2010 FBS Positional Analysis: Defensive Linemen

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07/21/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They are literally the first line of defense, the one group of players that controls the tempo of the game more than any other. They can completely negate skilled offensive performers with their tenacious play up the field, and the NFL simply can't get enough of them.

Below are the top FBS defensive linemen heading into the 2010 season.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

ADRIAN CLAYBORN, IOWA

The top collegiate defensive end plays for the Hawkeyes. The 6-4, 285-pound Clayborn is an every-down dominant force up front. He showed flashes of potential in his first two seasons at Iowa but really burst on the scene as a junior in 2009, racking up 70 total tackles, with an outstanding 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks, earning some All-American honors, as well as being tabbed an All-Big Ten First-Team honoree. The Hawkeyes aren't the team to beat in the Big Ten this season, but Clayborn should continue to excel and be a disruptive force for the Hawkeyes week-in and week-out.

ROBERT QUINN, NORTH CAROLINA

This Tar Heel has overcome adversity to become one of the nation's premiere ends. The 6-5, 270-pounder recovered from brain surgery as a high school senior and has really developed in a short period of time. As a sophomore in 2009, Quinn was a First-Team All-ACC selection, while picking up some All-American accolades as well, finishing the year with 52 total tackles, 19 TFLs and 11 sacks. The Tar Heels are under fire right now regarding potential NCAA violations, and while the team may not vie for an ACC crown in 2010, it won't be because of the play along the defensive line.

JEREMY BEAL, OKLAHOMA

It may have been a down year for the Sooners in 2009, but that wasn't because of a lack of effort from the 6-3, 267-pound Beal. This Oklahoma end racked up an impressive 70 total tackles, with 19 TFLs and 11 sacks, picking up First- Team All-Big 12 honors and Third-Team All-American status. His junior campaign was a nice follow-up to his sophomore season (15.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks), as he continues to reach his potential. The Sooners will be back in the thick of the Big 12 race in 2010 and Beal will be a centerpiece on the defensive side of things.

GREG ROMEUS, PITTSBURGH

The 2009 Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the 6-6, 270-pound Romeus amassed 43 tackles, with 11.5 TFLs and eight sacks. He will vie for All- American honors in 2010 and consideration for most defensive awards when all is said and done. The Panthers should take another step towards the Big East crown this year, and balanced play on both sides of the football could be the difference. Romeus is an every-down end, who must be accounted for by offensive coordinators.

SAM ACHO, TEXAS

Sergio Kindle has moved on to the NFL, leaving Acho as the premiere down- lineman in Austin. A veteran end, Acho has played in 38 career games, with 14 starts. As a junior in 2009, the 6-3, 260-pounder finished with 63 total tackles, 14 TFLs, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He will once again be a key contributor along the Longhorn defensive front in 2010. Texas will be among the top teams in the country, and Acho very well may take the next step in his maturation as a dominant and disruptive force.

OTHERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Marcel Dareus (Alabama), Cameron Heyward (Ohio State), Frank Alexander (Oklahoma), Cliff Matthews (South Carolina), Jonathan Freeny (Rutgers), Pernell McPhee (Mississippi State).

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

MARVIN AUSTIN, NORTH CAROLINA

This Tar Heel is currently embroiled in an NCAA investigation, but that won't keep him off my list as the top interior lineman in the game. Larger than life both on and off the field, the 6-3, 310-pounder is as good as it gets. He was a Second-Team All-ACC selection as a junior in 2009, as the outgoing Austin finished with 42 total tackles, six TFLs and two sacks. A space-eater in the middle, it remains to be seen if he will showcase his talents on the field in 2010, as the NCAA may hand down a lengthy suspension that could result in his career in Chapel Hill coming to a close.

ALLEN BAILEY, MIAMI-FLORIDA

A chiseled 290-pounder, Bailey has the ability to play both inside and out at the next level. An All-ACC First-Team selection as a junior in 2009, he led the Hurricanes in both TFLs (11) and sacks (7.0). Miami will take another step toward regaining its swagger on a national scale in 2010, and Bailey really has a chance to emerge as a difference-maker along the defensive front, vying for All-American honors in the process.

JERRELL POWE, OLE MISS

A mammoth interior lineman at 6-2, 320 pounds, Powe is a prototypical nose guard. He saw action in 13 games for Ole Miss last season with 10 starts, recording 34 tackles (25 solo), with 12.0 TFLs. He is very strong at the point of attack and has the ability to handle double-teams, freeing up his teammates to make the play. The Rebels won't win the SEC any time soon, but few teams will find it easy to run up the middle on Ole Miss in 2010.

JARVIS JENKINS, CLEMSON

Jenkins has played in the shadow of some really good defensive linemen at Clemson over the course of his career, but is ready to make a name for himself in 2010. The 6-4, 310-pound Jenkins earned second-team All-American honors as a sophomore in 2008 and followed that up with a solid junior campaign in 2009, ranking fifth on the team with 69 total tackles, 11 TFLs and one sack. He will be the centerpiece of the Clemson defensive front this season and should be a productive player on a weekly basis.

JARED CRICK, NEBRASKA

Though perhaps best known for playing next to Ndamukong Suh, Crick carved out his own little niche in 2009, earning All-Big 12 honors, after the 6-6, 285- pounder racked up 73 total tackles, 15 TFLs and 9.5 sacks. Without the luxury of Suh taking on double-teams, Crick will now be forced to prove he is not a product of his environment. Still, it wasn't Suh alone that put Nebraska among the national leaders in scoring defense (first), pass efficiency defense (first) and sacks (second) in 2009. This is Nebraska's last season in the Big 12 and although the team is probably not ready to win the league title, Crick will do everything in his power to keep the Cornhuskers relevant each week.

OTHERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Stephen Paea (Oregon State), Jurrell Casey (USC), Adrian Taylor (Oklahoma), Cameron Jordan (California), Lawrence Marsh (Florida).

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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

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