I put together a composite of seven preseason rankings:

• Four newstand magazines: Phil Steele, USA Today, Lindy's, and Athlon
• Three polls: ESPN, AP, USA Today

Here's the Top Ten based on the teams' average rankings across the seven polls.

1. USC
2. LSU
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Oregon
6. Florida State
7. Georgia
8. Michigan
9. South Carolina
10. Arkansas

Complete list

As you can see, five of the ten are from the SEC, with two from the Pac-12, one from Big 12, one from ACC, and one from Big Ten. That accounts for five of the six BCS Conferences. The highest team from the Big East is Louisville at #26.

LSU plays three of the Top Ten: Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas.

We always save the best for last, and for 14 straight years, the best has been Phil Steele as tracked by a website that calculates how closely each magazine's preseason predictions square with the final results.

Remember: Like all the magazines, Steele's predictions came out long before Tyrann Mathieu was dismissed from LSU's team.

Preseason Top 25

1. Florida State
2. Oklahoma
3. LSU
   "Had they won the title game they would without a doubt be the consensus pick to win it all this year as they are even stronger with improved QB play ... It was very tough not to put an SEC team in the title game but they do have a tougher road to face than my top 2 with games vs 6 teams that are ranked in the top 28 of my Power Poll ... I do not see any team surviving the brutal SEC (best conference in country, AGAIN) unscathed and that is why I have them #3.
   
4. USC
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Georgia
9. Wisconsin
10. Florida

SEC Forecast

Summary of why Phil picks LSU #1 in West

"Les Miles has caught some breaks in recent years but last year his team had one of the finest performances of any in college football history during the regular season. ... This year's team will get better QB play than they received last year ... and are deep at every position. LSU gets a key game vs Bama at home and have a bye the week prior versus Bama's on its third road game in four weeks and that makes them my favorite to get back to the SEC Title game and a legitimate National Title contender."

Comments on other teams

• Alabama - "Saban can use '10 as a teaching example letting them know the pitfalls of defending a Title and making sure they play their 'A' game weekly. This year's team is clearly capable of repeating as Nat'l Champs and how they fare in Death Valley on Nov 3rd will determine if they get to the SEC Title game and it won't surprise me if they get back-to-back titles."
• Arkansas - "They will miss his [Bobby Petrino's] play calling. Still, this is a team very capable of winning the West led by an improved D, QB Tyler Wilson and the return of RB Knile Davis."
• Florida - "This year is Will Muschamp's second season, he has 17 returning starters and despite pulling LSU out of the West, the Gators are my surprise pick to get to the SEC Title game. They have one of my top rated D's in the country and will have one of the most improved offenses with more stability at QB."
• Tennessee - "Derek Dooley is a coach squarely on the hot seat but he has by far his best team yet."

Tigers on Preseason All-SEC team

• 1st team O: Alex Hurst T
• 1st team D: Sam Montgomery E, Tyrann Mathieu CB/PR, Eric Reid S, Brad Wing P
• 2nd team O: Chris Faulk T
• 2nd team D: Anthony Johnson DL, Drew Alleman K

Comments on LSU's units

• QBs - "Despite the loss of their top two QBs, it wouldn't surprise me and in fact I expect LSU to have a more dangerous pass attack this year."
• RBs - "Naturally since the top four were all soph. and frosh., this unit is stronger and one of the best in the country."
• WRs - "LSU WR's have been loaded with size and speed in recent years but spotty QB play had kept down their production. ... They are a little less experienced but could put up better numbers with more emphasis on the pass game."
• OL - "With Dworaczyk being granted a sixth year, this unit has five back who have been full-time starterse ... and it looks to be their best unit in some time."
• DL - "This is one of the top D-lines in the country."
• LBs - "This unit is less experienced and is my only question mark on the team."
• DBs - "LSU has just two returning starters [one of which was Mathieu] but remains one of the elite secondaries."
• Special teams - "This again looks like one of the premier special teams units in college football."
• Summary - "Unlike last year when LSU was a dog three times they could be favored in every game and are a legitimate National Title contender."

Previous Previews: USA Today College Preview | Athlon Sports Southeastern Preview
Lindy's Sports Southeastern 2012 Preview

1. LSU
   "LSU did everything except stick the landing last season. The Tigers, kings of the comebacks and lords of one of the finest college football seasons ever for 13 games, had to swallow a goose-egg omelet ... in the BCS Championship Game.
   Talk about all the motivation they need for this season. 'Fire back' mode describes LSU perfectly after the sting of the title game.
   No one doubts the Tigers' ammunition. The big boys on both sides of the line are nasty and among the nation's finest - the best way to be when setting out to hunt down the national championship. Size, speed and athleticism fill the roster - just your typical SEC championship team ...
   Zach Mettenberger ... will do what Jordan Jefferson couldn't in the national title game: Stand and deliver. Coach Les Miles won't veer from loving on his punishing ground game ... but Mettenberger creates the needed balance.
   It's insanity to bet against the SEC winning its eventh consecutive national title. LSU gets Alabama in Baton Rouge for what should be the defining game of the college season. No team in the country looks better in its uniforms than LSU, and this time when the Tigers run out the clock at the end of the season, it will be to celebrate their third national championship in 10 years.
2. USC
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Oregon
6. Georgia

Tigers on Preseason All-America team

• 1st team O: Alex Hurst G
• 1st team D: Sam Montgomery E, Tyrann Mathieu CB, Eric Reid S, Brad Wing P
• 2nd team O: Chris Faulk T
• 2nd team D: Barkevious Mingo DL
• Preseason D Player of Year: Mathieu

National Player Rankings by Position

• QBs - Zach Mettenberger #25
  "Maybe he belongs on list, maybe not. Will be fascinating, either way."
• RBs - LSU's quartet #25
  "Take your pick: Michael Ford, Spencer Ware, Kenny Hilliard, Alfred Blue."
• WRs - Odell Beckham #20
  "LSU's new go-to guy will run down deep balls from Zach Mettenberger."
• OTs - Alex Hurst #2
  "A coaches' All-SEC selection who mans the right side for the Tigers."
  Chris Faulk #4
  "Should be eyeing a first-round draft grade with a big junior year."
• DEs - Sam Montgomery #1
  "Was a FWAA first-team All-American after posting nine sacks on great D."
  Barkevious Mingo #6
  "Almost unfairly quick off the edge, had five QB hurries in SEC title game."
• DTs - Bennie Logan #7
  "Made 57 tackles for the nation's second-best D in 2011."
• CBs - Tyrann Mathieu #1
  "Plays bigger than he is, knows the right time to be agressive."
• Ss - Eric Reid #2
  "By our count, one of six LSU juniors who could be first-rounders in 2013."
• Ks - Drew Alleman #5
  "Made 16 of 18 FGs last season; knows what it's llike to kick in the clutch."
• Ps - Brad Wing #1
  "2011 All-American kept Bama pinned all day in regular-season game."

National Unit Rankings

• O-Lines: LSU is #2 behind Alabama.
  "The Tigers have four returning starters, with the nation's best pair of tackles .... Senior G Josh Dworaczyk, who has started 26 games, is back after missing last season because of a knee injury. LSU isn't waiting on him. The depth is such that sophomore La'el Collins came out of spring with the starting job. For now."
• D-Lines: LSU #1
  "LSU had such depth last season - and still has so much of it - that E Barkevious Mingo started oly four games ... and still had 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and 11 AB hurries. ... Our pals at NFLDraftScout.com projected i the spring that each of these juniors would be top 25 picks in the 2013 Draft. By that time, they should be wearing national championship rings."
• DBs: LSU #1
  "While Mathieu is 5-9, Tharold Simon is 6-3, and he broke up 10 passes last season in a rotational role. 'He looked like he was 6-7 because he's all arms and legs,' an opposing SEC coach told Lindy's. 'He looked like a damn spider.' ... Throw in All-America candidate Eric Reid at FS ... and the Tigers could have the nation's top D back for the third year in a row ..."

Comments on Rules Changes for 2012

• "The NCAA moved up the spot where toe meets leather from the 30- to the 35-yard line, making it easier for kickers to reach the end zone, thereby increasing touchbacks and reducing the high-speed, injury-causing collisions. At the same time, returners are encouraged to take a knee in the EZ, since offenses will now begin possession on the 25 instead of the 20."
• "While some coaches will be content to take the touchback, others might strategize. A high kick near the goal line might often result in a tackle inside the 25. Is it worth the risk? We'll see how coaches play this."
• "Elsewhere, there is new regulation for blocking below the waist and a banning of leaping over the punt protection shield."
• "One new rule that will be noticed is that a player must miss a snap if he loses his helmet during a play."

Top 12 Non-Conference Games

• #11. Washington at LSU, Sept. 8
  "Hard to see the Huskies solving LSU's D, even with QB Keith Price, but it's a potentially tricky early test for the Tigers ..."

Top 12 Conference Games

• #1. Alabama at LSU, Nov. 3
  "Will both teams get here undefeated? LSU has previous games at Auburn, Florida, and Texas A&M, as well as a home showdown vs. South Carolina. The Tide will have to navigate a neutral-site game vs. Michigan and trips to Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. It could all be a prelude to Game of the Century III."
• #6. LSU at Arkansas, Nov. 24
  "Last day of the regular season. SEC West title at stake?"

Excerpts from the writeup on LSU

• "Potential Probems: The lack of an experienced, proven receiving corps is a concern. Mettenberger has untold potential but hasn't yet put it into action. For the most part, LSU avoided injuries last year, but several defenders have histories of ailments that could derail the Tigers' plans. Only one starting LB returns."
• "Overview: ... LSU should be highly entertaining en route to the top."
• "LSU has a new starting QB ... [who] gives the Tigers the strong-armed, pocket presence the O has lacked."
• "The Tigers feature a cadre of RBs that should be the envy of most any team."
• "For all its acclaim, LSU has a chip on its shoulder and something to prove after having defeated eight Top 25 teams last season."
• "Opposing Coaches View:
  "On LSU's offense: ... If their QB comes through like many people think he will, watch out. He's a better QB than what they played with the last two years."
  "On LSU's defensive E Mingo and Montgomery: Mingo is like a lightning bolt coming off the edge. They are the reason LSU's O tackles Alex Hurst and Chris Faulk are so good. They don't see speed like that on the edge in most games ..."
• LSU's unit rankings within the SEC

Preseason Top 25

1. USC
2. LSU
   "Let's not forget that a 13-1 season doesn't stink. The Tigers may have looked awful in the BCS title game, but just about everything else they did last year was perfect. With 11 starters returning, LSU has a great chance to make amends for last January's debacle in New Orleans. The Honey Badger, all-everything D-back/return man/lethal weapon Tyrann Mathieu, returns to create excitement and mayhem in a secondary that could be the nation's best. But the biggest question comes under C, where junior Zach Mettenberger takes over and attempts to keep the O humming. Or, tries to get it going again after departed starter Jordan Jefferson looked lost against Alabama. Expect Mettenberger to take plenty of shots downfield, thanks to the return of wideout Odell Beckham, Jr. But the Tigers are primarily a run-first team, and with four returning O-line starters and the top four ground gainers from 2011 back ..., that shouldn't be a problem. If Mettenberger delivers, LSU might get a chance to make everybody forget that mess in N'awlins last January."
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Oklahoma

LSU is predicted to go 13-0 again.

Heisman Contenders

"8. Tyrann Mathieu: Mathieu is a quality CB, but he is on this list for his overall playmaking ability."

Tough Acts to Follow

Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
"Teammate Tyrann Mathieu ... received more national acclaim, but Claiborne was the real star of the Tigers' secondary. ... Mathieu is back to man one corner position, and junior Tharold Simon, a former 4-star recruit who played mostly as a nickel back last season, will be tabbed to replace Claiborne."

Recruiting Rankings: Do They Matter?

LSU is tied for third (behind Alabama and USC) in Rivals.com average ranking for 2007-11

Comments that illustrate the recruiting rankings are not always accurate.

• "If not for a double-OT loss to Iowa State last season, Oklahoma State would have played LSU for the national title. Yet Oklahoma State never had a top-25 class in the five years preceding the Cowboys' 2011 season. Neither did Boise State, Kansas State, or Wisconsin."
• "If you talk to coaches, they're all pleased every single year by their recruiting class. The next coach to stand up on Signing Day and declare, 'We did poorly, my bad,' will be the first."
• "Recruiting rankings have gotten better in recent years. ... Still, some of the misses are eye-opening in hindsight."
  • "Oklahoma State All-American Justin Blackmon was the 91st-rated WR out of high school."
  • "LSU All-America CB Morris Claiborne was another future NFL first-round pick who was underrated out of high school. Claiborne was a 3-star recruit in 2009, a player without a position, so he became that year's No. 58 'athlete' by Rivals."

Tigers on Preseason All-America team

• 1st team O: Alex Hurst G
• 1st team D: Sam Montgomery E, Eric Reid S
• 1st team special teams: Brad Wing P, Tyrann Mathieu PR
• 2nd team O: Chris Faulk T
• 2nd team D: Tyrann Mathieu CB
• 3rd team D: Bennie Logan T

In Athlon's conference breakdown, LSU has these rankings:

SEC Preview

• "The balance of power is still in the West. LSU still has the Honey Badger and a strong D - and now it may have the QB who can take the O to another level in Zach Mettenberger. Perhaps most important: LSU gets Alabama at home. ... If the top three [in the West] aren't LSU, Alabama and Arkansas in some order, it will be a surprise."
• "Key Games include:
  Oct. 13 South Carolina at LSU: A preview of the SEC Championship Game - or the game that knocks the Gamecocks out of it?
  Nov. 3 Alabama at LSU: We seem to remember these two squaring off last season. This time around, the results could be just as important, and low-scoring.
  Nov. 24 LSU at Arkansas: LSU's last two trips to Arkansas (both in Little Rock) have ended in defeat. This year, the Tigers make their first trip to Fayetteville since 1992."

Excerpts from the writeup on LSU:

• "After overcoming major off-the-field obstacles and winning 13 consecutive game - many of them in convincing fashion - the Tigers could lay claim to one of the more dominant regular seasons in college football history."
• "There are some holes to fill, most notably at WR and in the secondary. But with many familiar faces back, plus a marked talent upgrade at QB ..., the Tigers are poised for another run at the national title."
• "After four years of a confusing and often unproductive QB shuffle ,LSU goes into a season with a clear-cut starter - one who has a legitimate chance to play pro football."
• "You won't find an All-American in the LSU backfield, but there also might not be a deeper or more talented crew in the country."
• "Senior Russell Shepard has supplied big plays sporadically, but he has never consistently been a player defenses had to worry about. He had only 21 offensive touches last season - seven carries and 14 receptions - for a total of 242y. The coaching staff will atempt to get Shepard the ball more in 2012."
• Defensive Linemen - "Depth on this unit has been a hallmark the last few years for LSU, and 2012 will be no different, although there's not as much experience along the front as in past years."
• "For a 13-1 team to have a glaring weakness is strange, but that was definitely the case at LB last season. ... LSU believes it addressed the problem with its 2012 recruiting class, which includes five LBs from the state of Louisiana. ... Lamar Louis wasted no time distringuishing himself with a solid spring after enrolling in January."
• "LSU boasts three of the best in the nation on special teams - P Brad Wing, PK Drew Alleman, and Mathieu as the primary punt returner."
• Key Tigers
  "Zach Mettenberger QB - There is not a more important player to LSU's hopes for success than the strong-armed QB.
  Chris Faulk LT - Nobody has a bigger task: Keep Mettenberger upright and healthy.
  Kevin Minter MLB - The Tigers need more from their LBs in 2012, and it starts with the veteran Minter.
  Eric Reid FS - Reid is the leader of a secondary stocked with talent. He makes plays all over the field."
• Opposing Coaches Size Up LSU
  "They have the best secondary in college football probably, even without Morris Claiborne. They did lose their secondary coach, Ron Cooper; he went to coach the Tampa Bay Bucs ..., and they brought the guy from Nebraska [Corey Raymond] in. I'm not sure losing Cooper is a big deal. ... They are big and very, very good up front on D. They have so many guys who can play ... Their performance in the national title game was disappointing. They should have played better. They were a better team than they showed that day. ... One thing that is amazing about what they did last year - they scored nine non-offensive TDs. We used that as an example to our team throughout the spring. You can score points in some many other ways than just on O ... I've heard good things about Zach Mettenberger. He's a big kid who can make all of the throws. If he settles in, watch out. If that team gets really good play from the QB position, I'm not sure anyone can beat them ... John Chavis always does a good job. He's well-respected. He has great players, but he is a very good coach ... They have so many good RBs it's ridiculous. They can come at you with so many different looks. They will go five deep this year. They might not have the one All-American, but they have five who could start for 90 percent of the teams in the country."
• Eric Reid on Mettenberger: "We can't get to any of his throws. He either throws it where the receiver can get it or where nobody can. It's frustrating because we aren't able to make the kind of plays in practice that we're used to making."