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RELEASED THANKSGIVING 2004
UPDATED JANUARY 5, 2005
USC sits on top of the mountain with talent coming in droves. Who wants to knock off the king? Until someone does, the Trojans hold on to the top spot.

2005 Early Bird
Top 25 Preview
 Click on each team for breakdown

1. Southern California
2. Texas
3. Michigan
4. Louisiana State
5. Oklahoma
6. Ohio State
7. Virginia Tech
8. Miami FL
9. Tennessee
10. Auburn
11. Georgia
12. Florida
13. Iowa
14. Fresno State
15. Boise State
16. Texas A&M
17. Virginia
18. Louisville
19. Florida State
20. California
21. Utah
22. Purdue
23. Pittsburgh
24. Colorado
25. Penn State

 


Others Easily Making The Top 25 between now and August

Alabama
Arizona State
Boston College
Miami OH
Minnesota
North Carolina State
Notre Dame
Oklahoma State
Toledo
Wisconsin

 

DO NOT MISS THE POINT: NationalChamps.net is proud to once again present our annual Thanksgiving Early Bird College Football Breakdown. For those of you concerned with the rankings and the fact this #16 team is better than that #9 team, then YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT! Our presentation was created as nothing more than a rough guide for listing whether key players return or depart. So many of the selections are evidently interchangeable and will adjust continuously until next season arrives.

So sit back, unbutton those tight pants from your turkey dinners and leftovers, and take this preview for what it's worth. We think you will gain much more by realizing that the rankings and their explicit accuracy are not the primary goal. This is not about predicting where these teams will finish by season's end, a flaw in logic many assume - it is about where each deserves to be ranked as the season starts.

However, in the fifth season of compiling this Thanksgiving Early Bird Preview, NationalChamps.net has eerily predicted a very close result to what the official polls will show come August. Returning starters and key losses are not hard to figure out. Unpredictable at this point, though, is just how early NFL departures and bowl game results tend to change these rankings more than any other aspect. We rank what we know and take the rest in stride.

 
Comparing the NationalChamps.net Thanksgiving picks with the official AP August picks.
How close did we get?

NationalChamps.net 2004 Early Bird
Released December 1, 2003

1. Oklahoma
2. Georgia
3. Southern California
4. Louisiana State
5. Texas
6. Florida State
7. Miami FL
8. Michigan
9. Ohio State
10. Tennessee

Official 2004 AP Poll
Released August 2004

1. Southern California
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Louisiana State
5. Florida State
6. Miami FL
7. Texas
8. Michigan
9. Ohio State
10. West Virginia


COMPLETE 2005 PREVIEW COMING THIS SPRING

Please check back this spring when NationalChamps.net releases our entire 2005 College Football Preview... complete with full depth charts, analysis from our writing staff, rankings, unit power ratings and lots of new digital photos.

We could not continue without genuine college football fans like you. Thanks for your continued support.