Trying to predict which freshmen can step in and make a significant impact is almost as impossible as getting laid your freshman year when your bunkmate is a chronic masterbater whom never leaves the room because he is too busy studying XBOX while ripping farts. But I will attempt to deliver you the readers the ten biggest and brightest badasses stepping on to a campus near you. With this honor comes the fame, the pressure, the girls, the venereal diseases and of course the hours...wait, in my case, minutes of studying when not drinking Natty Lite.  

1. Jimmy Clausen, QB (Notre Dame)- A lot of my buddies went to SEC schools so I get to hear the same old shit about how the Clausen family name doesn't mean jack when it comes to football prowess. They of course believe if you have the last name of Clausen then you are inept to anything besides wiping your own ass...and even that may be a stretch if you are talking to a Gator or a Dawg. But what Jimmy has that his two older brother's lacked is overall talent, arm strength and the coaching wisdom of Charlie Weis. Clausen can make every throw in the book including fades, deep balls, outs, posts, screens, intermediates, and check downs with ease which is almost unheard of when it comes to a freshman at his position. Recently named one of three finalists to replace Brady Quinn, I expect Clausen and redshirt freshmen Demetrius Jones to split snaps throughout the season until one of them takes over late in the season or going into the bowl game.

2. Arrelious Benn, WR (Illinois)-I remember watching Lebron James dominate in high school thinking he already had the physical body and knowledge to step up and conquer the next level. This is who Benn reminds me of on the football field. After enrolling early to participate in spring practices, Benn dominated drills and in the spring game went off on the Illini defense. He immediately will be the #1 target for QB Juice Williams because he can catch the ball unlike last year's WR starters and can take it to the house. His talent is enormous and hopefully won't be wasted under the fraud known as the Zooker.

3. Marvin Austin, DT (North Carolina)-Talk about being a big fish in a small pond. Big Daddy Austin comes into Chapel Hill as the number one defensive recruit in the nation on a team that won only 3 games last season and ranked 104th in the nation in scoring defense. Will he get playing time? Of course. In fact I think he could make as big an impact as Julius Peppers did when he was a frosh. Reportedly at 330 lbs, he already has the body size to start at defensive tackle and his explosive burst from a three point stance is what seperates him from the others. New coach Butch Davis promised him he would play immediately and Butch doesn't lie to recruits like Saban and Meyer do in the SEC.

4. Joe McKnight, All-purpose (USC)-I know what you are thinking: "USC needs playmakers like politicians need bribes." I don't like USC as much as the next guy but I do respect them. How can you not respect a team that gets away with more bullshit than a pasture in Pamplona, Spain? A lot of people say that McKnight is the next Reggie Bush. He will be as soon as he accepts over $300,000 in gifts but until then he will never come close to Reggie "I nail dirty skanks like Kim Kardashian" Bush. Anyways, getting on with my point if there ever was one, McKnight will get the chance to return punts and kickoffs while also getting some carries because he is an explosive player. Hopefully he has a good head on his shoulders and doesn't embarrass the University like Reggie Bush.

5. Everson Griffin, DE (USC)-There aren't many 6'3, 265 lbs true freshmen who can just step in and start immediately at defensive end at USC. Griffin is one of them. The kid dominated the USA Army All-American game so much he looked like Dwight Freeney on crack. If the kid can keep his nose clean there isn't a doubt in my mind he could be the best thing since...hmmm...I don't know, some other USC guy. Yes, he is that good.

6. Eric Berry, CB (Tennessee)-With only one returning starter (Sportscrack All-American Jonathan Hefney) in the secondary, there is plenty of room for the #1 prep cornerback in the nation to step in and play. While he may lack experience on the college level, he more than makes up for it with his speed (4.35) and his size (6'0, 194 lbs) is more than adequate to hang and tackle with the big boys. I think Phil Fulmer should line him up against Desean Jackson in the opener much like Notre Dame did with Darrin Walls against Calvin Johnson last season. Why would you do such a thing to a freshman cornerback you ask? Well, it's simple: I got money on Jackson winning the Heisman.

7. Trinton Sturdivant, OT (Georgia)-The Bulldogs offensive line last year worked out like this: terrible half the time and appalling the other half. In comes Trinton, a mythical beast of a man from North Carolina picked by coach Mark Richt to save Matthew Stafford from dropping beer kegs on his head. Trinton will be the starting left tackle for the Dawgs after an impressive spring ball performance in which he took advantage of the opposing defensive linemen and opened up holes wider than A-Rod's stripper mistress.

8. Donovan Warren, CB (Michigan)-Someone has to replace Leon Hall and despite the Wolverines having talented backup plans in the secondary with guys such as Brandon Harrison and Johnny Sears I think Warren can step in and start against the college football juggernaut that is known to the rest of the free world as Appalachian State. The talented cornerback from Cali didn't pick Michigan over USC because he wanted to learn the system will riding the pine. He picked Michigan because Jim Harbaugh told him he could get a bullshit degree and start right away. Sounds like the Michigan way to me.

9. Eugene Clifford, S (Ohio State)-Clifford looked like a natural born talent at safety much like the way Jenna Jameson looked in her film debut in Randy West's "Up and Cummers." It was like he knew exactly where the ball was going to go and how to penetrate the defense and exploit the tight end coverage. It was a thing of beauty and I expect Clifford to be a household name cum, sorry, come his sophomore season. Does it get any better than porn and college football? I didn't think so.

10. Anthony Davis, OT (Rutgers)-You know the world is either on a death spiral or the Mafia still exists when Rutgers is stealing recruits from schools like Ohio State and USC. Davis is the real deal and will step in and start at right guard while opening up holes for Heisman candidate Ray Rice. A five star recruit from in-state New Jersey, Davis has a huge frame but can easily handle speed rushers from the outside when he eventually will be a starting left tackle. The kid has NFL written all over him and Rutgers is either extremely lucky to get him or we are all going to die real soon.

OTHERS WHO COULD EMERGE IF GIVEN A CHANCE: Joe Haden, DB (Florida); Armando Allen, RB (Notre Dame); Martez Wilson, LB (Illinois); Terrance Toliver, WR (LSU); Josh Oglesby, OT (Wisconsin); Chad Jones, S (LSU)    

You can email me your thoughts on the upcoming football season or voice your opinion on the messageboards. matt@sportscrack.com