The final six weeks of last season sure were crazy, but they were good for at least two reasons: They shook out an undisputed national champ (sorry, Boise State) and revealed a clear top dog for this year. The first 15 ballots turned in by a 16-person ESPN brain trust were topped by the USC Trojans. Then Mel Kiper Jr. cast his vote. Mel, as many of you may already know, believes a defending champ is No.1 until we have a chance to see them all back on the field again. Unlike Mel, though, we can't wait that long. So we asked seven Bristol experts to each dissect one facet of every team in our Top 16. We also made some extra space for the guys who get left out of 7-on-7's. Because linemen and specialists shouldn't have to live on Mel's love alone.

1. USC Trojans
When David Buehler showed up at USC last year, he was buried beneath three other kickers on the depth chart. How deep? The unknown transfer from Santa Ana (Calif.) College wondered whether anybody would even bother to learn his name. The first one who did was Mario Danelo, USC's record-breaking sophomore starter. Danelo walked up to Buehler at the first practice, shook his hand and marveled at Buehler's monster leg. It was a classy gesture, and Buehler looked forward to learning from his classmate. Sadly, on Jan. 6, days after scoring eight points in USC's 32-18 Rose Bowl win over Michigan, Danelo fell 120 feet to his death from a Los Angeles cliff.

Danelo's shoes are big ones to fill: He had hit 26 of 28 career FGs. Now his job goes to Buehler, who made his one FG attempt last year. In three spring-game tries, Buehler nailed a 32-yarder, missed a 45-yarder and had one try blocked. But Pete Carroll, who blames poor snaps and holds more than he does Buehler, isn't worried. "David's got great range," Carroll says. "It's just a matter of getting him real consistent now." He's already handled one pressure situation: On March 25, Danelo's parents, Joe and Emily, attended practice. Guess who was first in line to greet them? -- Bruce Feldman
CREDIT:  ESPN Insider