1. Oklahoma: Much like college basketball this past year, parity will reign supreme in the 2006 college football season.  Every major contending team has serious weaknesses.  Which is why Oklahoma is #1 this year.  Whereas oft-mentioned title contenders Notre Dame and Ohio State are rebuilding their defenses, and perennial powers Texas and USC are reloading at skill positions, these are taken care of at Oklahoma.  Adrian Peterson is finally healthy, and QB Rhett Bomar showed incedible poise during the Sooners' 6-1 finish, including a win at Nebraska and whipping Oklahoma State in Norman.  Bob Stoops says this is the best defense in his tenure at OU--and as Mack Brown knows, that's a scary thing.  The schedule is reasonable, and if they can get out of the Red River Shootout 5-0, it could be another special year.
2. Auburn: So how did that "not firing Tommy Tuberville" work out for the Tigers?  Over the past two years, they're 22-3 and have great potential for this year.  Tuberville did a great job replacing all the departing talent from the undefeated 2004 team (Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams, Carlos Rogers, Jason Campbell) and now the new stars have a year of leadership under their belts.  The SEC is never easy, but the schedule is favorable, with eight home games.  It gets tough down the stretch, with the regular-season finale against Alabama in Tuscaloosa and then the SEC title game.  But make it through that gauntlet, and they'll be in position to play for the national title.
3. Notre Dame: Apparently, I'm the only person who has the Irish rated lower than #2.  The defense is just too worrisome for me to put them higher than #3, and Charlie Weis hasn't proven he can coach defense.  But the offense, led by Heisman favorite Brady Quinn and All-America wideout Jeff Samarzdija, should be good enough to keep them on the winning end of a lot of 35-28 games.  The big question: can the Irish beat USC at the LA Coliseum, something they haven't done since 2000?  The Trojans were upset at how long the grass was at ND Stadium last October, and will have the Coliseum grass cut very short for maximum speed.  Whether the Irish can overcome the Trojans' inherent speed advantage will determine whether they'll head back to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl or Jacksonville for the Gator.
4. California: This is the surprise pick, I realize.  But the last time the Trojans had to rebuild (or reload, more accurately) was 2003, and the result was Cal beating them in triple-overtime.  Like that game led by QB Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Longshore is inexperienced but the real deal, and will be able to effectively run the new option elements within the traditional Cal spread offense.  Tedford has coached big-time football before (leading Oregon to a #2 ranking in 2001), and the big-play offense combined with a solid defense could bring the Pac-10 title to Berkeley for the first time in 30 years.
5. Ohio State: Before you start, this seemingly low ranking is not due to my undying hatred of the Buckeyes.  Rather, it's the fact that they have to replace 9 starters--including all-everything MLB AJ Hawk--from last year's amazing defense.  Plus, the schedule is brutal: at Texas, at Iowa, home against Penn St. and Michigan.  But you can't count out a team with Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr, and they'll be good for at least 10 wins and maybe 2-3 in the Heisman balloting, but asking even them to outscore teams taht good (and overcome Jim Tressel's tendency to micromanage big games) is too much to ask.

National Title Game: Oklahoma (Big 12/BCS #1) vs. Auburn (SEC/BCS #2)
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame (at-large) vs. TCU (Mtn. West/mid-major at large)
Sugar:  USC (at-large) vs. Texas (at-large)
Orange: Miami (ACC) vs. Louisville (Big East)
Rose: Ohio St. (Big Ten) vs. Cal (Pac-10)
Capital One: Florida (SEC #2) vs. Michigan (Big Ten #2)
Cotton: LSU (SEC #3) vs. Nebraska (Big 12 #2)
Gator: Clemson (ACC #2) vs. West Virginia (Big East #2)
Outback: Iowa (Big Ten #3) vs. Georgia (SEC #4)
Holiday: Oregon (Pac-10 #2) vs. Nebraska (Big 12 #3)