NationalChamps.net has released their 2010 Early Bird Top 25 poll.

Using a term like ‘revealed’ is a bit over the top, I will admit to that.  But I have come to look forward to this poll each year, because it really signifies my first cursory look ahead to the next college football season.  What this is NOT is a hard and fast ranking for next year.  What it IS is a pretty salty resource for college football fanatics to look and see what teams return what players for next year and also a place to look at their schedules.

The 2010 Early Bird tabs Iowa at #9, which I think is a fair ranking and roughly where Iowa will be next year.  They also have three players listed as possible early entrants into the NFL Draft, being Bryan Bulaga, Adrian Clayborn and Amari Spievey.  What those three do will certainly have an effect on Iowa’s preseason ranking next year as well as the season.  As it stands right now, Iowa will return 16 starters next season; seven on offense and nine on defense.  Adam Gettis started a few games on the offensive line for Iowa this year, so he comes back with experience.  The same can be said of tight end Allen Reisner.  If Bulaga stays at Iowa, you are looking at just two new faces without any starting experience on that side of the ball and every ‘projected’ defensive starter has starting experience.  We’ll see what the ‘NFL Trio’ does over the next few weeks.

I will make an ‘early bird’ prediction of my own right now; when we arrive in Chicago next summer for the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, Ohio State will be picked to win the league, with Iowa #2 and Wisconsin #3.  I think that Penn State’s loss of Darryl Clark at quarterback, Jared Odrick along the line, a possible pair of LB’s and perhaps even RB Evan Royster will knock them down several pegs.

Per the Early Bird, Ohio State will return 10 starters on offense and 7 on defense.  Wisconsin will return 10 on offense and 6 on defense.  Michigan will return 7 on offense and 10 on defense.  Minnesota will lose its entire front seven on defense and may make a change at quarterback.  Purdue should return a lot, too.

How about some of the teams from around the country?  Alabama is their #1, but the Tide returns just 5 starters from the best defense in the nation, along with 8 offensive starters.  They might also lose one or two starters to an early NFL call.  Boise State checks in at #2, and they return 21 of 22 starters!  They play at Oregon State (#17) and will face off against Virginia Tech (#18) in Maryland.  Those are their only chances for losses, IMO. Oregon is #3 and they return 20 starters, all 11 on offense.

Iowa will play at Arizona next year and while the Wildcats return 8 starters on offense, they will bring back just 4 on defense.

Notre Dame is among 20 other teams receiving consideration, and they return just six starters and will lose QB Jimmy Claussen and WR Golden Tate to the NFL…and they went 6-6 with those guys this year with a schedule that was a bit tougher than we originally thought.

Just how ‘accurate’ has their Top Ten been compared to the first AP Top Ten of the year?  In four of the last six years, they nailed 9 of 10, with one year getting 8 of 10 and the other 6 of 10 (link here)

It’s a fun exercise, at least it is for me, and it signals the start of next year’s college football conversation that will reconvene on this site on January 6th, 2010 and last all the way until Iowa’s season opener.

Tags: hawkeye football, Hawkeye Nation, hawkeyenation.com, Iowa football, Jon Miller