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College Football

Preseason Top 25

by Trevor Freeman

Drinking beer………tossing the football around………grilling up cheeseburgers….going to places named “The Big House” and “Death Valley”…..  Can you smell it?  College football season is about to kickoff.  This year should provide the most wide open national title race in a long time as there is no one team that stands out as being dominant.  Moreso than any other year, you have to evaluate each team’s schedule in making a futures bet…….I mean evaluating the national title contenders.  After painstaking research by myself and my staff, we have dissected the teams and put together our preseason top 25 which is as follows:
1.  Auburn

The best team in the best football conference in America is our preseason #1.  Auburn has the ability to control the clock with Kenny Irons running behind a powerful offensive line.  Brandon Cox got better by the game last year at quarterback and should contend for All-SEC honors.  Six starters return to lead a defense that is always stout.  Auburn gets LSU and Florida in Jordan-Hare.  Their toughest road game will be the Iron Bowl.

2.  Notre Dame

Charlie Weis has the best offense in college football.  The Irish attack is led by Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, and Darius Walker.  Quinn is considered by many to be the best football player not currently collecting an NFL paycheck.  Notre Dame’s schedule has some land mines though as Penn State, Michigan, UCLA and USC will all present stern tests.

3.  The Ohio State University

I have four words for you.  Don’t Mess With Maurice.  Four guns, a bulletproof vest and a hatchet………..there’s rock bottom…..and then there’s the place Maurice Clarett is currently residing.  I personally think he’s bipolar.  Nine defensive starters are gone from last year’s team and I don’t see the Buckeyes running the table because of that.  They lose to Iowa on September 30th.

4.  West Virginia

Them playing in the Big East is like Dr. Will playing the rest of the “Big Brother All-Stars”.  It’s just not fair.  Put money on them to win the national title, because at the very least you can rest secure knowing that they’re a lock to be playing in the national title game.

5.  Texas

Replacing Vince Young at quarterback with Colt McCoy is like replacing Vinny Chase in “Aquaman 2” with Jake Gyllenhaal.  It just can’t be done.  Texas remains in the top ten, but they do not repeat as national champions.

6.  LSU

The only thing that will prevent LSU from winning a national championship is their schedule.  Whoever put this together did them no favors as they are at Auburn, at Florida, and at Tennessee.  Toss in tough home games against Arizona, Fresno State, and Alabama and you have the most rigorous slate in the country.  This team could play great football and still go 10-2 in the regular season.

7.  Iowa

The Hawkeyes are my national title sleeper.  Somehow the Hawkeyes avoided having to play Penn State this year plus they get The Ohio State University in Iowa City.  Their only tough road game is at Michigan.  If you were going to rank teams by their chances of running the table, Iowa would be in the top three.  Drew Tate returns to lead a capable offense and the Hawkeye defense is as stout as they come.  

8.  Penn State

Would there be anything funnier than seeing Joe Paterno hoist the national title trophy and then hearing him say in his best “Eric Cartman” voice, “to those of you who thought I was too old……….how would you like to s*ck my balls”.  Penn State’s two toughest games are among their first four of this season as they play at Notre Dame and at Ohio State.  If the Nittany Lions win those they run the table.  That being said, I can’t see them getting the sweep.

9.  California

If the Golden Bears win their season opener at Tennessee they will be 10-0 heading into their game against USC and Marshawn Lynch will be a heavy contender for the Heisman.  The key to the Golden Bear season will be finding a quarterback who can both lead the team and stay out of barfights.

10.  USC

You don’t lose Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush and then compete the following year for the national championship.  You just don’t.  It’s the equivalent of airing “Saved by the Bell The College Years” without “Jesse Spano” and “Lisa Turtle”…….and we all know how that worked out.

(Speaking of Elizabeth Berkley aka “Jesse Spano”, I was watching “Showgirls” again the other night.  I rank the lap dance scene with Kyle MacLachlan at #7 on my list of “moments in which an actor is having more fun than should really be allowed.”)  

11.  TCU

The Horned Frogs will truly be a national title contender when they sell their souls and admit Rhett Bomar into school.  Until then they stand the best chance of being a BCS spoiler.  If they beat Utah on October 5th, they will run the table.

12.  Florida

Chris Leak reminds me of the girl who looked really good the first half of freshman year and then slowly added on 17 pounds over the next two and a half years.  The key to Florida’s season will be if Leak can rebound and finally be the player everybody thought he could be.  Even if he does breakout, the Florida Gators will not run the table.  They have games at Tennessee, at Auburn, in Jacksonville against Georgia, and at Florida State.

13.  Miami

Miami possesses the best defense in all of college football.  Will it overcome the loss of four starters on the offensive line plus the poor man’s Lloyd Carr in Larry Coker?  I don’t think so.  

14.  Georgia

Trotting out Joe Tereshinski at quarterback and having him lead this Georgia Bulldogs cast is like having Rosie O’Donnell host the “Lingerie Bowl”.  It just doesn’t make sense.  Unfortunately, Mark Richt won’t make the switch to either Joe Cox or Matthew Stafford until mid-season when it will already be too late.

15.  Florida State

“Free Shoes University” catches a huge break with Miami’s Ryan Moore and Tyrone Moss being suspended for the season opening clash.  Florida State also avoids Virginia Tech this season.  This means if the Seminoles play to expectations they should be in the national title hunt.  That being said, the “Criminoles” have been blowing games to lesser teams in recent years and I fully expect them to do that again this season.    

16.  Oregon

Rhett Bomar being suspended made Oregon’s schedule a little lighter.  However there are two other early season road land mines which will be extremely tough.  The Ducks are at Fresno State on September 2nd and at California on October 7th.  They are also at USC late in the season which means they have no shot at the Pac-10 title.  This is another team that could play great football and still lose two games.

17.  Michigan

A little rule of thumb when evaluating Michigan.  Lloyd Carr will be outcoached in any big game.  That means you have to rely on Michigan having superior talent.  This Wolverine team does not have that and will not be a factor in the Big 10 or national title race.

18.  Louisville

Brian Brohm might be the second best quarterback in the country and Michael Bush will play running back in the NFL.  The Cardinals can put points on the board with anybody in the country; however they play as much defense as Paris Hilton after three Cosmopolitans.

19.  Fresno State

Their season comes down to two games.  They play at LSU on October 21st and at Boise State on November 1st.  Win those two games and they can start to dream in Fresno.  

20.  Virginia Tech  

Getting rid of Marcus Vick is addition by subtraction.  Losing Jimmy Williams and Darryl Tapp isn’t.  The Hokies take a step back and rebuild.

21.  Clemson

If they had Charlie Whitehurst coming back they would be a top five team.  Quarterback concerns are the only thing holding Clemson back right now.

22.  Texas Tech

If Texas Tech doesn’t win the Big 12 South this year, they may never win it.  The Red Raiders are a better team than the Bomar-less Sooners.  Texas Tech also gets Texas in Lubbock on October 28th.  

23.  UCLA

The Bruins should start off strong; however the middle of their schedule is ugly.  The Bruins are at Oregon on October 14th, at Notre Dame on October 21st, and at California on November 4th.  If they win two out of three, it will be a rousing success.  However it is much more likely that UCLA wins only one of these three games.

24.  Alabama

The key to this team is Tyrone Prothro.  If he is at full speed then the Alabama offense should be formidable.  Their schedule is extremely rough as they play at Florida, at Tennessee, and at LSU.  

25.  South Carolina

Spurrier is returning his starting quarterback and wide receivers.  That means at the very least the Gamecocks will be fun to watch, even if they have no chance at winning the SEC title.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

15 replies on “Preseason Top 25”

finally while i dont agree with ND at #2… penn state at number 8 is better then most predictions.

Penn State The key for them will be to not lose to both Notre Dame and Ohio State early in the season, because I like the way the rest of their schedule shakes out.  A one loss team could find their way into the national title hunt and if Penn State only loses one early they may be in good position in the polls.

no way Auburn will run the table. They have no momentum after their crushing bowl loss against Wisconsin and have one of the toughest schedules in all of college football. You underranked Florida because of their schedule, and Auburn’s is just as tough if not tougher.

Florida Their schedule is nowhere near as tough as Florida.  Auburn plays LSU, Florida, and Georgia at home.  Their toughest road game is at Alabama in the Iron Bowl.  Their nonconference slate is a manageable Washington State, Arkansas State, and Buffalo.  

On the other hand, Florida is at Tennessee, at Auburn and at Florida State.  They play Georgia in Jacksonville which is considered a neutral site.  While they get LSU in the Swamp, it’s still LSU whom I think is a better all-around team as well.  

Bottom line, there’s no comparison in schedules.  Florida has one of the most rigorous ones in the entire country.

The Chris Leak comment was hilariuos. I don’t know what to think of Penn St. I’ve seen them ranked as low as 40 in a magazine, 19 in the coaches poll and top 10 in the Trevor poll. Morelli is the key, and seeing him play as a HS senior, he didn’t impress me that much. Then again, he was in a run-oriented offense. Auburn is tough, but the SEC always has the toughest conf. schedule (even though they ran it in ’04).  I think there will be at least one if not two one-loss teams in the champ. game this January. Eff the BCS.

Leak Thank you.

I’m not sure why people don’t have them as a top ten team.  I think Penn State’s defense is one of the best in the country.  As long as Morelli can be a collegiate version of Trent Dilfer, Penn State should be fine.  

I think a lot of Penn State’s lower ranking in some polls stems from the fact that they play Notre Dame and The Ohio State University early in the year.  There’s a chance they could drop both of those games and completely out of everyone’s rankings.  

as a bred gator My take on Leak is as follows:

He’s mentally retarded. He should play a different position. He is too stupid to be a quarterback. He has no common sense. He never looked good. He just beat up on Vandi and SE Missouri A&T Institute of the Arts back in freshman year. He’s horrible. He’s a joke. He’s stupid.

There, moving on….

you know that is exactly how i felt about mrob (robinson) last year before he went on to be the co-big ten POY. but it was wierd cause even early he still fumbled the ball too much and threw too many interceptions, yet he was able to put it all aside and have a tremendous senior campaign, all his negatives aside.

here you go There’s stupid and then there is mentally retarded.

Now, granted, Leak was a freshman, BUT

A. He snapped the ball with 2 seconds to go in the game
B. His team needed to go 50 yards
C. They were playing Florida State and down by one score

Ok, now, regardless of whether you are a freshman or in junior high, you should know better than to

A. Take off and run all the way down field
B. Not even look to pitch when the defense comes in to tackle
C. Slide to end the game

He cost Florida any hope of winning because of his mental retardation. I hate Chris Leak. I wish him dead. He is mentally retarded. He’s cost Florida more games than he could ever win.

O Who? As I glance through the TOP 25, I begin to wonder: Where are the Oklahoma Sooners? I know that losing Rhett Bomar will hurt the Crimson and Cream this year, but does losing a quarterback that threw 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year mean that OU drops from a possible TOP 5 ranking to out of the TOP 25? Does having a healthy Adrian Peterson mean that little? Miami might (and I stress might) have the best defense in the country, but OU does has the best D in the BIG XII.  Even at 9-3 this year, OU would be a TOP 25 team. That is giving Oregon, Texas, and A&M wins against the Sooners (none of those games are locks for the opponents). Teams like Texas Tech, Fresno State, and South Carolina are not better than OU now and will not be better than them on January 1. Maybe Stoops and Co. likes having the low profile, but I see it as silliness. The Sooners will be worse off in 2007 than in 2006, because OU will not have a 5th year senior to fall back on. To exceed Bomar from last year, all Paul Thompson has to do is throw 12 touchdowns and turn the ball over less than 15 times, I believe he can and will do that. The BIG XII South title will be determined in the Cotton Bowl on October 7, and I will still take Stoops over Brown any day of the week.

J

first off The Big XII is horrible. Second, you are right, they should be ranked. Third, they’re gonna lose @Oregon. Did you not forget their non-conference schedule?

Oklahoma I thought about ranking them, but I think losing Bomar and Quinn will hurt too much.  Bomar was expected to be a big contributor to that team this year and I don’t think you can just replace your starting quarterback a month before the season. Paul Thompson the entire year was planning on being a wideout and now you area shifting him to QB a month before the season.

I think Oklahoma will lose to Texas Tech as well.  I think there is at least four losses staring them in the eye.

Leak was actually much better his sophmore season. He had two great years up front, was highly touted coming into last year, and now everyone thinks he sucks for some reason. He had to adjust to a new offense last year, and by the way Meyer called way too many short passes. Chad Jackson, our biggest deep threat, averaged like 12 yards per catch. Also he called the option when Leak can’t run. This year he’ll adjust and be a star once again.

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