| Rank | Team | Final '97 AP Ranking | '97 Record | Returning Starters | Schedule Strength |
| 1 | Ohio State | 12 | 10-3 | 20 | 2 |
| Buckeyes to celebrate 30th anniversary of their last national championship with a trip to Fiesta Bowl
|
| 2 | Florida State | 3 | 11-1 | 14 | 4 |
| Wideout Peter Warrick and tailback Travis Minor, both
explosive, will take the heat off 26-year-old
QB Chris
Weinke
|
| 3 | Kansas State | 8 | 11-1 | 20 | 80 |
| From 0-11 in '88 to 11-0 in '98? Could be, if Cats win Nov. 14 showdown with Nebraska
|
| 4 | Florida | 4 | 10-2 | 15 | 25 |
| Runner-up in Aptly Named Lineman contest: Zach Piller (6' 6", 322 pounds), who anchors strong O-line
|
| 5 | Nebraska | 2 | 13-0 | 12 | 12 |
| Big Red Machine won't miss a beat as Frank Solich succeeds Tom Osborne
|
| 6 | UCLA | 5 | 10-2 | 14 | 7 |
| No showdown in the West: Bruins and Arizona State, Pac-10's top two teams, don't face each other
|
| 7 | Arizona State | 14 | 9-3 | 10 | 41 |
| If everything goes their way, Sun Devils could play at home in Fiesta Bowl for national title
|
| 8 | Michigan | 1 | 12-0 | 17 | 13 |
| Nine starters return from nation's top-ranked defense (206.9 yards allowed per game)
|
| 9 | Tennessee | 7 | 11-2 | 14 | 23 |
| Early Orange Bowl: Vols, with 1997's top freshman rusher, Jamal Lewis, open at Syracuse
|
| 10 | LSU | 13 | 9-3 | 15 | 29 |
| SEC rushing champ Kevin Faulk, quarterback Herb Tyler and three top receivers are back for the Tigers
|
| 11 | Syracuse | 21 | 9-4 | 12 | 28 |
| Fourth-year starter Donovan McNabb seeks third straight Big East title
|
| 12 | Washington | 18 | 8-4 | 13 | 15 |
| Winner of Aptly Named Lineman contest: Center Brad Hutt, who will snap ball to Brock Huard
|
| 13 | Michigan State | N.R. | 7-5 | 15 | 42 |
| Defensive line, led by end Robaire Smith (team-best 11 sacks last season), returns intact
|
| 14 | Penn State | 16 | 9-3 | 12 | 33 |
| Brandon Short could be first consensus All-America linebacker at erstwhile Linebacker U since 1986
|
| 15 | North Carolina | 6 | 11-1 | 10 | 40 |
| Cornerback sensation Dre' Bly and Tar Heels look to lead ACC in total defense for fourth straight season
|
| 16 | Missouri | 23 | 7-5 | 16 | 52 |
| Roommates and backfield mates Corby Jones (QB) and Devin West (RB) should combine for 1,500 yards rushing
|
| 17 | Colorado State | 17 | 11-2 | 17 | 91 |
| Rams are plus-29 in turnovers during current nine-game winning streak
|
| 18 | West Virginia | N.R. | 7-5 | 16 | 65 |
| Twenty-five yards will make Amos Zereoue the Mountaineers' alltime leading rusher
|
| 19 | Miami | N.R. | 5-6 | 14 | 43 |
| The embarrassments of 1997 behind them, youthful Hurricanes are laying the groundwork for a return to prominence
|
| 20 | Georgia | 10 | 10-2 | 10 | 14 |
| Strong D, and it better be—quarterback, tailback and top two wideouts are all new starters
|
| 21 | Texas A&M | 20 | 9-4 | 14 | 19 |
| Kickoff Classic (Aug. 31 versus Florida State) fact: Aggies haven't beaten a Top 10 team away from Kyle Field since 1979
|
| 22 | Wake Forest | N.R. | 5-6 | 18 | 58 |
| Weighty wideout Desmond Clark (6' 3", 248 pounds) had school-record 72 catches in 1997
|
| 23 | Auburn | 11 | 10-3 | 14 | 1 |
| Tigers backfield is as thin as newly svelte coach Terry Bowden
|
| 24 | Kentucky | N.R. | 5-6 | 16 | 47 |
| Mumme's tomb: Coach's son, quarterback Matt Mumme, is buried on depth chart behind All-World Tim Couch
|
| 25 | Notre Dame | N.R. | 7-6 | 15 | 27 |
| Senior tailback Autry Denson needs 989 yards to become Irish's alltime leading rusher
|
| 26 | Southern Miss | 19 | 9-3 | 17 | 68 |
| Three-point specialist Tim Hardaway converted his last dozen field goal attempts of 1997
|
| 27 | Virginia | N.R. | 7-4 | 14 | 36 |
| Linebacker Wali Rainer (team-high 118 tackles, nine sacks) heads defense that has eight returning starters
|
| 28 | Wisconsin | N.R. | 8-5 | 19 | 61 |
| No big secret: Badgers will run big Ron Dayne (5' 10", 258 pounds) behind bigger Aaron Gibson (6' 7", 368 pounds)
|
| 29 | Arizona | N.R. | 7-5 | 13 | 30 |
| Junior tailback Trung Canidate was second in Pac-10 with 5.8 yards per carry in '97
|
| 30 | Texas | N.R. | 4-7 | 17 | 49 |
| Ricky Williams, nation's top rusher and scorer in 1997, has $2.8 million insurance policy, lest he be hurt before turning pro
|
| 31 | Mississippi State | N.R. | 7-4 | 12 | 45 |
| Tailback James Johnson rushed for 1,069 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1997
|
| 32 | Georgia Tech | 25 | 7-5 | 15 | 37 |
| Quarterback Joe Hamilton, just 5' 10", led ACC in completion percentage (64.6) last season as a sophomore
|
| 33 | Oklahoma State | 24 | 8-4 | 17 | 50 |
| Tony Lindsay, the 1997 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, is back at quarterback
|
| 34 | Tulane | N.R. | 7-4 | 18 | 95 |
| Ten starters, including prolific quarterback Shaun King, return for an offense that averaged 34 points per game
|
| 35 | Colorado | N.R. | 5-6 | 11 | 53 |
| New mascot—500-pound Ralphie IV—debuts Sept. 5; sadly for rushing offense (No. 69 in 1997), he's not in the backfield
|
| 36 | Toledo | N.R. | 9-4 | 17 | 108 |
| Two years and four knee operations later, former MAC rushing leader Wasean Tait returns for senior season
|
| 37 | BYU | N.R. | 6-5 | 15 | 86 |
| Cougars open with nonconference powers Alabama, Arizona State and Washington
|
| 38 | Oregon | N.R. | 7-5 | 17 | 11 |
| Linebacker Peter Sirmon led Pac-10 with 197 tackles in 1997
|
| 39 | Virginia Tech | N.R. | 7-5 | 11 | 57 |
| Special special-teamers: punter Jimmy Kibble (45.1-yard average) and kicker Shayne Graham (19 of 23 on field goals)
|
| 40 | Cincinnati | N.R. | 8-4 | 14 | 69 |
| Free safety Tinker Keck, standout in a strong secondary, had four interceptions and four punt-return TDs last year
|
