Rankings the 120 DI-A football teams: UH No. 55
By Tim Stephens
The Orlando Sentinel
Tim Stephens ranks all Division I-A teams. Hawai'i ranked No. 55, while five of Hawai'i's opponents are ranked No. 99 and lower.
UH and UH opponents in bold.
1. Oklahoma: Bob Stoops and the Sooners get BCS monkey off backs.
2. USC: Trojans won't stumble on a Pac-10 bottom-feeder this year.
3. Georgia: Bulldogs might have best talent but won't escape SEC unscathed.
4. Ohio State: Loss at USC keeps OSU out of 3rd consecutive title game.
5. Clemson: Best ACC team since FSU's last national title in 1999.
6. Florida: Tebow needs Percy Harvin to stay healthy and a RB to emerge.
7. LSU: Defending champs could've used Ryan Perrilloux's talent at QB.
8. Missouri: Best Mizzou team ever? Too bad it's in Oklahoma's shadow.
9. Auburn: Tigers will open the offense with new coordinator.
10. Penn State: This should send Joe Paterno out with some dignity.
11. South Florida: Bullieve it: Bulls grow up to crash the BCS.
12. Texas: Mack Brown adds another 10-win season to his resume.
13. West Virginia: Pat White and Co. keep Mountaineers among the elite.
14. Virginia Tech: Hokies have holes, but their ACC division is weak.
15. Arizona State: Dennis Erickson has made a big impact in Tempe.
16. California: Jeff Tedford's team bounces back from disappointing 2007.
17. BYU: Tough nonconference games will keep Cougars out of BCS.
18. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier enjoys his best season with Gamecocks.
19. Texas Tech: Mike Leach will be in line for a big pay raise somewhere.
20. Iowa: After players' offseason troubles, Kirk Ferentz needs a big year.
21. Alabama: Nick Saban and the Tide are a year away from greatness.
22. Pittsburgh: From the hot seat to nine wins for Dave Wannstedt?
23. Utah: Utes could be unbeaten when they face BYU in finale.
24. Nebraska: Children of the Corn love them some Bo Pelini.
25. Florida State: Seminoles get their toughest foes in Tallahassee.
26. Michigan: Rich Rodriguez's spread could revolutionize Big Ten.
27. Notre Dame: Irish come back strong after losing record in 2007.
28. Kansas: KU has tougher schedule than it did in 2007 Orange Bowl season.
29. Oregon: If the Ducks get good QB play, they could be much higher.
30. Wisconsin: Tough games on the road will knock Badgers down a notch.
31. Fresno State: Bulldogs face tough slate out of league but will rule WAC.
32. Miami: 'Canes are close to returning to glory but are No. 4 in Florida for now.
33. Boise State: Broncos have new turf in their stadium, but it's still blue.
34. North Carolina: Lighter schedule, more experience key breakthough.
35. Tennessee: Anything less than nine wins, and Phil Fulmer hears the howls.
36. Illinois: Ron Zook makes it back-to-back bowl seasons with Illini.
37. Michigan State: Mark Dantonio guide Spartans to another bowl game.
38. Texas A&M: Backfield should ease transition to Mike Sherman's offense.
39. Louisville: Cardinals have too much talent to slide back to mediocrity.
40. UCLA: Rick Neuheisel needs few recruiting classes to climb in Pac-10.
41. Rutgers: Greg Schiano will have Knights in bowl for fourth straight year.
42. New Mexico: If Lobos survive first 3 games, they'll challenge in MWC.
43. Oregon State: Beavers are fundamentally sound and underappreciated.
44. Ole Miss: Houston Nutt and stud RB Enrique Davis make immediate impact.
45. TCU: Horned Frogs haven't exactly ruled Mountain West like they planned.
46. Oklahoma State: Bad defense keeps Cowboys near .500.
47. Tulsa: It's Tulsa time again in C-USA but knock off the BCS talk.
48. Maryland: Terps try West Coast offense in bid to break from mediocrity.
49. Colorado: Tough schedule may mute Buffaloes' improvements.
50. Bowling Green: With 19 starters back, Falcons are team to beat in MAC.
51. Wake Forest: Jim Grobe seems to get maximum out of his team yearly.
52. East Carolina: Harsh nonconference schedule tempers Pirate expectations.
53. N.C. State: Tom O'Brien will win with Wolfpack like he did at BC.
54. Arkansas: Bobby Petrino needs time to recruit to his system.
55. Hawai'i: No June Jones, no Colt Brennan, no BCS but still a solid season.
56. Cincinnati: Losing Ben Mauk at QB brings Bearcats back to earth.
57. Kansas State: Ron Prince's JUCO recruiting won't pay off until next year.
58. Purdue: Can Boilermakers send Joe Tiller out with a bowl game?
59. Connecticut: Huskies lived charmed life in 2007 but won't surprise this time.
60. Mississippi State: Sly Croom has Bulldogs barking in tough conference.
61. Boston College: Minus Matt Ryan, Eagles face worst season in a decade.
62. Northwestern: Catch break not playing Penn State or Wisconsin.
63. Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson's option attack needs time to take hold.
64. UCF: Knights have too many questions in backfield for C-USA repeat.
65. Kentucky: Losing their top two QBs means rebuilding year for Wildcats.
66. Central Michigan: 3rd straight MAC title is possible.
67. Vanderbilt: Commodores have been so close, yet so far, for many years.
68. Stanford: Playing 7 road games will wear out solid Cardinal defense.
69. Florida Atlantic: Howard Schnellenberger has done amazing building job.
70. Western Michigan: Broncos have experience and offensive firepower.
71. Southern Miss: Jeff Bower, who led USM to 10 bowls in 11 years., is gone.
72. Washington: If Huskies don't go bowling, they may go coach-hunting.
73. Arizona: Mike Stoops era likely ends unless Wildcats make bowl game.
74. Navy: Will losing Paul Johnson to Georgia Tech end bowl streak at 5?
75. Air Force: Falcons have lots of holes and only 3 starters back on offense.
76. Houston: Cougars haven't had 3 straight winning seasons since 1988-90.
77. Miami (Ohio): With improved offense, they will contend in MAC.
78. Nevada: Wolf Pack should reach 4th straight bowl if defense develops.
79. Troy: Big-time talent on defensive line will mask offensive inconsistency.
80. Temple: Owls and a bowl in the same sentence? Eh, could be.
81. Wyoming: Cowboys must cut down turnovers and improve QB play.
82. San Diego State: Soft September schedule should create opportunities.
83. Memphis: Tigers gunning for their fifth bowl appearance in 6 seasons.
84. Marshall: Herd should be a serious C-USA contender a year from now.
85. SMU: Just wait till Texas recruits get a load of June Jones' wonderful toys.
86. Northern Illinois: Lots of motivated veterans back from ' 07 underachievers.
87. Washington State: Lack of depth and playmakers a bad combo in Pac-10.
88. Toledo: Sieve-like defense (39.2 ppg) puts pressure on Rocket offense.
89. Iowa State: Gene Chizik's squad still is lacking for Big 12-quality depth.
90. UTEP: Is Mike Price on the hot seat if UTEP has a 3rd straight losing season?
91. Duke: David Cutcliffe will make an impact on Devils immediately.
92. Virginia: Close games won't go rebuilding Cavaliers' way this season.
93. Minnesota: Tim Brewster enters Year 2 with 3 recruits left from first class.
94. Indiana: After reaching bowl last year, Hoosiers are starting over.
95. Louisiana-Lafayette: Ragin' Cajuns can run the football but can't stop run.
96. Baylor: Art Briles is the latest coach to try his luck at this graveyard.
97. UAB: Blazers will be one of country's most-improved teams—in 2009.
98. Buffalo: Bulls surprised in MAC last year but face tougher schedule.
99. New Mexico State: Pressure on Hal Mumme to produce a winning record.
100. Ball State: Cardinals have offensive skill and manageable schedule.
101. Syracuse: Has any recent program fallen farther than the Orange?
102. Army: Cadets take another step forward with modest improvement.
103. Louisiana Tech: Shaky defense plus erratic QB play doesn't bode well.
104. Kent State: Flashes have high expectations, but aren't used to them.
105. Rice: Owls have some offensive playmakers but not much else.
106. Louisiana-Monroe: Can Warhawks build on their upset of Alabama in '07?
107. San Jose State: Going in wrong direction after reaching bowl in '06.
108. Tulane: Green Wave take step backward but Bob Toledo will get there.
109. Akron: Zips have enough QB and defensive issues for two bad teams.
110. UNLV: Brutal schedule in first month sets tone for dismal year.
111. Colorado State: Steve Fairchild needs to rebuild after Sonny Lubick.
112. Western Kentucky: (ASTERISK)Tough schedule in final transition from I-AA.
113. Middle Tennessee State: Healthier Raiders could contend in Sun Belt.
114. Ohio: Bobcats don't have enough playmakers to avoid MAC cellar.
115. Arkansas State: Team now known as Red Wolves has holes on defense.
116. North Texas: '07 Mean Green were 119th in scoring defense (45.1 ppg).
117. Eastern Michigan: 8 starters back from defense that allowed 31.2 ppg.
118. Florida International: At least 23-game losing streak is over.
119. Utah State: Aggies host Idaho on Sept. 20 in the "Battle for the Bottom."
120. Idaho: Vandals enter season on a 10-game losing streak.