heel was their secondary. They were able to skate by in the Big 12 with a vulnerable defense, but it finally caught up to them against the Trojans.
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| 5 |
6 |
 |
Texas Longhorns (11-1)
What could have been a rebuilding year, but this team wound up being Mack Brown's best to date. Two accomplished seniors, Cedric Benson and Derrick Johnson, led the 'Horns to the Rose Bowl, but it was a budding sophomore star, QB Vince Young, who won it for them.
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| 6 |
7 |
 |
Louisville Cardinals (11-1)
It's a shame Bobby Petrino clouded an otherwise storybook season for Cardinals fans with his endless job flirtations. Louisville's offense was a masterpiece, and it may only get better next season with the ascension of QB Brian Brohm.
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| 7 |
8 |
 |
Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2)
Drew Tate's miraculous 56-yard touchdown pass to beat LSU on the final play of the Capital One Bowl was a fitting ending to an improbable season. Iowa won eight straight games without the benefit of a serviceable running game.
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| 8 |
12 |
 |
Georgia Bulldogs (10-2)
The Dawgs missed out on any sort of title opportunity but still produced a pretty impressive season, their only losses coming to Auburn and Tennessee. David Greene and David Pollack finished their careers with a 42-10 record.
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| 9 |
4 |
 |
California Golden Bears (10-2)
Give credit where it's due to Texas Tech, but I'll never believe that was the real Cal team at the Holiday Bowl. Obviously the Bears' defense wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but there are few better backfield tandems than Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Arrington.
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| 10 |
9 |
 |
Virginia Tech Hokies (10-3)
Rarely will you see a team improve so dramatically over the second half of a season as did the Hokies. By the end they'd built a ferocious defense that shut down Auburn's running backs, and young receivers such as Eddie Royal emerged as big-time playmakers.
|
| 11 |
15 |
 |
Tennessee Volunteers (10-3)
The Vols have to be considered one of the bigger surprises of the season. Their quarterback situation, so bleak in the spring, turned into a strength, culminating with third-stringer Rick Clausen's dominating performance against Texas A&M.
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| 12 |
13 |
 |
Miami (FL) Hurricanes (9-3)
It wasn't the season to which 'Canes fans have become accustomed, but considering the extent of Miami's injuries, it could have been much worse. QB Brock Berlin and the defense were both impressive at points but seemingly never at the same time.
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| 13 |
11 |
 |
Boise St. Broncos (11-1)
This was probably Dan Hawkins' most complete team to date, one that was once again the class of the WAC and gave Louisville a heck of a fight in the Liberty Bowl. The Broncos will get another chance to showcase themselves Sept. 3 when they open at Georgia.
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| 14 |
10 |
 |
Michigan Wolverines (9-3)
The defense betrayed the Wolverines down the stretch, unable to contain mobile QBs Troy Smith and Young. However, the superb play of Braylon Edwards and the emergence of freshmen Chad Henne and Michael Hart earned Michigan a return trip to Pasadena.
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| 15 |
-- |
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Arizona St. Sun Devils (9-3)
Following an up-and-down season in which the Sun Devils scored several thrilling victories and endured several humbling defeats, sophomore QB Sam Keller gave them something to look forward to next year with a sensational Sun Bowl performance against Purdue.
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| 16 |
14 |
 |
LSU Tigers (9-3)
It was a rough end of the season for the Tigers, who lost coach Nick Saban to the Dolphins, then a heartbreaker to Iowa. One bright spot against the Hawkeyes was the play of freshman QB JaMarcus Russell, but who knows what the future holds under Les Miles.
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