| The Master List |
| Rank | Team (2000 Final Ranking) | 2000 Record | Returning Starters | Schedule Strength |
| 1 | Oregon State (4) | 11-1 | 11 | 45 |
| Beavers, who were 1-10 in 1991 and haven't finished unbeaten since 1907, will end up smelling Roses |
| 2 | Florida (10) | 10-3 | 18 | 15 |
| Gator bait? Tennessee, Mississippi State and Florida State visit the Swamp this season |
| 3 | Miami (2) | 11-1 | 16 | 36 |
| Four of five starters are back on a mammoth offensive line that allowed only nine sacks last year |
| 4 | Texas (12) | 9-3 | 17 | 48 |
| Longhorns are one of only three I-A teams with two 1,000-yard passers on its roster |
| 5 | Oklahoma (1) | 13-0 | 16 | 51 |
| Lost amid the Josh Heupel hype: Wideout Antwone Savage caught 48 passes as a sophomore |
| 6 | Florida State (5) | 11-2 | 10 | 14 |
| The Seminoles have not lost at home since 1991 ("Wide Right I" vs. Miami), a streak of 52 games |
| 7 | Oregon (7) | 10-2 | 12 | 2 |
| J.C. transfer Maurice Morris set a school record for first-year rushers with 1,118 yards last season |
| 8 | Nebraska (8) | 10-2 | 14 | 53 |
| Tight end Tracey Wistrom, little brother of former All-America DE Grant, is Eric Crouch's No. 1 target |
| 9 | Tennessee | 8-4 | 17 | 9 |
| John Henderson, likely the draft's first pick, had 12 of Tennessee's school-record 50 sacks in 2000 |
| 10 | Virginia Tech (6) | 11-1 | 17 | 58 |
| Sure-handed Hokie: Junior running back Lee Suggs did not fumble in 222 carries last fall |
| 11 | Georgia Tech (17) | 9-3 | 18 | 55 |
| Senior WR Kelly Campbell needs 27 receptions and 93 yards to become Tech's career leader in both |
| 12 | Northwestern | 8-4 | 17 | 50 |
| WR Jon Schweighardt is the lone new starter for the nation's third-best offense (475.6 yards per game) |
| 13 | LSU (22) | 8-4 | 20 | 41 |
| Senior Rohan Davey threw seven touchdown passes and one interception in 59 attempts last year |
| 14 | Michigan (11) | 9-3 | 13 | 24 |
| WR Marquise Walker starts his senior season having caught at least one pass in 24 straight games |
| 15 | Kansas State (9) | 11-3 | 11 | 38 |
| Senior wideout Aaron Lockett had a Division I-best 22.8 yards per punt return last season |
| 16 | Washington (3) | 11-1 | 12 | 17 |
| Sophomore QB Cody Pickett (1 of 2 for 12 yards in 2000) takes over for Marques Tuiasosopo |
| 17 | Wisconsin (23) | 9-4 | 10 | 39 |
| The top three RBs (Anthony Davis, Tyrone Griffin and Jerone Pettus) have zero college carries |
| 18 | Notre Dame (15) | 9-3 | 15 | 6 |
| Sophomore QB Matt LoVecchio started the Irish's final eight games and went 7-1 |
| 19 | South Carolina (19) | 8-4 | 18 | 29 |
| From 0-11 in 1999 to 8-4 in 2000, Holtz's Heroes lost only 15 lettermen, the fewest in the SEC |
| 20 | Clemson (16) | 9-3 | 11 | 64 |
| Will Woodrow Dantzler be the first college player to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in one year? |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 7-5 | 12 | 42 |
| The Aggies have their own Chris Sims, a touted redshirt freshman who takes over as placekicker |
| 22 | Mississippi State (24) | 8-4 | 13 | 40 |
| Senior Pig Prather, who converted from running back in '99, takes over the "dog" safety spot on defense |
| 23 | UCLA | 6-6 | 17 | 5 |
| A healthy Kenyon Coleman at DE will help the Bruins improve their 88th overall ranking against the run |
| 24 | East Carolina | 8-4 | 16 | 81 |
| A loaded defense welcomes back nine starters, including senior linebacker Pernell Griffin (87 tackles) |
| 25 | UNLV | 8-5 | 15 | 57 |
| Don't be surprised if Jason Thomas (52.7% completion percentage, 14 TD passes) makes a Heisman run |
| 26 | Georgia (20) | 8-4 | 15 | 44 |
| The Dawgs have lost three in a row to Georgia Tech (worst since an eight-loss streak from 1949 to '56) |
| 27 | Colorado | 3-8 | 21 | 18 |
| Stampede: The players who produced 3,953 of the Buffaloes' 3,982 total yards (99.3%) are back |
| 28 | Pittsburgh | 7-5 | 17 | 52 |
| WR Antonio Bryant (130.2-yard average) was the first Panther in 25 years to lead a national stat category |
| 29 | USC | 5-7 | 16 | 1 |
| The conference's best offense (415.9 yards per game last fall) has eight starters back |
| 30 | Alabama | 3-8 | 16 | 4 |
| Senior Freddie Milons (a disappointing 32 catches in 2000) will have opponents seeing Crimson in 2001 |
| 31 | Ohio State | 8-4 | 13 | 11 |
| John Cooper was 2-10-1 against Michigan; new coach Jim Tressell gets his first shot on Nov. 24 |
| 32 | Purdue (13) | 8-4 | 17 | 26 |
| Coach Joe Tiller hopes redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Hance finds the spread offense a Brees |
| 33 | Colorado State (14) | 10-2 | 14 | 65 |
| Jason and Justin Gallimore, I-A's only identical twins, each scored a defensive TD vs. Wyoming last year |
| 34 | Louisville | 9-3 | 17 | 80 |
| Zek Parker has six kickoff returns of 60 or more yards in his three years with the Cardinals |
| 35 | N.C. State | 8-4 | 14 | 59 |
| LB Levar Fisher, the reigning ACC defensive player of the year, had a nation-best 166 tackles in 2000 |
| 36 | Michigan State | 5-6 | 14 | 31 |
| The Big Ten's best backfield is paced by 249-pound T.J. Duckett and Little John Flowers |
| 37 | Fresno State | 7-5 | 19 | 79 |
| A 15-game home winning streak (third-best in I-A) faces a stern test vs. Oregon State on Sept. 1 |
| 38 | BYU | 6-6 | 14 | 83 |
| Brandon Doman is the first Cougar since Steve Young to throw for 300 yards and run for 50 in one game |
| 39 | Southern Miss | 8-4 | 20 | 56 |
| The nation's No. 2 defense (268.2 yards per game) lost seven starters but still has SS Chad Williams |
| 40 | Penn State | 5-7 | 12 | 2 |
| Facing four tough teams early, Joe Pa may not get win No. 325 (and pass the Bear) till October |
| 41 | Syracuse | 6-5 | 14 | 16 |
| Senior DE Dwight Freeney led the Big East with 13 sacks in 2000 despite missing the final four games |
| 42 | Stanford | 5-6 | 18 | 20 |
| Senior safety Tank Williams, as his name suggests, is the big hitter for the Cardinal defense |
| 43 | Marshall | 8-5 | 13 | 106 |
| Junior Byron Leftwich's nine interceptions were the fewest among QBs with 400 attempts |
| 44 | Arizona State | 6-6 | 18 | 30 |
| DE Terrell Suggs was the second Sun Devil to start the first game of his career as a freshman |
| 45 | Texas Tech | 7-6 | 12 | 22 |
| Air Raid: Red Raiders junior Kliff Kingsburry threw 584 passes in 2000, tops in the nation |
| 46 | Boston College | 7-5 | 15 | 35 |
| DE Antonio Garay (294 pounds) earned All-America honors at the 2001 NCAA wrestling championships |
| 47 | Virginia | 6-6 | 13 | 33 |
| Senior Antwoine Womack (1,028 yards) was Virginia's third ACC rushing leader in as many seasons |
| 48 | San Diego State | 3-8 | 20 | 82 |
| Big-play wide receiver Derrick Lewis averaged 25.2 yards per catch in 2000 |
| 49 | Illinois | 5-6 | 13 | 12 |
| Senior Kurt Kittner has thrown 42 TD passes and 13 interceptions over the past two years |
| 50 | UAB | 7-4 | 18 | 84 |
| Nicknamed the Steel Shield, the defense has 10 starters back, led by senior end Bryan Thomas (10 sacks) |
