Team: Florida

Nickname: Gators

Conference: Southeastern (East)

Location: Gainesville, Fla.

Coach: Urban Meyer (5th year, 44-9; career: 83-17)

Last Bowl: 2009 BCS National Championship

Last season: 13-1, 8-1

Florida won the national championship last season, so it's only natural to pick them to repeat, right? Well, when you return a Heisman winner at QB and every single defensive...read more

Team: Texas

Nickname: Longhorns

Conference: Big 12 (South)

Location: Austin, Texas

Coach: Mack Brown (12th year, 115-26; career: 201-100-1)

Last Bowl: 2009 Fiesta

Last season: 12-1, 7-1

Just 12 lettermen depart from a successful 2008 campaign, and the returnees are some of the team's best players. QB Colt McCoy is definitely one of the nation's best, and he returns a 1...read more

Team: Oklahoma

Nickname: Sooners

Conference: Big 12 (South)

Location: Norman, Okla.

Coach: Bob Stoops (11th year, 109-24)

Last Bowl: 2009 BCS Championship

Last season: 12-2, 8-1

Big Game Bob and his boys lost their fifth straight BCS game in the national championship, losing to Florida. The Sooners return a huge amount of talent, with three possible top 10 NFL picks. An offense...read more

Team: Southern California

Nickname: Trojans

Conference: Pac-10

Location: Los Angeles

Coach: Pete Carroll (9th year, 88-15)

Last Bowl: 2009 Rose

Last season: 12-1, 8-1

Another year, another 10-plus win season, another Pac-10 title, another BCS game win — it's pretty routine now for the men of Troy. Key starters depart the nation's best defense, and a true freshman...read more

Team: Penn State

Nickname: Nittany Lions

Conference: Big Ten

Location: State College, Pa.

Coach: Joe Paterno (44th year, 383-127-3)

Last Bowl: 2009 Rose

Last season: 11-2, 7-1

Remember a few years ago when fans clamored for JoePa to retire? Well, that bandwagon is just about empty as the Nittany Lions are primed to make another run at a BCS game with its top rusher and passer...read more

Team: LSU

Nickname: Tigers

Conference: Southeastern (West)

Location: Baton Rouge, La.

Coach: Les Miles (5th year, 42-11; 70-32 career)

Last Bowl: 2008 Chick-fil-A

Last season: 8-5, 3-5

With another year of experience at quarterback, the Tigers should return to the top 10. Three different starters were used, but the team has settled on versatile sophomore Jordan Jefferson heading...read more

Team: Ohio State

Nickname: Buckeyes

Conference: Big Ten

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Coach: Jim Tressel (9th year, 83-19; 218-76-2 career)

Last Bowl: 2009 Fiesta

Last season: 10-3, 7-1

The Buckeyes lost a ton of talent to the NFL, but Tressel has built a powerhouse that should be able to replace the losses. There are two huge tests on the slate (Sept. 12 vs. USC, Nov. 7 at Penn State)...read more

Team: Alabama

Nickname: Crimson Tide

Conference: Southeastern (West)

Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Coach: Nick Saban (3rd year, 19-8; 110-50-1 career)

Last Bowl: 2009 Sugar

Last season: 12-2, 8-1

All-time leading passer John Parker Wilson departs, but the Crimson Tide have a lot returning on both sides of the ball to help soften the blow. Alabama had one of the nation's best...read more

Team: Oklahoma State

Nickname: Cowboys

Conference: Big 12 (South)

Location: Stillwater, Okla.

Coach: Mike Gundy (5th year, 27-23)

Last Bowl: 2008 Holiday

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

Last season was a huge success for the Cowboys, which Gundy parlayed into a huge new contract. However, they did lose three of their last four games, giving up 159 points in those losses. Still, no other...read more

Team: Virginia Tech

Nickname: Hokies

Conference: Atlantic Coast (Coastal)

Location: Blacksburg, Va.

Coach: Frank Beamer (23rd year, 177-89-2; career: 219-112-4)

Last Bowl: 2009 Orange

Last season: 10-4, 6-3

Beamer is the nation's third-longest tenured coach, but somehow isn't mentioned among the elite —which is a shame. His squad is once again among the nation's...read more

Team: California

Nickname: Golden Bears

Conference: Pac-10

Location: Berkeley, Calif.

Coach: Jeff Tedford (8th year, 59-30)

Last Bowl: 2008 Emerald

Last season: 9-4, 6-3

With one of the nation's best running backs, an experienced quarterback and a stout defense, the Bears are primed to make a run at USC's Pac-10 dominance. If anyone wants to pass on the Bears, they should...read more

Team: Mississippi

Nickname: Rebels

Conference: Southeastern (West)

Location: Oxford, Miss.

Coach: Houston Nutt (2nd season, 9-4; career: 89-58)

Last Bowl: 2008 Cotton

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

In his first season at Ole Miss, one-time Boise State head coach Houston Nutt gave fans plenty of hope for 2009, winning the Cotton Bowl. All of the team's losses were by seven points or...read more

Team: Georgia Tech

Nickname: Yellow Jackets

Conference: Atlantic Coast (Coastal)

Location: Atlanta

Coach: Paul Johnson (2nd season, 9-4 at GT; career: 54-33)

Last bowl: 2008 Chick-fil-A

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

The question entering last season was if the triple option can work at a BCS conference school. Johnson's Ramblin' Wreck answered that with an emphatic "yes...read more

Team: Boise State

Nickname: Broncos

Conference: Western Athletic

Location: Boise

Coach: Chris Petersen (fourth season, 35-4 career)

Last bowl: 2008 Poinsettia

Last season: 12-1, 8-0

Boise State went into last season with a few unkown quantities, and emerged as a team likely to be a fixture in the top 20 for years to come. While the Broncos have a few holes to fill and some question...read more

Team: TCU

Nickname: Horned Frogs

Conference: Mountain West

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Coach: Gary Patterson (9th year, career: 73-27)

Last bowl: 2008 Poinsettia

Last season: 11-2, 7-1

The Horned Frogs were a last-minute touchdown away from spoiling Utah's Cinderella season, but managed to hold on and spoil Boise State's unbeaten run by a single point in the Poinsettia...read more