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: 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: 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

Team: Georgia

Nickname: Bulldogs

Conference: Southeastern (East)

Location: Athens, Ga.

Coach: Mark Richt (9th year, career: 82-22)

Last bowl: 2008 Capital One

Last season: 10-3, 6-2

It's the type of year Mark Richt excels at as the Bulldogs started 2008 season No. 1, then after a disappointing finish, saw quarterback Matt Stafford go No. 1 in the NFL draft and the SEC's...read more

Team: Arizona

Nickname: Wildcats

Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Conference: PAC-10

Coach: Mike Stoops (sixth year, career: 25-34)

Last season: 8-5, 5-4

Last Bowl: 2008 Las Vegas

The Wildcats are coming off a 2008 campaign which featured their first bowl appearance in nine seasons. For a repeat trip to the postseason, the Wildcats will have to rely upon a new quarterback after the departure...read more

Team: UCLA

Nickname: Bruins

Location: Los Angeles, Calif.

Conference: PAC-10

Coach: Rick Neuheisel (second year, career: 70-38)

Last season: 4-8, 3-6

Last Bowl: 2007 Las Vegas

A lack of game breakers resulted in an abysmal campaign in Rich Neuheisel's inaugural season. It may not get much better this year as the Bruins still are recovering from the wake of the old regime...read more

Team: Clemson

Nickname: Tigers

Location: Clemson, S.C.

Conference: Atlantic Coast

Coach: Dabo Swinney (second year at Clemson, 4-3 record)

Last season: 7-6, 4-4

Last Bowl: 2008 Gator

Last season, high expectations and a No. 9 national ranking ultimately led to the firing of head coach Tommy Bowden, who started off with a sub-par 3-3 record. Swinney, however, managed to right the...read more

Team: Nevada

Nickname: Wolf Pack

Location: Reno, Nev.

Conference: Western Athletic

Coach: Chris Ault (25th year at Nevada, 198-90-1 overall)

Last season: 7-6, 5-3

Last Bowl: 2008 Humanitarian

Expectations are high in Reno and the Nevada offense should produce gargantuan numbers led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the WAC Offensive Player of the Year. If the defense improves,...read more

Team: Tennessee

Nickname: Volunteers

Location: Knoxville, Tenn.

Conference: Southeastern

Coach: Lane Kiffin (1st season, 0-0)

Last season: 5-7, 3-5

Last Bowl: 2007 Outback

It's time to put your money where your mouth is, at least that's the case for first-year coach Lane Kiffin. The loud-mouth coach has been more than vocal, pushing the Vols to the forefront of mainstream...read more

Team: West Virginia

Nickname: Mountaineers

Location: Morgantown, W.Va.

Conference: Big East

Coach: Bill Stewart (2nd season, 10-4)

Last season: 9-4, 5-2

Last Bowl: 2008 Meineke Car Care

Despite a 10-win season last year, it was a down year compared to the previous three seasons the Mountaineers were ranked no worse than No. 13 in the final polls. Though this season may be more...read more

Team: Stanford

Nickname: Cardinal

Location: Palo Alto, Calif.

Conference: Pac-10

Coach: Jim Harbaugh (3rd season, 9-15; 38-21 overall)

Last season: 5-7, 4-5

Last Bowl: 2001 Seattle

Year No. 3 begins for Harbaugh and Co., and by the look of it, it should be one of success. In three years as the head coach of San Diego, the former NFL and Michigan quarterback led the FCS Toreros...read more

Team: Colorado

Nickname: Buffaloes

Location: Boulder, Colo.

Conference: Big 12, North Division

Coach: Dan Hawkins (4th season, 13-24; 105-47-1 overall)

Last season: 5-7, 2-6

Last Bowl: 2007 Independence

After going 53-11 with Boise State, CU fans are waiting for that type of success from Dan Hawkins. Though the team will be severely depleted at receiver, they should be able to...read more

Team: Arizona State

Nickname: Sun Devils

Conference: Pacific 10

Location: Tempe, Ariz.

Coach: Dennis Erickson (3rd season at Arizona State, 15-10 record)

Last Bowl: 2007 Holiday

Last season: 5-7, 4-5

Getting back to a bowl game is the main goal for the Sun Devils after a disappointing 2008 season. ASU played a brutal schedule in 2008, but the 2009 schedule is much more forgiving...read more

Team: Central Michigan

Nickname: Chippewas

Conference: Mid-American

Location: Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Coach: Butch Jones (third year, 16-11)

Last Bowl: 2008 Motor City

Last season: 8-5, 6-2

If Central Michigan wants to keep its Motor City Bowl streak intact — three years and counting — they'll need an experienced defensive unit to improve. NFL quarterback prospect...read more

Team: Fresno State

Nickname: Bulldogs

Conference: Western Athletic Conference

Location: Fresno, Calif.

Coach: Pat Hill (13th season at Fresno State, 92-61 career record)

Last Bowl: 2008 New Mexico

Last season: 7-6, 4-4

Disappointing doesn't begin to explain 2008. After being picked as the heavy favorite to win the WAC and bust the BCS party, Fresno State seemingly fell apart...read more

Team: Kansas State

Nickname: Wildcats

Conference: Big 12

Location: Manhattan, Kan.

Coach: Bill Snyder (18th season at Kansas State, 136-68-1 career record)

Last Bowl: 2006 Texas

Last season: 5-7, 2-6

There was nothing pretty about Kansas State last year. The only good thing that happened in Manhattan last season was getting rid of former head coach Ron Price. Bringing back legendary...read more

Team: Mississippi State

Nickname: Bulldogs

Location: Starkville, Miss.

Conference: SEC

Coach: Dan Mullen (1st season at Mississippi State)

Last Season: 2-6, 4-8

Last Bowl: 2007 Liberty

The Sylvester Croom era didn't go exactly the way Bulldog fans had hoped with Mississippi State making just one bowl game in his five seasons. Dan Mullen takes over in Starkville, inheriting...read more

Team: Purdue

Nickname: Boilermakers

Location: West Lafayette, Ind.

Conference: Big Ten

Coach: Danny Hope (1st season at Purdue)

Last Season: 2-6, 4-8

Last Bowl: 2007 Motor City

Perhaps the biggest loss for the Boilermakers was not one of the 10 starters they lost, but rather coach Joe Tiller who retired after 12 seasons of strolling the sidelines in West Lafayette. Danny Hope...read more

Team: Kentucky

Nickname: Wildcats

Location: Lexington, Ken.

Conference: SEC

Coach: Rich Brooks (7th season, 32-41)

Last season: 7-6, 2-6

Last Bowl: 2008 Liberty

The Wildcats havn't been a contender in the SEC for a long time and don't seem destined to change that trend under head coach Rich Brooks. Brooks is 13-35 against the SEC since he began coaching the Wildcats in...read more

Team: Texas A&M

Nickname: Aggies

Location: College Station, Tex.

Conference: Big 12

Coach: Mike Sherman (2nd season, 4-8)

Last season: 4-8, 2-6

Last Bowl: 2007 Alamo

The 2008 season could have been worse for the Aggies, they easily could have lost every game in Big 12 play, but thanks to the Big 12 North the Aggies escaped with two conference wins against Colorado and Iowa State...read more

Team: Ohio

Nickname: Bobcats

Location: Athens, Ohio

Conference: Mid-American (East)

Coach: Frank Solich (5th year at Ohio, 23-26 record, 81-45 overall)

Last Season: 3-5, 4-8

Last Bowl: 2006 GMAC

The Bobcats will be traveling quite a bit early on in the season with five of their first seven games on the road. After a tough game against Tennessee on Sept. 26, however, the schedule...read more

Team: UNLV

Nickname: Runnin' Rebels

Location: Las Vegas, Nev.

Conference: Mountain West

Coach: Mike Sanford (5th season at UNLV, 11-36 record)

Last season: 2-6, 5-7

Last Bowl: 2000 Las Vegas

The Rebels were able to win just two games a year in the first three years with Mike Sanford as head coach. They were just one win away last season from being bowl eligible for their first...read more

Team: Toledo

Nickname: Rockets

Location: Toledo, Ohio

Conference: Mid-American (West)

Coach: Tim Beckman (1st season)

Last Season: 2-6, 3-9

Last Bowl: 2005 GMAC

Last year was a step back for the Rockets, and it wound up costing coach Tom Amstutz his job. Toledo averaged 10 ppg fewer than in 2007 and lost by 17 points or more six times.

Beckman, the former DC at Oklahoma State...read more

Team: Hawaii

Nickname: Warriors

Location: Honolulu

Conference: Western Athletic

Coach: Greg McMackin (2nd season, 7-7 at Hawaii; 31-21-1 career)

Last season: 5-3, 7-7

Last Bowl: 2008 Hawaii

The 2008 campaign should be considered a success simply because McMackin took over for long-time coach June Jones and lost stars like Colt Brennan, Jason Rivers and Davone Bess.

Hawaii's...read more

Team: San Jose State

Nickname: Spartans

Location: San Jose, Calif.

Conference: Western Athletic

Coach: Dick Tomey (5th season at San Jose State, 23-25 record, 181-135-7 overall)

Last Season: 4-4, 6-6

Last Bowl: 2006 New Mexico

A tough non conference scheduled, followed by a tough road conference schedule could pose problems for San Jose State this season. The Spartans start out...read more

Team: Buffalo

Nickname: Bulls

Location: Buffalo, N.Y.

Conference: Mid-American

Coach: Turner Gill (4th season at Buffalo, 15-23 record)

Last season: 6-3, 8-6

Last Bowl: 2008 International

Buffalo may have won the MAC Championship, but the title game against then unbeaten Ball State was the only time they truly looked like an elite team. Three of the Bulls seven wins up to that...read more

Team: Alabama-Birmingham

Nickname: Blazers

Location: Birmingham, Ala.

Conference: Conference USA

Coach: Neil Callaway (2nd season, 6-18)

Last Season: 3-5, 4-8

Last Bowl: 2004 Hawaii

By shutting out Central Florida 15-0 in the last game of the 2008 season, the Blazers we're able to show their faces in Birmingham after giving up at least 33 points the previous four games. Callaway...read more

Team: San Diego State

Nickname: Aztecs

Location: San Diego

Conference: Mountain West

Coach: Brady Hoke (1st season, 34-38 career)

Last Season: 1-7, 2-10

Last Bowl: 1998 Las Vegas

After eight successful years at Ball State, head coach Brady Coke will make his coaching debut for the Aztecs at UCLA on Sept. 5. It will be Hoke's first game since the losing in the GMAC Bowl last...read more

Team: Bowling Green

Nickname: Falcons

Location: Bowling Green, Ohio

Conference: Mid-American

Coach: Dave Clawson (1st season, 0-0)

Last season: 6-6, 4-4

Last Bowl: 2007 GMAC

Head coach Dave Clawson has moved up the ranks as the new leader for the Falcons. Clawson was a former national coach of the year at the I-AA level. However, as the OC at Tennessee last season, Clawson did...read more

Team: Marshall

Nickname: Thundering Herd

Location: Huntington, W.Va.

Conference: Conference USA, East

Coach: Mark Snyder (5th season, 16-31)

Last season: 4-8, 3-5

Last Bowl: 2004 Fort Worth

In the end, the Thundering Herd did a bit better than many thought a season ago. However, a sub.500 record isn't quite where the program wants to be after so much success early this decade...read more

Team: Utah State

Nickname: Aggies

Location: Logan, Utah

Conference: WAC

Coach: Gary Anderson (1st season)

Last season: 3-9, 3-5

Last Bowl: 1997 Humanitarian

Here we go again ... .

Brent Guy was unable to get it going in Logan, now the Aggies turn to Gary Anderson to lead the team. The former Utah assistant for the past five seasons could be more of the same as both he and Guy...read more

Team: Louisiana-Monroe

Nickname: Warhawks

Location: Monroe, La.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Charlie Weatherbie (7th season, 70-109)

Last season: 4-8, 3-4

Last Bowl: none

And it was only two seasons ago when Louisiana-Monroe beat Alabama, 21-14.

This season, the team can land a huge win during the first week of the season when the Warhawks face Texas, but that may be more than...read more

Team: Eastern Michigan

Nickname: Eagles

Location: Ypsilanti, Mich.

Conference: Mid-American

Coach: Ron English (1st season)

Last season: 3-9, 2-7

Last Bowl: 1987 California

If the Eagles have one thing going for them this season, it'll be the coaching. New head man Ron English, who was the defensive coordinator under Lloyd Carr at Michigan, should be an exciting change. EMU...read more

Team: Idaho

Nickname: Vandals

Location: Moscow

Conference: WAC

Coach: Robb Akey (3rd season, 3-21)

Last season: 2-10, 1-7

Last Bowl: 1998 Humanitarian

Can it really be another season of misery for the Idaho Vandals? It sure can be, especially if the Vandals allow nearly 43 points per game like they did last season.

In what might be a make or break season for Akey, the Vandals...read more

Team: Wyoming

Nickname: Cowboys

Location: Laramie, Wyo.

Conference: Mountain West

Coach: Dave Christensen (1st season)

Last season: 1-7, 4-8

Last Bowl: 2004 Las Vegas

Though the Cowboys won at Tennessee last season, they still were not able to perform well enough for Joe Glenn to keep his job. The Pokes were minus-22 on the season in turnover differential, plus got almost no production...read more

Team: Army

Nickname: Black Knights

Location: West Point, N.Y.

Conference: Independent

Coach: Rich Ellerson (1st season; 60-41 as coach at Cal Poly, S. Utah)

Last season: 3-9

Last Bowl: 1996 Independence

Stan Brock brought back the option to West Point in 2007, but he didn't last long, as the Cadets lost 18 games in his two seasons. Ellerson is an option specialist from the...read more

Editor's note: In Tuesday, July 7's IPT, the "impact player" was listed as Greg Trent, who in fact was a senior last season. The error has been corrected.

Team: Washington State

Nickname: Cougars

Location: Pullman, Wash.

Conference: Pac-10

Coach: Paul Wulff (2nd season, 2-11)

Last season: 1-8, 2-11

Last Bowl: 2003 Holiday

In Wulff's first season, the Cougars...read more

Team: Miami (Ohio)

Nickname: RedHawks

Location: Oxford, Ohio

Conference: Mid-American

Coach: Mike Haywood (1st season)

Last season: 2-7, 2-10

Last Bowl: 2004 Independence

The RedHawks came into 2008 with high hopes, but those came crashing down quickly with just one win over an FBS team (27-20 over Bowling Green). Miami (Ohio) was No. 101 or worse in scoring offense and scoring...read more

Team: Louisiana-Lafayette

Nickname: Ragin' Cajuns

Location: Lafayette, La.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Rickey Bustle (8th season, 32-50)

Last season: 5-2, 6-6

Last Bowl: None

The Ragin' Cajuns will be losing a lot of yardage in 2009. All-time leading rusher Tyrell Fenroy (1,375 yards, 19 touchdowns last season) and crazy-legged QB Michael Desormeaux (1,035 yards) depart. The schedule...read more

Team: North Texas

Nickname: Mean Green

Location: Denton, Tex.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Todd Dodge (3rd season, 3-21)

Last season: 0-7, 1-11

Last Bowl: 2004 New Orleans

North Texas' defense was even worse last year than expected — and that's saying a lot. After giving up 45.1 ppg in 2007, the Mean Green yielded 47.6 ppg last season. Mean Joe would not approve.

Record-setting...read more

Team: New Mexico State

Nickname: Aggies

Location: Las Cruces, N.M.

Conference: Western Athletic

Coach: DeWayne Walker (1st season; 0-1 overall)

Last season: 1-7, 3-9

Last Bowl: 1960 Sun

Hal Mumme is gone, and with him, the pass-heavy Air Raid offense departs. Walker, the former UCLA defensive coordinator, steps in with a lot of work to do. All-time leading passer Chase Holbrook is gone, and...read more

Team: Western Kentucky

Nickname: Hilltoppers

Location: Bowling Green, Ky.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: David Elson (7th season, 39-32)

Last season: 2-10, 0-0

Last Bowl: none

The Hilltoppers are coming off their first 10-loss season in program history, which came in their second year of transition to the FBS level. But now that WKU is a full-fledged member of the Sun Belt, will it all start to...read more