1) Ohio State CB Malcolm Jenkins, Sr. SS Kurt Coleman, Jr. FS Anderson Russell, Jr. CB Donald Washington, Jr. Every player listed has a good shot at the pros, while Jenkins is widely regarded as the best CB in the nation. Russell could declare early and be gone in Day 1. Offenses will have a very difficult time throwing against the Buckeyes in 2008. All starters are back, on a Defense that allowed an average of less than 150 passing yards per game. Jenkins is a Top 10 CB, while Washington is coming up the curve very quickly. The Safeties are not only good in pass coverage, but will light up opposing ball carries and WRs alike. There truly isn't one guy that can be classified as the weak link. Offenses will try to mix it up, but will often come up short. Any one of these guys can be a killer. 2) Clemson CB Chris Chancellor, Jr. SS Michael Hamlin, Sr. FS Chris Clemons, Sr. CB Crezdon Butler, Jr. Chancellor has already started talking about leaving early, while Hamlin and Clemons are among the nation's best at their respective positions. Clemson ranked 13th in the nation against the pass in 2007, and returns all of its starters in the Secondary. The Defense lost Merling to the Miami Dolphins, but may get an even better rush presence from Freshman phenom D'Quan Bowers. Sapp will be on the other side wreaking havoc as well. All this adds up to QBs not having some much needed time to throw against this crew. They will capitalize on the mistakes made by each QB they face. 3) USC CB Cary Harris, Sr. SS Kevin Ellison, Sr. FS Taylor Mays, Jr. CB Shareece Wright, Jr. This group has talent, experience, and depth. Mays may be the best FS in the nation. USC loses some talent at the CB position with the departure of Terrell Thomas to the NFL. But, it won't kill 'em. While I don't consider Harris an elite CB, he has the potential to be one. Wright has solid experience and does not make many mistakes. He's a former 5-star recruit. Mays and Ellison have LB size coupled with good instincts and CB coverage skills. They we clean up any mistake the CBs make. They also have Josh Pinkard who'll rotate in on certain schemes. He's not even a starter, yet he'll probably get drafted. Even if a team can get past USC's LBs, they can't go much farther. 4) Oregon CB Jairus Byrd, Jr. SS Patrick Chung, Sr. FS T.J. Ward, Jr. CB Walter Thurmond III, Jr. Byrd, Chung, and Thurmond are all pro prospects. While just Juniors, Byrd and Thurmond may be the best CB tandem in the nation. They both can cover and hit. Byrd has great size for the position, and Thurmond can fly. Chung is the complete package at SS, and won't let much get by. He'll be the commander out there in 2008. Ward will get lost in the shuffle, but will do just fine. 5) Florida State CB Tony Carter, Sr. FS Darius McClure, Sr. SS Myron Rolle, Jr. CB Patrick Robinson, Jr. Robinson and Rolle are pro potential, and Carter is solid despite his lack of height. Carter and Robinson combined for 10 Interceptions last season, a mark they could hit again in 2008. Having Rolle back there makes this all the more possible. While he's not listed above, the Seminoles will use Michael Ray Garvin in a number of situations. He is a blazer who'll have to be accounted for when he's out there. If the pass rush is there, this team will surrender less than the 236 passing yards per game it did last season. 6) Georgia CB Prince Miller, Jr. SS C.J. Byrd, Sr. FS Reshad Jones, So. CB Asher Allen, Jr. Jones looked phenomenal as a Freshman, while Allen looked like a Senior vs. a Sophomore. Both play well beyond their years. Byrd is a former 5-start recruit. Each starter snagged at least 1 Interception last year, and saw decent to significant playing time. Georgia's DTs will limit the run, so teams will look to the air against the Bulldogs. They shouldn't find a lot of success however, as this troop has experience throughout. 7) South Carolina CB Carlos Thomas, Sr. SS Emanuel Cook, Jr. FS Darian Stewart, Jr. CB Captain Munnerlyn, Jr. Cook and Munnerlyn have another season of eligibility after 2008, but neither needs it to be NFL ready. The Gamecocks finished first in the SEC in passing yards allowed with 169 per game. Cook, Munnerlyn, and Stewart combined for 8 Interceptions last year, and they're all back. The oversized LBs may struggle some in pass Defense, so the Secondary will be heavily relied upon in that department. 8) Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith, Sr. SS Chip Vaughn, Sr. FS Kevin Patterson, Sr. CB Brandon Ghee, Jr. Smith and Vaughn will both be playing on Sundays, while either Patterson or Ghee may be able to crack third team all-conference honors. This crew has a lot of experience, where 3 of the 4 are Seniors. Smith is an absolute ball hawk at CB, while Vaughn is the total package at SS. Patterson has seen time at CB, and did a solid job there. Wake has a solid LB corps as well, which will only allow this squad to better. Ghee will be tested, but will get help over the top. 9) Miami CB Bruce Johnson, Sr. SS Lovon Ponder, Sr. FS Anthony Reddick, Sr. CB DeMarcus Van Dyke, So. There is talk that Bruce Johnson might make the All-Conference team. With Ponder and Reddick both healthy, this will be a different Secondary. 3 of the starters listed have a lot of experience and potential. Reddick was supposed to be NFL material, so there's a chance he could come on strong in his final season as a Hurricane. The LBs are quite good, so some pressure will be taken off of this unit. 10) UCF CB Joe Burnett, Sr. FS Jason Venson, Sr. SS Sha’reff Rashad, Sr. CB Johnell Neal, Sr. Burnett is a pro prospect, and every other starter could make the All-Conference team. Every starter is a Senior, and every one of them has seen plenty of action. Last season, the 4 of them combined for a total of 18 Interceptions. Teams will throw against them because they'll have time to do so. However, you'll see a lot more Interceptions as a result. Others to watch... Cincinnati loses Nakamura who hauled in 4 Interceptions last year, but has retained the services of Mickens and Smith. The two CBs may do enough to move the Bearcats into the Top 10. Losing their outside speed rushers doesn't help. Virginia Tech always has a good Secondary. But, they lost boundary CB Brandon Flowers to the NFL. While Macho Harris will fill that spot, his old post will be taken over by the Sophomore Carmichael. Cam Martin also moves to LB. Michigan will have a great CB tandem in Trent and Warren. If the Safeties can hold their own, this should be a good unit as a whole. The LB corps is green, so the Secondary will have to perform. Florida is young throughout their Secondary, where they don't have a single Senior expected to start. This unit will need this year to mesh, but look out for them in 2009. If they retain everyone, they'll easily be in consideration for the Top 10. Notre Dame has three outstanding young CBs. Two of them are former 5-star recruits; the other is a 4-star. Bruton is looking good at Safety. This will certainly be a group to watch.