Now that Shark Week is over, it's time for College Football List Week. Every day this week, Pat Forde will provide a list previewing some element of the 2012 season. First up, Forde's top 25.

I don't have huge disagreements from the preseason polls, mostly because we're all just guessing at this point. And since we're all guessing, I have no problem with someone – hi, Bob Asmussen of the Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette – voting Michigan No. 1 in the AP poll. More power to you, Bob.

People get way too wound up about the polls, and there's now an attack mentality aimed at anyone who strays from the commonly accepted wisdom. Except how do we know the commonly accepted wisdom is all that wise? Especially in August.

That being said: No, I'm not voting Michigan No. 1.

My poll:





1. Alabama





Start with the best offensive line in the nation and an experienced quarterback, and the rest is just details. The Crimson Tide has recruited well enough to fill all skill-position gaps, and you know Nick Saban always will have a great defense. Plus, someone has to prove it can beat the SEC.





2. USC





The Trojans' offense will be a blast to watch, and the defense won't be bad, either, if some replacements come through on the line. Matt Barkley deserves his preseason Heisman-favorite status. College football is a more interesting place when the Trojans are in the title mix.





3. LSU





For the past 10 days I've heard everyone downplaying the loss of Tyrann Mathieu. Sorry, not buying it. You unexpectedly lose your most impactful player on both defense and special teams, and there will be a drop-off. All the way to third in the nation.

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4. Oregon





De'Anthony Thomas may be the national Breakout Player of the Year. That is, if 1,200 yards from scrimmage and two kickoff-return touchdowns as a true freshman still left him under wraps at all. A favorable schedule should have the Ducks undefeated going into November.





5. Oklahoma





Plug a couple of holes at receiver and the pieces will be in place for the Sooners. Then again, they're almost always in place in Norman, but they find a way to lose a game or two that keeps them out of the title picture. The return of Mike Stoops as coordinator might help a defense that gave up more than 40 points three times in Big 12 play.





6. Michigan





Denard Robinson is back for the final season of a highly entertaining college career. Can he throw it well enough to get the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl – or an even bigger bowl? We'll see. He'll be helped by a solid back seven on defense.





7. Arkansas





The wild card is the wild man himself, stopgap coach John L. Smith. If he keeps the train Bobby Petrino constructed on the rails, I might have the Razorbacks underrated – especially since both Alabama and LSU must visit Arkansas.





8. West Virginia





Last we saw the Mountaineers, they were scoring 70 points in the Orange Bowl. While that's a partial indictment of bowl opponent Clemson, it's also a validation of Dana Holgorsen's pyrotechnic offense – which returns all its key parts. Strange as it is to say, the road to the Big 12 title could run through Morgantown on Nov. 17, when Oklahoma visits.





9. Florida State





A solid decade of failing to meet preseason expectations has me ranking the Seminoles a little lower than most. Maybe this is the season that changes, with tons of experience on both sides of the ball plus a talented recruiting class plus Oklahoma off the non-conference schedule.

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