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Throughout the summer, a number of Tech fans will find themselves comparing the 2009 Tech football team to other elite teams of the past. We'll start that off today by comparing them to the 2007 team that featured so much future NFL talent.

First, let's see how the recruiting rankings of the starting lineups for each team compare.

According to those rankings, the 2009 team is the more talented team on offense, defense, and overall. However, as we all know, recruiting rankings can be deceiving.

First of all, the 2007 team is held back by the fact that starting defensive end Orion Martin was a walk-on, thus he gets no stars. That drops the average star ranking of the 2007 defense back quite a bit, even though Martin went on to be an All-ACC defensive end for the Hokies.

I would argue that the recruiting analysts gain more respect for Virginia Tech's recruiting classes year by year. For example, players like Carlton Powell and Sam Wheeler were 2-star recruits when they signed with Tech, but there is a good chance that they would have been 3-star guys if they signed a couple of years later.

Recruiting rankings mean nothing, however, so let's compare each team by each position.

Quarterback - The Hokies had Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor in 2007, and that made for an effective duo. However, in 2009 Taylor will have the job all to himself and should be ready to take the next step as a quarterback. Advantage: 2009

Running Back - In 2007, Tech had a banged up Branden Ore and no effective backups. In 2009, Tech will have 1,200 yard rusher Darren Evans and rising star Ryan Williams. Advantage: 2009

Wide Receiver - The 2009 wide receivers are talented, but the 2007 group featured four talented seniors: Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Justin Harper and Josh Hyman. Advantage: 2007

Tight End - Sam Wheeler and Greg Boone played a lot in 2007, with Wheeler getting hurt against Georgia Tech. In 2009, Greg Boone, Andre Smith and Sam Wheeler all appear to be ready to play, and incoming blue chip recruit Logan Thomas could see action as well. Advantage: 2009

Offensive Line - The 2007 line featured first round pick Duane Brown, but an injury to Ed Wang forced Richard Graham into the starting lineup at guard, which did not produce good results. They were solid for the second half of the season, but they were pretty bad in the opening weeks of the season. The 2009 starting five looks good right now, and they appear to have more depth. Advantage: 2009

Overall Offense - The 2009 Hokies look better up front than the 2007 team, and they look more explosive overall. Advantage: 2009

Defensive Line - The 2007 team was 4-deep at defensive end, and they could also play five defensive tackles. The 2009 team has depth issues at both positions. Advantage: 2007

Linebacker - The 2007 team featured the best combo of inside linebackers in school history in Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi. The 2009 team is breaking in Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson, both new starters. Advantage: 2007

Defensive Back - The 2007 team had two All-ACC cornerbacks in Brandon Flowers and Macho Harris. They also had senior free safety D.J. Parker, and Kam Chancellor was the perfect fit at rover. The 2009 team has a proven player in Stephan Virgil, but the field corner position is up for grabs. Advantage: 2007

Overall Defense - The 2009 defense will likely be very good, but it's tough to give them an advantage over the 2007 team anywhere, with the exception of whip linebacker. Advantage: 2007

There you have it. The 2009 team appears better on offense, while the 2007 team looks better on defense. All of that is just on paper, so we won't know until the team steps onto the field against Alabama on September 5.