In the best of all college football worlds, the 2006 season would be anticipated like no other.

You would have Texas as a consensus favorite to repeat as national champion, and Southern Cal as the leading contender to recapture the title it won in 2003 and 2004. You also would have Texas' Vince Young and USC's Reggie Bush -- two of the greatest players in college history -- returning for their senior seasons.

Instead, Young and Bush are off to the NFL to make their fortune. Good for them, but bad for college football.

Although the last game of the season was won on Jan. 4, the losses have been piling up for the last two weeks. And they have altered how next season will be viewed.

Is there any doubt where Texas would be ranked in preseason with Young returning? Is there any doubt USC would be ranked right behind them if running backs Bush and LenDale White returned?

In this era of parity, one or two great players have more impact than ever. Young proved that in the Rose Bowl. Bush proved it for the last two seasons.

Good players have an impact, too. Texas and USC have recruited so successfully in recent years, you know they won't be replacing stars with stiffs. But what about a program like N.C. State, trying to make headway through the increasingly challenging Atlantic Coast Conference? The Wolfpack is losing four juniors, including three on defense, to the NFL.

Up-and-coming South Carolina also took a hit. The Gamecocks would have had the SEC's best secondary if Ko Simpson and Johnathan Joseph had returned for their senior seasons. Now, they have two more holes to fill on defense.

The player attrition in the past two weeks will have its first impact in the preseason polls, which began popping up hours after Texas beat USC for the national championship. The Longhorns still will be a top-10 pick, but Young's return would have made them a surefire choice for No. 1.

Texas and USC have proved they can overcome the loss of outstanding players. So has Ohio State, which should be a prime contender for the national championship despite losing three juniors to the NFL.

The biggest winner in the past two weeks might be West Virginia. The Mountaineers didn't lose any juniors to the NFL draft. More important, they return freshman stars Pat White at quarterback and Steve Slaton at running back.

By upsetting Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, West Virginia not only finished fifth in the final Associated Press poll; it virtually assured itself of a top-five preseason ranking and maybe a few No. 1 votes.

Despite the big-name losses, Texas and USC still will be consensus top-10 picks. So will Fiesta Bowl winner Ohio State and Fiesta Bowl loser Notre Dame.

Don't forget about Oklahoma, which dropped off in 2005 after playing for national championships in back-to-back seasons. Quarterback Rhett Bomar, who improved significantly in his first season as a starter, and star running back Adrian Peterson both return; the Sooners didn't lose any juniors to the NFL.

Where will the SEC fit into the race for the national championship? Probably right about where it did in 2005. You should have two close division races, but no national championship contender.

An early, early top 10: 1. Ohio State, 2. West Virginia, 3. Southern Cal, 4. Oklahoma, 5. Texas, 6. Notre Dame, 7. California, 8. Auburn, 9. Michigan, 10. Georgia.

SEC East: 1. Georgia, 2. Tennessee, 3. Florida, 4. South Carolina, 5. Kentucky, 6. Vanderbilt.

SEC West: 1. Auburn, 2. Arkansas, 3. LSU, 4. Alabama, 5. Mississippi State, 6. Ole Miss.