My Pre Season Top 25

So in the spirit of the AP Poll coming out today, here is my own Top 25 for the preseason.  Since the Stones supplied the Big Ten expansion coverage here I decided that we should mix it up when it comes to the Top 25.  For now, I will use Chicago but if you feel like it should be something else then just leave a comment and it will be considered.




1. Ohio State: The buckeyes are not a perfect team but they don’t necessarily have to be this season. The defense should be stout and the offense looks almost as good as the 2006 version. I don’t buy the Terrell Pryor/Vince Young comparisons but he should be serviceable enough to make the offense more of a threat. The Buckeyes have the most returning talent and should be the odds on National Title favorite.


2. Florida: The Gators lost Tim Tebow but I like what John Brantley brings to this offense. They likely won’t go unbeaten this year and do have to play the Tide in Alabama but I think if they are offered a rematch in the SEC Championship game they should win. This defense is starting from a much stronger position than Alabama’s and the offense should be hungry enough this year to make a Title run.

3. Boise State: The Broncos will be undefeated after week one but I honestly think Oregon State will be a tougher opponent than Virginia Tech. Too bad the Beavers have to travel to the Smurf Turf because I think they would likely beat the Broncos in Corvallis. The Broncos run the table and manage to secure the school’s first Rose Bowl bid.

4. Oregon: Losing Masoli was tough but the Ducks are still the prohibitive favorites for a Rose Bowl berth. Oregon has all the playmakers on offense to be dynamic again this year and there is reasonable hope that the defense could be good enough to allow this team to run the table. Tough tests at USC and at Oregon State will make or break this year for the Ducks.

5. Oklahoma: Since Phil Steele picked the Sooners to win the National Title everyone has gotten more interest in Oklahoma. I won’t go so far as to say they are the best team in the nation, but they are easily the best team in the Big XII. Landry Jones returns and you have to like his odds of having a big season with the receiving corps having much more experience working with him after a bunch of guys came in early last season. The running game should be fantastic and the defense, despite some turnover, should be good enough to take care of the rest of the conference.

6. Iowa: This will be viewed by many as a homer pick, and maybe it is, but I just don’t see the Hawkeyes losing that many games. The offensive line should be serviceable enough to let the plethora of offensive weapons make plays and if Ricky Stanzi improves this is easily the best receiver quarterback group in the Big Ten. The defense figures to be stout again and if they can come really close to matching last year’s production I can see the Hawks back in the BCS picture.

7. Alabama: Too low? If anything I think this pick is too high. Sure the offense brings back a lot of good playmakers but the defense is going to take a massive hit. Alabama is not a spread team, they like to grind the ball and control the clock, which anybody who understands the sport knows is pretty damn hard to do when your defense is making mistakes because they are tired or they are inexperienced. The Tide will have a harder time subbing guys in and out and keeping them fresh like they did last year and when you lose that many guys off the two deep (especially in the secondary) you are in trouble.

8. Texas Christian: The Frogs will not go undefeated in 2010, but that does not make them a bad team. TCU losses some big pieces but returns enough to easily dominate the Mountain West (though Utah should be good enough to at least slow them down). TCU is a victim of their conference more than anything else. They don’t have the kind of experience necessary to match last year’s consistency and I think it will cost them but I also think the Horned Frogs will be better than a couple teams who inevitably will make it to BCS games instead of them. It isn’t fair, but neither is allowing one team to play a significantly easier schedule so I am not going to worry too much about where TCU spends its’ bowl season.

9. Nebraska: The Huskers will be worse than their record this year. In my radio show I picked the Huskers to win the Big XII but the more times I watch them last from last season the more I regret that pick. That offense was historically bad and I just don’t see them becoming night and day better with the personnel they have. That said the schedule is tame enough for even a marginally improved Nebraska offense to have no trouble. The defense will take a step back but should still be better than anyone else in their division by miles. Nebraska has a lot of potential this season but they are only going to go as far as their offense allows them.

10. Texas: The Horns are going to be one of the most interesting team in college football this season. This is a team that could barely run the last two seasons but now is planning on running primarily. It sounds like a bad idea but this is Texas and I think they have talent to pull it off, at least enough to remain competent. The defense takes a hit but there are enough athletes there for them to reload. This is certainly a rebuilding year but the Big XII is down as a whole so third place in the conference should be an easy enough goal for Texas.

11. Wisconsin: The Badgers were good, not great, last season. I am not sure why everyone seems to think they will turn a massive corner considering the losses on the defensive front but oh well. The Badgers will be good again this season, and they are more likely than any other team to beat Ohio State, but I just don’t see them getting past Iowa and Wisconsin usually struggles on the road against the Michigan teams which they face, you guessed it, on the road this year. Wisconsin could easily be one of the best three or four loss teams in the country or a so-so two or one loss team. I think two losses is most likely.

12. Southern California: I know the Trojans won’t go bowling but they still matter this season since they could really screw up the Pac 10 contenders. I see the Trojans taking out Oregon when they meet in Los Angeles and they could potentially win the conference if they avoid losing to Oregon State and Arizona. I really like Monte Kiffin as the defensive coordinator here and with him at the helm I just don’t see this team being as bad as last season. Lane Kiffin will work wonders with Matt Barkley and the Trojans should be back to 9-10 wins this season.

13. Notre Dame: That is not a misprint. The Fighting Irish return gobs of experience on defense and have the offensive minds in place to make this a quick strike team from the get go. There is too much momentum and talent on this team for them not to win at least 8 games. It might be unreasonable for Notre Dame to reach the 10 win plateau though so they are not quite a BCS team yet, but they will be a lot better nonetheless.

14. Georgia Tech: The ACC champs will get another shot at the Orange Bowl this year. Losing WR Thomas and RB Dwyer will sting but there is enough talent waiting in the wings for a new look Yellow Jacket squad to take some of their Coastal division brethren by surprise. Despite being the defending ACC champs this team is picked as low as fourth in their own division because of the perceived strength of the other teams. I don’t buy it. Georgia Tech is still a force to be reckoned with and I think the lack of respect fuels them to a second ACC title.

15. Oregon State: Mike Riley seems extremely excited about his new QB and that means trouble for the rest of the Pac 10. If the Beavers new QB manages to live up to the hype Oregon State is a major contender for the Rose Bowl. The schedule, including dates with Boise State and TCU, makes it pretty much impossible for OSU to go undefeated but the players are there for a run in Pac 10 play.

16. Auburn: The Tigers lost Ben Tate but I find it hard to bet against this team with Cam Newton starting at QB. The Florida transfer is ridiculously athletic and could be a huge weapon on the read option portion of Auburn’s offense. The more I see of Auburn the more I think they will have a surprisingly good season and maybe even a great one but the defense still hasn’t convinced me they are good enough to knock off the Tide quite yet.

17. Michigan State: The Spartans spent all of last season trying to find a new QB, and now with Kirk Cousins fully entrenched in the role; I think they will start to shine. This is quite possibly the best linebacking corps in the Big Ten and perhaps one of the best in the nation. If the defensive line gets just a little more push then this front seven will be something special. The secondary needs some improvement but nothing terribly drastic and the offensive line keeps enough experience to hope for a slightly better season. If the Spartans find a dynamic running game with Larry Caper or one of their other young players they could be a double digit win team.

18. Texas A&M: The Aggies return an awfully dynamic offense but the real questions are on defense. Von Miller is a stud but he hasn’t the support from the rest of the defense to make this team special. I call for them to improve enough to upset either Texas or Oklahoma and to finish third in the Big XII South.

19. North Carolina: Perhaps one of the most overrated teams this preseason has to be the Tar Heels. The defense is loaded with NFL talent but they still gave up gobs of yards to Dion Lewis and Pitt in the Meineke Ca Care Bowl last season and looked pretty average up front. This team has the measurables on defense but I just don’t see the discipline for them to be a top ten unit. On offense, this team is almost as bad as Nebraska but without the benefit of the potential Nebraska has with some of its' skill players. The Tar Heels will contend in the ACC but that shouldn’t mean much.

20. Arkansas: The Hogs offense has been the line for many gushing reviews but the defense is still a pretty big question mark. Arkansas has to shore up the defense to contend but I think that is too tall of an order to expect a big run. The offensive line was so-so last season as well and if they plan on keeping Ryan Mallet healthy that is another big issue that needs to be fixed.

21. Pittsburgh: The Big East just doesn’t look so great this season. I am reluctantly picking the Panthers because of stud running back Dion Lewis who, as a true freshman last season, managed to place second on the single season rushing list in Pitt history. The QB situation is unsettled but the overall offense should be good enough to support an inexperienced starter and the defense is head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. While the Panthers may be cannon fodder to their extremely difficult non-conference opponents, the Big East is loaded with rebuilding teams and even some downright bad ones. Pitt has enough talent to maintain a level of solid play and should take advantage by making a BCS bowl run.

22. Missouri: Blaine Gabbert is easily the best quarterback in the Big XII North and despite a lack of defensive strength has the Tigers poised for a run as the second best team in the division. Mizzou has a good receiving corps and should be solid enough up front on both sides of the ball to control the line of scrimmage against most of their Big XII opponents. They aren’t quite good enough to upset Nebraska but they should certainly be solid enough to hold a firm grip on that number two spot in the North.

23. Arizona: The Wildcats are a rebuilding defense behind the top three in the Pac 10 but the offense gives them the potential to have a very solid season. The defense losses a slew of starters from the front seven so they will likely be susceptible to the occasional upset from teams like Cal or Stanford but if this team comes out firing on all cylinders they could potentially play at a level capable of knocking off USC, Iowa, or one of the Oregon schools. 10-2 may be a bit of a stretch, but a solid 8 or 9 win season with one or two wins over the higher ranked schools would be huge for the Wildcats.

24. LSU: The Tigers may not be SEC title contenders but they have more than enough firepower to kill the hopes of teams like Auburn and Alabama. The fans in Baton Rouge probably won’t like the idea of only playing spoiler but with the new faces on defense and big steps needed on the offense this is a team that is certain to lose at least a couple games in the SEC. Couple in a first game visit from North Carolina and an 8-9 win season will probably be the ceiling for LSU.

25. West Virginia: I am not too sure on this 25 position since there are a lot of teams (Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Utah, Penn State, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas Tech, and Cal to name a few) who could easily take this spot. I am going with the Mountaineers because of the Big East schedule and the fact that they may be one of the only teams capable of upsetting Pittsburgh in the Big East. Noel Devine is back for what seems like his 9th year and he should be leading a solid but inexperienced offense. On the other side, the defense should be good enough to keep them in games but probably won’t do much else. The Mountaineers have the potential to win as many as 10 games this year if everything is clicking but I think they finish on the 8-9 win plateau.