preseason rankings for next season

[Spence]

I don't believe WVU is that far off. They did beat Georgia, that says something about the team. Georgia is a good football team. They won the SEC and you can't be bad and win the SEC. Injuries will hurt anyone, but you can discount a team on the basis that they might have key injuries.

It looks like Ohio State is going to have to replace 9 of 11 guys on defense. We won't be NC contenders next year, except maybe on paper. You can rebuild an offense along the way, but the D needs to be ready from the start of the season.

[Yeofoot]

I'm so glad that Ohio State and Texas have the cajones to find out for themselves and the rest of the country if they are title contenders on September 9th. My prediction is...that game will be close, both teams win out and play each other in the Fiesta bowl for the National Championship.

[Spence]

I'm so glad that Ohio State and Texas have the cajones to find out for themselves and the rest of the country if they are title contenders on September 9th.

I like the way you think. I hope you are right, but with the rebuilding we need to do on defense Ohio State is going to have to win with offense next year. That is something we are not used to doing.

[Yeofoot]

Yeah, that's something us guys at the office have been joking about...Ohio State, an OFFENSIVE powerhouse? Weird. But remember, there's guys that think they are better than those 3 linebackers that have been drooling waiting for them to graduate, so they can have their chance. OSU will be reloading.

[mountainman]

Yep, guest.

Beware the sophomore jinx !!!

Salton and White keeping everything in perspective doesn't concern me nearly as much as the Mountaineers replacing their two senior offensive tackles, Travis Garrett and Garlin Justice.

The difference in that game was the play of West Virginia's offensive line. Salton and White were good enough to take advantage of what was there, but the big guys up front were the ones that made those opportunities.

Got the center and two guards coming back, Dan Mozes, Ryan Stanchek and Jeremy Sheffey. We'll see, come this spring.

[Spence]

Yeah, that's something us guys at the office have been joking about...Ohio State, an OFFENSIVE powerhouse? Weird. But remember, there's guys that think they are better than those 3 linebackers that have been drooling waiting for them to graduate, so they can have their chance. OSU will be reloading.

Think is the key word here.

The Ohio State D won't be bad, but it won't be what we are used to. Freeman and D' Andrea (if he can stay healthy) are good backers. The D line will be pretty good on the 1st team, but the depth chart will be thin. We have some players in the back field, but they don't have much experience. Baptism under fire on Sept. 9th. We will see how they hold up.

[Yeofoot]

Did D'Andrea get a medical redshirt? I thought he was done.

[colorado_loves_football]

Sports Illustrated listed their Pre-Season Top Ten, page 44 Jan.9, 2006.
I'll relist them here for comparison purposes.
1. Texas - If Vince Young stays true to his word and returns for his senior year, the Longhorns should be back in the title game.
2. Notre Dame - Quarterback Brady Quinn and wideout Jeff Samardzija are among 17 returning starters, and several instant-impact recruits are on the way.
3. USC - The Trojans will likely be hit hard by NFL defections, but Pete Carroll isn't' afraid to go with youth at key positions.
4. LSU - Star running back Alley Broussard, sidelined in '05 with a knee injury, returns to an already loaded offense, but there are some holes to fill on defense.
5. Ohio State - QB Troy Smith should be a Heisman candidate, but the Buckeyes must replace A.J. Hawk and two other linebackers.
6. West Virginia - Freshman playmakers Pat White and Steve Slaton should build on the momentum from the Mountaineers' Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia.
7. Florida - Urban Meyer's offenses exploded in his second seasons at Bowling Green and Utah. The return of Chris leak gives the Gators a good chance to do the same.
8. Oklahoma - A healthy Adrian Peterson in the backfield and a more experienced Rhett Bomar under center should return the Sooners to prominence.
9. Michigan - The Wolverines could sneak up on people for a change. QB Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart and wideouts Steve Breaston and Mario Manningham return.
10. Cal - A young offense came to life near the end of an 8-4 season. Coach Jeff Tedford must settle on a quarterback to complement runners Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett.
Sleepers
Nebraska - A late-season charge means the Huskers could be ready to take the next step under Coach Bill Callahan.
Clemson - the Tigers won six of their last seven, and freshman tailback James Davis is among several emerging stars.
Iowa - QB Drew Tate is back, and the gems from Kirk Ferentz's last two recruiting classes will start to play key roles.
Stewart Mandel

[Spence]

Did D'Andrea get a medical redshirt? I thought he was done.

Yes he applied this year and got it.

like most of your rankings, but let me put my 2 cents in about USC's ranking. we are losing alot of talent and experience this year, and if lendale leaves, it could be even worse for the back field. USC is 5th under the best scenerio, and 10th at the worst. bamma is done in the top 10 till 07, and penn state should be # 2. with out young, texas will be 6th at the best, and will not be able to hold onto it long. as you saw from the rosebowl stats, the rest of the long horn team is very very avg. i am going to have to rank ohio st number 1 preseason. west virgina is number 3, and notre dame will be #4. cal should be 8th and auburn should be 9th. south carolina should be 10th.

Rich, Ohio State is losing 9 of 11 on defense. We have talent waiting in the wings the same as SC does, but if you guys can't recover from your losses what makes you think that we can? I think LSU, Penn St., Texas, USC, and West Virginia should round up the top 5 preseason.

I know a lot of people say Ohio State should be one or two, but I don't see us being good enough, at least early, to be a preseeason one or two.

[Yeofoot]

Wow, you mean LenDale got stopped cold when the game was on the line by a very average team. That must mean your O-Line sucks and so do your coaches. That's a shame. Dang, and our average receivers were getting open ALL NIGHT LONG, that must mean your DB's suck and your Defensive Coordinator sucks. And we all saw how the Pac-10 did in the bowls, so that means your competition sucks. Notre Dame got beat all game long against OSU, and they almost beat you too. So that means your non-conference schedule sucks. Man, it's not looking too good for those Trojans. Maybe next year, you can play in a bowl in your hometown, so maybe you won't blow it on national television, oh wait you had that chance this year. We both had players that the entire country thinks are two of the best to every play the game, yet, our coach believed in ours and put the ball in his hands when the game was on the line. Bush was on the sideline watching the Horns devour White. If OSU beats us at home Sept 9th, you can talk trash, but you can't say a single disrespectful word about Texas without making those Troy Boy Toys look twice as bad. Hook 'Em Horns!

[Yeofoot]

atta boy Rich. (But who won) Except one problem, your team has not won 34 in a row. (But who won) They have a 1 game losing streak. Oh, so I see you watch ESPN also, no pass over 15 yards, oooh, good one. Ironic that on the last board, you told me Texas doesn't have a short passing game, and I told you David Thomas (ooh, sorry, I know that name hurts, you heard it 10 times the other day) is Texas' leading receiver. (but who won)

Yup, SC is flash in the pan, they've only won half of their championship games. (But who won) Ooh, you forgot that one stat W- Texas L- USC (But who won) Oh brilliant point about the Cotton Bowl, seeing as how, ya know, Arkansas is the exact distance away, wow, you blow my mind with that one. (But who won) I just don't know what to say. (But who won)

Yup our 4th, see unlike you, our total increased this year. (But who won)

Oh, so what you're saying is, our QB won it, when you dropped everybody back in coverage, and didn't have the coaching to know what was going to happen. (But who won)

ps: (But who won)
pps: (But who won)

[colorado_loves_football]

Here's a must-read for anyone who loves University of Texas football!
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stor ... b4d6b.html
If you have a problem accessing it, let me know I have it recorded.

[Yeofoot]

I was talking a lot of trash about how USC lost to Notre Dame because of the "Bush-Push", but I hadn't actually seen the play until the Rose Bowl, holy crap, that was the most clear cut case of CHEATING that I've seen. I think that it is ranked up there with Marcus stomping on E.D. It wasn't as disgusting as Marcus, but it soiled the game of football just as much. There is no way around it, that was poor on Bush's part, and horrible on the ref's part. It's the football equivelant of a basketball player tipping the ball in when it's rolling around in the basket after the buzzer went off. Sure, the ball might have rolled in anyway, but it's goal tending. After I saw that play, it made me sick to think that we didn't play the correct team in the National Championship. Penn State should have played us. Although, the legitimate National Championship should've been Texas VS Ohio State, at the end of the year, they were the two best teams in the country. It was a great game in Columbus, but both teams continued to get better through the year, and that would've been a great game. Getting the W against a Notre Dame team that won, now I know why they call USC the University of Spoiled Children.

[colorado_loves_football]

Yeofoot, I read your latest post, and it's partly correct, but the team from the Pac-Ten that wasn't selected by the BCS wasn't Oregon, it was Cal. It's an easy mistake, because Jeff Tedford was at Cal that year and I beleive is at Oregon now, but it wasn't Oregon!
I know this because everyone kept talking about how Cal deserved to go to the BCS based on their 'close' loss to the Trojans. It was a pretty heated debate until Cal lost to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.
Last year's Cal was this year's Oregon, easy mistake.

[Yeofoot]

Mack Brown's team was clearly underrated, by having an over-rated Oregon team ahead of them. He did what it took to get people to vote correctly. Was he supposed to sit by and let his team, which was BCS-deserving to sit out of it again? And remember, Oregon got smacked around by Texas Tech, the #3 team in the conference. HAHAHA! And meanwhile, Texas won the Rose Bowl, oh last year, I didn't want you to think I was referring to that butt kicking USC got. Man, that was a great game, it showed how crappy the Trojans were. People were talking about Reggie Bush being like Gale Sayers, now they're saying he might not get drafted. I also read that Leinart was so humiliated by his poor performance in the 2nd half, that he's starting a boy band with his buddy, Nick Lachey. The more ridiculous, you get, I'll go even more overboard. Everyone on here can tell the difference between me messing with you and making a legitimate post, why can't you? Oh, I've seen you have changed what you are arguing on the Rose Bowl, not who won, but how and why. So, I'm going to replace my (but who won), now it's (How? By scoring more points! Why? Because we had more points at the end of the game)