So what should NCAA football die-hards expect this fall when football season kicks off? Like any good year, look for a lot of the same, but a lot of surprises as well.

Fresh off their toppling of the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS Championship Game, the Florida Gators come out of the gate as the early favorites to not just repeat atop the SEC, but to finish the season undefeated and take home the national championship. With the SEC putting up a relatively weak card this fall, the Gators’ only real competition looks to come from Ole Miss. Alabama put up a strong show last year, but their demise at the hands of the Tim Tebow-led Gators sets a bad precedent for the Tide’s season to come.

Outside of the SEC, expect the greatest concentrations of power to arise in the a href=”http://www.answerblip.com/big-10-football-trivia”>Big Ten and Big 12. Within the Big 12, Oklahoma’s offensive attack has become considerably stronger with a new and improved offensive line, which should help them compete with the high-powered Texas and Oklahoma State squads. Expect a strong showing from Kansas as usual, although their less-than-stellar defense will cost them dearly. In the Big Ten, the nominal upgrades to the mid-tier schools — Michigan State’s rushing squad, Illinois’ defensive line, Iowa’s receiving game — should keep the conference close, but Ohio State and Penn State are still miles ahead of the competition. Wolverines fans might want to believe last year’s dismal finish was a fluke, but a weak recruiting season will leave anyone hoping for a return to glory for Michigan will be sorely disappointed come December.

The Big East looks to be its usual locally compelling, nationally ignored self. On paper, Rutgers, Pitt and West Virginia all stack up fairly evenly, even while Pitt’s defense makes them perfectly-suited to coach Dave Wannstedt’s preventive playbook. Penn’s secondary should remain strong, but after last year’s surprising finish it’s hard to see how Rutgers and West Virginia — and even Cincinnati — won’t adapt.

Out west, the PAC-10 conference stands poised to produce more strong teams than it can support, and at least two teams will have to go unrewarded for an outstanding season. USC sits in a good position, with a high-octane offense that could lead the conference in both passing and rushing, while quarterback Mark Sanchez might be the best gun after Tebow. Oregon, Cal, Oregon State and UCLA have all assembled teams capable of at least nine wins, but in the case of the PAC-10, being good might not be good enough.

When all is said and done, however, expect Florida to repeat, and in possibly even more dominating fashion than last year. The Gators took a virtually flawless team and strengthened it with a pair of highly-touted freshmen wide receivers in Andre Debose and Frankie Hammond. It’s too early to declare the season over, but Florida has at least given the rest of the NCAA something to aim for: the Gators themselves.