By Stewart Mandel, SI.com

	The Contenders (Click links for more) Auburn Cal Clemson Florida State Georgia Tech Iowa Louisville Miami Michigan Nebraska Notre Dame Ohio State South Carolina USC Utah West Virginia

In fact, if ever there was a season for a sleeper to win the national title, it's this one. We already know that either the No. 1 or the No. 2 team, Ohio State or Texas, won't be in the top five the second week of the season since they face each other. The two teams tied for No. 3 in the coaches' poll, Notre Dame and USC, also meet the final week of the season. Add in the fact that all teams will be playing at least 12 regular-season games and it's easy to see the BCS race potentially deteriorating into a chaotic mishmash of one- and possibly two-loss contenders.

"You've got [119] Division I-A schools, out of which there are about 20 that can win the national title," said Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. "Out of those 20, about 15 are going to have mishaps, injuries and so forth. The ones that avoid serious injuries, stay healthy, are going to have a chance."

In an effort to identify those teams Bowden is talking about, we evaluated every team that finished 7-5 or better last season. From that list we identified 16 "contenders" (which are linked above) that, at least on paper, possess many of the right ingredients -- a veteran quarterback, experienced offensive and defensive lines, proven playmakers, a favorable schedule -- to put together a championship run, provided some other key areas fall into place.

Some are obvious (Ohio State, Notre Dame, West Virginia), some are sleepers (Cal, Clemson, Nebraska) and some are completely off the radar (South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Utah). We're not saying these are the top 16 teams in the country. You'll notice the absence of several seemingly highly regarded teams that may very well have fantastic seasons. It's just that those teams are missing that certain something to make the ultimate run.

All the teams on our list of contenders have the basic foundation to go 13-0 yet could just as easily wind up 7-6. That's because everyone is vulnerable this year. Everyone has questions. Only one team (barring another pesky split championship) will be able to answer them all.

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