Another season is upon us, and that means it’s time for another season of pigskin prognosticators. Don’t get too excited, the slap-stick antics won’t start until the season officially kicks off.

But for now, we’ll give you our opinion as to who’ll find themselves in the top 10 come Jan. 1.

That’s right, no worthless preseason rankings here. We only care about where people rank when it’s all said and done.

So without further ado:

No. 1 - Miami

Yes, the Miami Hurricanes lost 12 starters from last season’s national championship squad, but the key components still are present. With that said, the ’Canes deserve to open the season at No. 1 and we can’t see anybody dethroning them as the season progresses.

Another 12-0 season may be a little much, but with quarterback Ken Dorsey leading the way it’s not that far fetched - Miami’s signal-caller is 26-1 as a starter.

Wide receiver Andre Johnson also returns, providing the deep threat and comfortable target Dorsey needs to continue assaulting the Hurricanes’ record books. Of course, playing in the Big East doesn’t hurt, as few conference foes can put up much of a challenge for Miami.

But the other skill-positions on offense are shaky, as they all moved on to the NFL. But it is Miami, and we all know they’ve got a healthy rotation of “respectable citizens” to step up and fill in the holes.

The same can be said for the defensive secondary. The likes of Ed Reed, Phillip Buchanon, Mike Rumph and James Lewis are no longer preying on the pitiful conference. But yet again, the depth chart is plenty deep enough to compensate for the loss.

If the ’Canes do slip up, expect it to come from within their own state. Miami gets a very strong Florida State team at home on Oct. 12 and head to the swamp to play Florida on Sept. 7.

Regardless, look for the ’Canes to hoist another Sears Trophy come January.

No. 2 - Florida State

You didn’t really expect Florida State to have another bad season? The Seminoles took a beating last season but are out to reclaim their spot among the nations’ elite.

Just look what last season’s 8-4 record did to coach Bowden. He’s lost his mind and is using the “Let’s roll” slogan. Oh wait, that’s right, Bowden was always a crazy old fool. Never mind that last bit.

Florida State returns 15 starters from last year’s team, including sophomore Chris Rix, who became the first quarterback to start for Bowden as a freshman. That should say it all, but just be safe, here’s his stats from last season: 2,734 passing yards, 27 touchdowns (24 passing, three rushing) and a 57.7 completion percentage.

And as always, the Seminoles will have a monster defense to lean on. It all starts with Darnell Dockett, possibly the nations’ premier defensive tackle.

Hopefully everyone got their cheap shots in last year, because Florida State is poised to dominate. Don’t be surprised if the championship game is a Sunshine State bragging-rights contest.

No. 3 - Texas

With Major Applewhite finally gone, Chris Simms can focus on returning the Texas Longhorns to the top of the Big XII without always looking over his shoulder.

Instead, Simms can look downfield and put the ball over wide receiver Roy Williams’ shoulder all day. And tailback Cedric Benson provides a perfect balance to the offense.

Yes, Simms has to prove he’s not just prepping for the NFL and he truly cares about success at the college level. But whatever the answer is, he’s one of the best signal-callers at the collegiate level.

The Longhorns only have five returning starters on defense, but expect the unit to remain strong. Marcus Tubbs and Cory Redding will anchor the line, while Nathan Vasher will continue shutting down opponents’ top receivers.

No. 4 - Tennessee

Thanks to its 45-17 thrashing of Michigan in last season’s Citrus Bowl, Tennessee has become a popular team around East Lansing.

The Volunteers lost some big contributors to the NFL, but head coach Phillip Fulmer will simply plug the holes and Tennessee will be poised for another run at the national championship.

In 10 seasons, Fulmer has compiled an .826 (95-20) winning percentage. The Volunteers certainly have the talent to get things done. With the pass-catch combo of Casey Clausen and Kelley Washington, Tennessee has a dangerous aerial attack.

Clausen has struggled with comparisons to former Vols signal-caller Peyton Manning, but Washington helped ease the pain as a freshman last season. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder finished the season as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top wide receiver.

Tennessee lost all four starters on the defensive line, including end Will Overstreet and tackles Albert Haynesworth and John Henderson to the NFL. But expect Pulmer to cry about it. As a member of the SEC, the Vols don’t have much trouble recruiting.

No. 5 - Oklahoma

Again, the strength of Oklahoma will be its defense.

The loss of safety Roy Williams and linebacker Rocky Calmus will prevent the defense from being what it was the past two seasons, but don’t believe it won’t be one of the nations’ best.

As for the offense, quarterback Jason White has another year under his belt and tailback Quentin Griffin still is amazing. But unless the offense taps into something unforeseen, don’t expect the Sooners to make a serious bid for the Sears Trophy.

Let’s face it, only one team in the Big XII is going to have a shot. And you saw where we ranked the Longhorns. Yeah, enough said.

No. 6 - Florida

Visor Boy is gone, but its still the Gators. I mean, I don’t care who the head coach is, Florida will always bring in the top players.

There’s just something about year-round 90-degree weather and women in bikinis that football players seem to like.

But with coach Steve Spurrier no longer around to tutor quarterback Rex Grossman it’ll be interesting to see just how good he is. But new offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher should do fine.

The former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Marshall knows how to put up points and has produced the likes of New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington and Thundering Herd signal-caller Byron Leftwich.

Don’t forget the Gators also have tailback Earnest Graham and wide receiver Taylor Jacobs. So expect Florida to keep putting up serious points, but don’t expect the trademark Spurrier cheap shots when the game is out of hand.

And with new head coach Ron Zook, formerly the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, one can expect the defense to be strong. Florida has the talent, so we’ll see what Zook can do.

No. 7 - MSU

OK, we’ll admit this is a small case of wishful thinking. But come on, let’s just say junior quarterback Jeff Smoker and junior wide receiver Charles Rogers, and leave it at that.

The Spartans should be able to do anything they want offensively. And with a schedule that features eight home games and no Ohio State, MSU controls its own fate.

Yes, the loss of tailback T.J. Duckett to the NFL leaves a big hole. But let us introduce you to converted senior tailback Dawan Moss (5-10, 226 pounds), freshman tailback David Richard (6-2, 230 pounds) and five returning starters on the offensive line.

And thanks to an injury-plagued 2001 season, the Spartans have more depth on defense than they know what to do with. Just look at the secondary, which ranked 14th in the nation in passing defense. Seven different Spartans have starting experience in the unit.

No. 8 - LSU

Yes, everyone around East Lansing hates Nick Saban, but he is good and LSU returns 12 starters.

More importantly, seven of those starters line up opposite the ball. That means the man affectionately know as Satan in these parts has the components to put together one of his trademark defenses, which is sure to rank among the nations’ best.

And as long as tailback LaBrandon Toefield can stay healthy, expect jolly old “Saint Nick” to play a very stingy, defensive-minded ball-control game. The SEC is one of the best conferences in the nation, but with Spurrier gone it may be primed for the Tigers to seize control.

No. 9 - Colorado

Yes, we know, Colorado makes it three Big XII teams in the top 10. But don’t fret, we pick Nebraska to be No. 10. So you can bitch then.

But let’s stop and think about the Buffaloes for a second. They came out of nowhere last season to post a 10-3 record and they return 15 starters. If it wasn’t for the fact that their conference is so strong, we’d have them ranked higher. But someone has to lose out and head coach Gary Barnett tends to have trouble stringing together successful seasons.

Colorado won’t sneak up on anybody this year, but its running attack again will be impressive. Tailback Chris Brown returns, but its tailback Marcus Houston that really adds that extra dimension to the Buffaloes ground game. And with Craig Ochs returning to take the snaps, the offense seems to be in good hands.

As for the defense, well, eight of the returning starters can be found there. So look for the same production here as last season.

No. 10 - Nebraska

The days of Eric the Great (aka Eric Crouch) are over. But it’s still Nebraska and the big red machine will continue to roll.

Let’s be honest, it really doesn’t matter who plays quarterback for Nebraska. Even former coach Tom Osborne could get the job done - it’s not like he’d actually have to throw the ball.

The Cornhuskers system is simple - run the ball, run the ball and run the ball. And when you’ve got a host of 300-plus pound, corn-fed behemoths why not?

This is college football, it’ll always work. It won’t be pretty, but it makes it easy to continually replenish the depth chart.

Simply put, Nebraska will be among the top 10 until the game of football itself changes.

Knocking on the door - Ohio State, Colorado, Georgia, Washington and Washington State. As for Michigan, come on, we’re trying to be serious here.

Sleepers - Louisville, Maryland and Southern California.

Romando J. Dixson and Eric McKinney can be reached at dixsonro@msu.edu and mckinn54@msu.edu, respectively.