No. 30: South Carolina — Stephen Garcia should be one of the SEC’s top passers if he gets the time to throw. That could be a big if, given the offensive line play in recent years. Defensively, the Gamecocks need another impact player to emerge to take some of the pressure off end Cliff Matthews. If Garcia takes the next step in his development, the line plays well and freshman running back Marcus Lattimore is as good as advertised, the Gamecocks could have a special year. If the line falters and Steve Spurrier starts juggling quarterbacks, South Carolina will stay in its usual spot in the middle of the SEC East pack.

No. 29: West Virginia — West Virginia has the pieces in place to make a run at the Big East title. The Mountaineers have depth issues, and it’s always a concern when you are sending out a new quarterback. But Bill Stewart welcomes back almost every key starter from a nine-win team. The question is, will the swagger once seen in the Rich Rodriguez-Pat White days return to Morgantown? Stewart is looking for more consistency from an offense that was first in rushing in the Big East but sixth in scoring. He’s also looking for better red zone defense. Both will be needed, especially when WVU visits LSU on Sept. 25. The immediate goal for this team, though, is to reestablish itself as a Big East power. It has a good shot at doing just that.

No. 28: Georgia Tech — Although other teams are more fashionable picks to win the ACC, the Yellow Jackets still return 12 starters from last year’s championship team. As long as quarterback Josh Nesbitt and B-back Anthony Allen can replicate the success Tech’s offense had last season, there’s no reason to think the Yellow Jackets won’t be in the thick of the conference race when they enter a tough three-game stretch that begins against revenge-minded Clemson on Oct. 23.

No. 27: Oregon State — The Beavers are in position to contend in the Pac-10 for the third straight season. They will be one of the most experienced teams in the country, as 19 position players and specialists who have started at some point in their careers are among the nearly 60 returning lettermen. Three factors will determine whether the Beavers finally break through to a first-tier bowl: the emergence of Ryan Katz or Peter Lalich at quarterback, identifying the next set of NFL-caliber linebackers and defensive backs and developing a more consistent pass rush. If those things happen, a team that lost its final regular-season game against rival Oregon with the Rose Bowl on the line in 2008 and ’09 could return to Pasadena for the first time since the 1964 season.

No. 26: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly is known for his offense, but offense was not Notre Dame’s problem in ’09 when the Irish ranked eighth nationally in yards per game. Kelly’s greatest challenge is reviving a defense that was a sieve, particularly on the ground (4.8 yards per carry). Kelly started the ball rolling by implementing his customarily rigorous offseason strength and conditioning program, and it seems to have had a positive impact. Notre Dame’s greatest asset is its head coach and his penchant for succeeding with reclamation projects. He has a major reconstruction on his hands, although he is far from devoid of talent. Eight or nine victories, which is what the Irish should have had each of the past two seasons, is realistic.