Top 25: July 1st Edition
July 01 2008 12:49 PM -- Filed in: Poe McNoe
So the biggest question starting off…is a
Preseason Poll how you think the teams will finish or
is it who is the most talented? No one knows,
honestly. Is it which team will cruise on their
schedule or which team would cruise on any schedule?
I’d say there’s no rhyme or reason to the
poll, or anyone’s poll for that matter. It
should make enough sense that I don’t look like
an idiot and cause enough controversy to warrant 100
message board posts. That being said:
#1) The Ohio State Buckeyes: C’mon, this is an Ohio State blog. Was I going to take off my scarlet colored glasses? On shear numbers and experience, this team would be Top 5 on any list. If it would have won any bowl game (be it the Capital One, the Alamo Bowl, or the Rose Bowl), the team would be Top 3. First round NFL draft picks at a boatload of positions including RB, WR, O Line, LB, and CB. While not as talent laden as the 2001 and 2002 Hurricanes (who could be?), the Buckeyes are poised to unload about a quarter of an entire round in the next draft. The Buckeyes hauled in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation and the support of the #1 player in the nation, Terrelle Pryor. The Big Ten has barely put up a fight outside of Illinois and Wisconsin. The biggest issue is the QB who was the leader in pass efficiency for the Big Ten. Oh, and they don’t know who their fullback is. It’s hard to reload when you lose only 2-3 starters. Lawrence Wilson was projected last year as the best defensive end on the team, only to break his leg in the first game and his counterpart then goes 6th to Jets in the draft. Yikes.
Biggest issue at #1: Well they can’t beat a SEC team and the defense looks lost in critical situations. A road trip to USC really could ruin the season, since USC has only lost once to an OOC opponent at home in the last 6 years. Ohio State also gets to take the trip up to Madison, which should be scary for any Ohio State fan. Somehow, the Badgers are the only (regular season) team to have a winning record against Jim Tressel, but that was mainly Barry Alvarez. My advice would be to file a restraining order against Alvarez, since he was present in the 2001 win over Ohio State, the 2003 win, the 2004 win, and was a commentator during the Disaster in the Desert. BAN HIM. Also, Todd Boeckman was Todd Boeckman in the spring game, tossing 2 ugly picks.
#2) Georgia: The Dawgs are back and made a strong case for the SEC last year. But when you have 21-point losses to Tennessee and don’t even play LSU, it puts a damper on things. Richt has assembled a ton of talent ranging from Matt Stafford to Knowshon Moreno to the defense that hated on Colt Brennan and Hawaii (we know Ohio State probably would have set back in the deep zone and allowed Brennan to pass 60 times, you go win those awards, Heacock). By the number of returning players and success in the second half of the season, Georgia makes sense to have at the top of the SEC and the country. They beat Florida handily last year, and that’s why they are up on them this year too.
Biggest issue at #2: Is there more talent than production? Florida couldn’t stop Moreno last year, but they couldn’t stop Mike Hart either. Stafford is the NFL QB of the future, yet he has never completed close to 60% of his passes and has roughly a 1.13:1 TD:INT ratio. Kyle Boller, Jr. anyone? "Playing as well as anyone at the end of the season" doesn’t count close wins over Vandy and other SEC bottom feeders.
#3) USC: The #3 spot also known as the recruiting crown spot. USC basically has nothing that resembles the team from last season, but they should, supposedly, have the talent to reload. Ohio State and USC reload on offense and defense. Out goes 5-star John David Booty, in comes 5-star Mark Sanchez. They have more 5-star recruits on their team than even Notre Dame (insert ND joke here). It’s basically the same team with different names. Big name drop back passer, quick RB that could be a WR, a bruising RB, a tall WR, and a shorter fast WR. Then again, it’s hard to argue with success.
Biggest issue at #3: Aside from the public love for USC, they beat no one of consequence the entire season (besides Illinois and maybe Arizona State) and were arguably better on both sides of the ball than this year. They lost to Oregon and Stanford in low scoring duels (<28 points).
#4) Florida: The Florida offense is going to be really good. Defense? Offense is the best defense for Florida. Tebow, Harvin, and couple running backs, and a stable full of tiny, fast receivers make up the offense. It’s possible that Urban Meyer’s conditioning program makes you shrink and get really fast, as evidenced by the 5’9" in shoes blazing past you. The offense is scary (we know) and Meyer scares Buckeyes more than Rich Rodriguez ever will. The big difference: Tebow is a mobile pocket passer that can actually throw the ball really well. He’s not Pat White, the good and the bad. Tebow can throw, but he’s also not going to have 100 yards rushing unless he gets 30 carries in a game. They are good. The same does not apply to the defense, as they are so fast they can’t even find the guy with the football. I think Michigan’s tight end just had another 60-yard screen. SEC SPEED! Florida actually plans on putting a running back on the field this year, and will be a combo of 13 different guys, I think including Percy Harvin and even Meyer himself.
Biggest issue at #4: You don’t have a defense, you go 9-4. A four-loss season makes Meyer look less invincible, but you would have to assume that the defense is better. I mean, Michigan lit them up. Michigan should have had 63 points and should have won by 3 TDs. Chris Rainey is a tiny little dude at RB that will probably overshadow Emmanuel Moody, the savior from USC, and Meyer will go to Rainey in critical situations instead of Moody. Meyer likes offensive flash, and Moody may be a little too steady and consistent for his liking, as Rainey got praised in the spring game and Moody got criticized, when Moody was the leading rusher. ("You won’t play ball here at Florida if you put the ball on the ground", quipped Urban to Moody).
#5) Oklahoma: Big Game Bob and Jim Tressel should hang out, maybe strategize. Right now, Oklahoma looks like the powerhouse it was at the beginning of last season. But if Oklahoma wants to go for a title try (they lost 2 in 2 years back in the early 2000s, sounds familiar), they are going to have to stop losing games to Colorado and Texas Tech. Sam Bradford looked more poised and confident as a RS Freshman than Todd Boeckman did as a GS/RS Junior, but then again they don’t have Chris Wells at RB. Oklahoma mopped up a Missouri team that was on its way to a national championship game then managed to get blow out against West Virginia. The offensive line is massive, which is good until you face a defense with a line that is as fast as it is strong. Teams like Oklahoma (and Ohio State) need the other teams to be scared of them to be successful, and Boise State and WVU have proven that maybe they don’t have to be. It’s great when the little guys start building momentum, but not when it’s at your expense.
Biggest issue at #5: Boomer Sooner needs Little Game Bob as much as Big Game Bob, as they can’t hang 60 and 70 on their first few opponents then lose on the road to a middling but promising Colorado team. Great you beat Miami, USC beat a Nebraska team that was just as bad as Miami. Demarco Murray looks like a superstar back ala Adrian Petersen, but can he do it alone? Or be consistent? Stoops is to Oklahoma (the state) what Jim Tressel is to Ohio, but another BCS loss won’t look good (same to Tressel). They didn’t do any favors for the Big 12 or themselves by getting blown out by West Virginia.
#6) West Virginia: OMG West Virginia is behind Oklahoma, a team they railed in the BCS game last year. Yes, well you don’t have the same coaching staff or head coach. Sure you choked away a national championship game against lowly Pitt, but hey…no, wait, that’s bad. Pat White and Noel Devine are worth the price of admission, but the other big names are gone. They can put up silly stats and Devine himself can average over 20 yards per carry, but how about when they need to? Its fun to have 400 rushing yards against Connecticut, but then score 7 points against Pitt? Pat White has been quoted as saying its nice to have some constructive criticism when he makes a mistake now, rather than just getting yelled and cursed at by the old (now at Michigan) staff. Then again, you have to wonder if that negative motivation didn’t help White jump from a 2-3 star WR recruit to a dual threat superstar.
Biggest issue at #6: DickRod didn’t even leave any coaches around, well, besides Bill Stewart, the new head coach. That’s not high praise, but then again maybe that’s a good thing. Rumor has it that Pat White will be become a throwing threat as well, or so the magazines have published for the past 2 years. Scout has him ranked as a Top 15 NFL prospect at his position…wide receiver. Rumor has it that Bill Stewart will also have White airing the ball out a little more, which will either build or kill the Pat White image.
#7) Wisconsin: If all goes well, Wisky will actually have healthy receivers and healthy running backs this year. Travis Beckum should be in the NFL and is their best option on offense. Just to note, Wisconsin was up on Ohio State last season at halftime AT Ohio Stadium (though it was somewhat manufactured by Jim Tressel, holding Beanie to 4 first half carries since PJ Hill was out. Wisconsin managed to show they might be just as close on talent and have maybe more desire). Tyler Donovan, aka the Human Punching Bag, is gone and so is his toughness. Seriously, I thought the kid broke his neck against Tennessee in the bowl game, jumped back up, and kept fighting. Are you taking pointers, Todd? They’ve also proved smart enough and tough enough to beat or contend with the second place SEC teams, unlike Ohio State.
Biggest issue at #7: The schedule and getting over the hump. If you thought Ohio State’s schedule was bad last year (so was Wisconsin’s), the Badgers are actually taking a cruise in the Caribbean rather than playing anyone out of conference. Also, when was Wisconsin’s last BCS game? Sure they have one of the best records in the Big Ten, but somehow its Michigan and Illinois going to BCS games and the Badgers slugging it out with Tennessee and Arkansas in the 3rd place Big Ten vs 2nd place SEC bowl.
#8) Clemson: Insert ACC team here. Clemson, I like you. I really do. You’ve got a good defense and a Cullen Harper, James Davis, and CJ Spiller on offense. That’s a pretty good equation. So why squander your chances every season? Is it Tommy Bowden? You forced a nearly unwatchable ACC Championship Game between Virginia Tech and Boston College. If you think the Big Ten is bad, try watching an ACC game for an hour. Harper was a promising QB who is on many people’s Heisman short lists (not mine).
Biggest issue at #8: How does Clemson always have 3 losses by year’s end? I’m always excited to hear James Davis and CJ Spiller averaging 8 yards per carry one game, but then the next game they get about 2.5 ypc. Consistency my friends. The ACC is bad and you can’t win it. This should be the year, but it probably won’t be.
#9) Texas: Texas has won 10 games per year for the longest streak in college football. They beat a good, if not overrated Arizona State team in their bowl game. Mack Brown would like to get Vince Young back on the squad, but it won’t happen. I hear Perrilloux is available. What’s with Texas dropping random, end of the season games to Texas Tech and Texas A&M? Who’s next, SMU? There isn’t a whole lot wrong with Texas, but there isn’t a whole lot right. McCoy is poised to return to his freshman days, where he looked like the next great Longhorns QB (I thought they only had running backs).
Biggest issue at #9: Colt McCoy would like some protection and to be healthy a whole season. The dude rocked his freshman season and was a better scrambler than passer his second season. Limas Sweed and Jamaal Charles are no longer around, taking their chances in the NFL. The defense treated Rudy Carpenter worse than USC did, but that’s not saying much.
#10) Auburn: This being a Top 10 list, I’m required by the NCAA to include 3 SEC teams. Alabama lost to Louisiana-Monroe last year, so they are out. LSU would have been high with Ryan Perrilloux, but he’s out and so are they. Arkansas with no Ryan Mallet and no D-Mac nor Felix Jones? Vandy? Kentucky? Steve Spurrier should hang it up after last year’s effort at SC. So it’s Auburn at 10. Quick, name me one player on Auburn’s team. Can’t do it. But they have a new offense (spread baby!) and Tommy Tuberville, who’s always better than bad but not as good as great.
Biggest issue at #10: Who are you? Tim Tebow? Moreno? Dorsey? McFadden? Please tell me who is on Auburn’s team that is a household name. While you don’t have to have a big name to win games, I know Matt Groethe and USF and they beat Auburn last year. Every team has at least one name that everyone knows. Not Auburn. Their Ray Rice or Rudy Carpenter needs to be their starting QB, and they have no idea who that is.
Rounding out the Top 25: Missouri, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, LSU, Kansas, Boise State, Washington, USF, Cincinnati, Oregon, Texas Tech, Penn State, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Wake Forest
#1) The Ohio State Buckeyes: C’mon, this is an Ohio State blog. Was I going to take off my scarlet colored glasses? On shear numbers and experience, this team would be Top 5 on any list. If it would have won any bowl game (be it the Capital One, the Alamo Bowl, or the Rose Bowl), the team would be Top 3. First round NFL draft picks at a boatload of positions including RB, WR, O Line, LB, and CB. While not as talent laden as the 2001 and 2002 Hurricanes (who could be?), the Buckeyes are poised to unload about a quarter of an entire round in the next draft. The Buckeyes hauled in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation and the support of the #1 player in the nation, Terrelle Pryor. The Big Ten has barely put up a fight outside of Illinois and Wisconsin. The biggest issue is the QB who was the leader in pass efficiency for the Big Ten. Oh, and they don’t know who their fullback is. It’s hard to reload when you lose only 2-3 starters. Lawrence Wilson was projected last year as the best defensive end on the team, only to break his leg in the first game and his counterpart then goes 6th to Jets in the draft. Yikes.
Biggest issue at #1: Well they can’t beat a SEC team and the defense looks lost in critical situations. A road trip to USC really could ruin the season, since USC has only lost once to an OOC opponent at home in the last 6 years. Ohio State also gets to take the trip up to Madison, which should be scary for any Ohio State fan. Somehow, the Badgers are the only (regular season) team to have a winning record against Jim Tressel, but that was mainly Barry Alvarez. My advice would be to file a restraining order against Alvarez, since he was present in the 2001 win over Ohio State, the 2003 win, the 2004 win, and was a commentator during the Disaster in the Desert. BAN HIM. Also, Todd Boeckman was Todd Boeckman in the spring game, tossing 2 ugly picks.
#2) Georgia: The Dawgs are back and made a strong case for the SEC last year. But when you have 21-point losses to Tennessee and don’t even play LSU, it puts a damper on things. Richt has assembled a ton of talent ranging from Matt Stafford to Knowshon Moreno to the defense that hated on Colt Brennan and Hawaii (we know Ohio State probably would have set back in the deep zone and allowed Brennan to pass 60 times, you go win those awards, Heacock). By the number of returning players and success in the second half of the season, Georgia makes sense to have at the top of the SEC and the country. They beat Florida handily last year, and that’s why they are up on them this year too.
Biggest issue at #2: Is there more talent than production? Florida couldn’t stop Moreno last year, but they couldn’t stop Mike Hart either. Stafford is the NFL QB of the future, yet he has never completed close to 60% of his passes and has roughly a 1.13:1 TD:INT ratio. Kyle Boller, Jr. anyone? "Playing as well as anyone at the end of the season" doesn’t count close wins over Vandy and other SEC bottom feeders.
#3) USC: The #3 spot also known as the recruiting crown spot. USC basically has nothing that resembles the team from last season, but they should, supposedly, have the talent to reload. Ohio State and USC reload on offense and defense. Out goes 5-star John David Booty, in comes 5-star Mark Sanchez. They have more 5-star recruits on their team than even Notre Dame (insert ND joke here). It’s basically the same team with different names. Big name drop back passer, quick RB that could be a WR, a bruising RB, a tall WR, and a shorter fast WR. Then again, it’s hard to argue with success.
Biggest issue at #3: Aside from the public love for USC, they beat no one of consequence the entire season (besides Illinois and maybe Arizona State) and were arguably better on both sides of the ball than this year. They lost to Oregon and Stanford in low scoring duels (<28 points).
#4) Florida: The Florida offense is going to be really good. Defense? Offense is the best defense for Florida. Tebow, Harvin, and couple running backs, and a stable full of tiny, fast receivers make up the offense. It’s possible that Urban Meyer’s conditioning program makes you shrink and get really fast, as evidenced by the 5’9" in shoes blazing past you. The offense is scary (we know) and Meyer scares Buckeyes more than Rich Rodriguez ever will. The big difference: Tebow is a mobile pocket passer that can actually throw the ball really well. He’s not Pat White, the good and the bad. Tebow can throw, but he’s also not going to have 100 yards rushing unless he gets 30 carries in a game. They are good. The same does not apply to the defense, as they are so fast they can’t even find the guy with the football. I think Michigan’s tight end just had another 60-yard screen. SEC SPEED! Florida actually plans on putting a running back on the field this year, and will be a combo of 13 different guys, I think including Percy Harvin and even Meyer himself.
Biggest issue at #4: You don’t have a defense, you go 9-4. A four-loss season makes Meyer look less invincible, but you would have to assume that the defense is better. I mean, Michigan lit them up. Michigan should have had 63 points and should have won by 3 TDs. Chris Rainey is a tiny little dude at RB that will probably overshadow Emmanuel Moody, the savior from USC, and Meyer will go to Rainey in critical situations instead of Moody. Meyer likes offensive flash, and Moody may be a little too steady and consistent for his liking, as Rainey got praised in the spring game and Moody got criticized, when Moody was the leading rusher. ("You won’t play ball here at Florida if you put the ball on the ground", quipped Urban to Moody).
#5) Oklahoma: Big Game Bob and Jim Tressel should hang out, maybe strategize. Right now, Oklahoma looks like the powerhouse it was at the beginning of last season. But if Oklahoma wants to go for a title try (they lost 2 in 2 years back in the early 2000s, sounds familiar), they are going to have to stop losing games to Colorado and Texas Tech. Sam Bradford looked more poised and confident as a RS Freshman than Todd Boeckman did as a GS/RS Junior, but then again they don’t have Chris Wells at RB. Oklahoma mopped up a Missouri team that was on its way to a national championship game then managed to get blow out against West Virginia. The offensive line is massive, which is good until you face a defense with a line that is as fast as it is strong. Teams like Oklahoma (and Ohio State) need the other teams to be scared of them to be successful, and Boise State and WVU have proven that maybe they don’t have to be. It’s great when the little guys start building momentum, but not when it’s at your expense.
Biggest issue at #5: Boomer Sooner needs Little Game Bob as much as Big Game Bob, as they can’t hang 60 and 70 on their first few opponents then lose on the road to a middling but promising Colorado team. Great you beat Miami, USC beat a Nebraska team that was just as bad as Miami. Demarco Murray looks like a superstar back ala Adrian Petersen, but can he do it alone? Or be consistent? Stoops is to Oklahoma (the state) what Jim Tressel is to Ohio, but another BCS loss won’t look good (same to Tressel). They didn’t do any favors for the Big 12 or themselves by getting blown out by West Virginia.
#6) West Virginia: OMG West Virginia is behind Oklahoma, a team they railed in the BCS game last year. Yes, well you don’t have the same coaching staff or head coach. Sure you choked away a national championship game against lowly Pitt, but hey…no, wait, that’s bad. Pat White and Noel Devine are worth the price of admission, but the other big names are gone. They can put up silly stats and Devine himself can average over 20 yards per carry, but how about when they need to? Its fun to have 400 rushing yards against Connecticut, but then score 7 points against Pitt? Pat White has been quoted as saying its nice to have some constructive criticism when he makes a mistake now, rather than just getting yelled and cursed at by the old (now at Michigan) staff. Then again, you have to wonder if that negative motivation didn’t help White jump from a 2-3 star WR recruit to a dual threat superstar.
Biggest issue at #6: DickRod didn’t even leave any coaches around, well, besides Bill Stewart, the new head coach. That’s not high praise, but then again maybe that’s a good thing. Rumor has it that Pat White will be become a throwing threat as well, or so the magazines have published for the past 2 years. Scout has him ranked as a Top 15 NFL prospect at his position…wide receiver. Rumor has it that Bill Stewart will also have White airing the ball out a little more, which will either build or kill the Pat White image.
#7) Wisconsin: If all goes well, Wisky will actually have healthy receivers and healthy running backs this year. Travis Beckum should be in the NFL and is their best option on offense. Just to note, Wisconsin was up on Ohio State last season at halftime AT Ohio Stadium (though it was somewhat manufactured by Jim Tressel, holding Beanie to 4 first half carries since PJ Hill was out. Wisconsin managed to show they might be just as close on talent and have maybe more desire). Tyler Donovan, aka the Human Punching Bag, is gone and so is his toughness. Seriously, I thought the kid broke his neck against Tennessee in the bowl game, jumped back up, and kept fighting. Are you taking pointers, Todd? They’ve also proved smart enough and tough enough to beat or contend with the second place SEC teams, unlike Ohio State.
Biggest issue at #7: The schedule and getting over the hump. If you thought Ohio State’s schedule was bad last year (so was Wisconsin’s), the Badgers are actually taking a cruise in the Caribbean rather than playing anyone out of conference. Also, when was Wisconsin’s last BCS game? Sure they have one of the best records in the Big Ten, but somehow its Michigan and Illinois going to BCS games and the Badgers slugging it out with Tennessee and Arkansas in the 3rd place Big Ten vs 2nd place SEC bowl.
#8) Clemson: Insert ACC team here. Clemson, I like you. I really do. You’ve got a good defense and a Cullen Harper, James Davis, and CJ Spiller on offense. That’s a pretty good equation. So why squander your chances every season? Is it Tommy Bowden? You forced a nearly unwatchable ACC Championship Game between Virginia Tech and Boston College. If you think the Big Ten is bad, try watching an ACC game for an hour. Harper was a promising QB who is on many people’s Heisman short lists (not mine).
Biggest issue at #8: How does Clemson always have 3 losses by year’s end? I’m always excited to hear James Davis and CJ Spiller averaging 8 yards per carry one game, but then the next game they get about 2.5 ypc. Consistency my friends. The ACC is bad and you can’t win it. This should be the year, but it probably won’t be.
#9) Texas: Texas has won 10 games per year for the longest streak in college football. They beat a good, if not overrated Arizona State team in their bowl game. Mack Brown would like to get Vince Young back on the squad, but it won’t happen. I hear Perrilloux is available. What’s with Texas dropping random, end of the season games to Texas Tech and Texas A&M? Who’s next, SMU? There isn’t a whole lot wrong with Texas, but there isn’t a whole lot right. McCoy is poised to return to his freshman days, where he looked like the next great Longhorns QB (I thought they only had running backs).
Biggest issue at #9: Colt McCoy would like some protection and to be healthy a whole season. The dude rocked his freshman season and was a better scrambler than passer his second season. Limas Sweed and Jamaal Charles are no longer around, taking their chances in the NFL. The defense treated Rudy Carpenter worse than USC did, but that’s not saying much.
#10) Auburn: This being a Top 10 list, I’m required by the NCAA to include 3 SEC teams. Alabama lost to Louisiana-Monroe last year, so they are out. LSU would have been high with Ryan Perrilloux, but he’s out and so are they. Arkansas with no Ryan Mallet and no D-Mac nor Felix Jones? Vandy? Kentucky? Steve Spurrier should hang it up after last year’s effort at SC. So it’s Auburn at 10. Quick, name me one player on Auburn’s team. Can’t do it. But they have a new offense (spread baby!) and Tommy Tuberville, who’s always better than bad but not as good as great.
Biggest issue at #10: Who are you? Tim Tebow? Moreno? Dorsey? McFadden? Please tell me who is on Auburn’s team that is a household name. While you don’t have to have a big name to win games, I know Matt Groethe and USF and they beat Auburn last year. Every team has at least one name that everyone knows. Not Auburn. Their Ray Rice or Rudy Carpenter needs to be their starting QB, and they have no idea who that is.
Rounding out the Top 25: Missouri, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, LSU, Kansas, Boise State, Washington, USF, Cincinnati, Oregon, Texas Tech, Penn State, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Wake Forest
