I'm hopeful my Buckeyes will be undefeated when I come back from OCS. And then I get to watch them destroy M@#higan for the final regular season game. That would be nice.
Buldogs MB, of which Bulldogs do you speak? Dammit... my Bulldogs (Fresno State) also unranked! I didn't expect top 25... but not 1 vote? That will change as the season progresses. * Other Bulldogs include Georgia, Mississippi St., & Yale. BzB FSU '78
These Bulldogs: Yes, it's a real school. Yes, I graduated from there. (Sadly, the asshat school president changed the name without alumni backing, so they get no money from me)
Wow, and I thought RPI sounded like a fake school. For some reason I don't think they get a lot of money from Ford. The Bulldogs I shall be rooting for is also Fresno State. We'll see what magic Pat Hill can work this year. Glad to see my Beavers made #25.
I've been waiting for College Football season for the last 7 months. Thank God its almost here. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to a game or two before I finish primary...
I can't wait until the USC v Ohio State game... hopefully the result is similar to last year FIGHT ON Trojans!
They are tested early vs Va Tech (Sept 5th). They are also only 8 points ahead of the OSU. Their true ranking will be determined early... Speaking of hard early scheduling, has anyone seen Miami (FL)'s schedule? They are in for a rough start: @FSU, Georgia Tech, @Va Tech, and Oklahoma for their first 4 games, with new defensive and offensive coordinators.
They could teach PSU's athletic director a thing or two about growing a pair. If I ate as many creampuffs as we've scheduled out-of-conference the past few seasons, I'd have atherosclerosis. Edit: And who's the knucklehead who voted for Michigan? Really?
I've stopped by and looked through the fence during some of their practices, I think that it will be a far better year for us now that we have gotten rid of Krispy Kreme Fulmer. Kiffin has put a fire into these guys. The other thing we got working for us is 3/4 of Earth is covered by water, all remaining surfaces capable of being stood upon in the Universe are covered by Eric Berry.
OK, here we go. Florida is number 1 and they should be. They won it all last year, and return their entire defense and the heart and soul of their offense in their tailback (Tebow). Florida defied the odds last year by winning the national championship with an offense designed around a power running game and the half-back pass. That kind of scheme passes for complex in the SEC, and they were able to win the conference with only one loss (to the one team in the league with a legitimate NFL caliber QB). All kidding aside, I really like Tebow. By every account, he is a fine young man and there is no doubt that he is one hell of a college football player. I would take Tebow on my team any day of the week. What Florida fans don't want to hear is that Tebow is also Florida's weak link. If he has to carry the Gators by throwing the ball without the luxury of Percy Harvin turning a 3 yard out into a 75 yard TD, they are going to be in trouble. I think that one of the SEC defenses is going to figure out how to keep Tebow contained on the ground. Even if they can't get them beat, it will provide the blueprint for Ole' Miss in the SEC Championship game. OBTW, Steve Spurrier got it right the first time. Jevan Snead is the best QB in the SEC. Don't believe me, watch next year's NFL draft. The final chapter. Thank Tebow...I mean God. Can Florida run the table? You bet. As much as you hear about how tough the SEC is, Florida has a weak schedule this year and only Georgia and LSU stand out on the slate. Neither of those teams have a quarterback, so I expect the Gators in the SEC championship game for sure. There will be some serious eye candy in the Georgia dome when they face off with Mississippi. OBTW, I would like to personally thank the UF athletic director for taking the "Out of Conference strength of schedule" topic out of the national championship debate. The Gator's OOC SOS is dogshit, but so is Texas'. If you play in the Big XII or SEC, this should not even come up, but Big 10 and Pac-10 folks need something to talk about since their leagues suck. You too Big East and ACC. Texas is seen as one of the top 2 teams in the country, just like they were after the bowl games last year when OU proved that they really had no business in the NC game. Were the Horns better than Florida? Don't know, never will. Texas beat OU by 10 on a neutral field, the Gators beat OU by 10 on a neutral field. It would have been nice to see the two best teams play, but we didn't get it. Oh well. Colt about to break the hearts of Buckeye Nation. Texas returns 9 starters from it's offense that was a freak show last year. Colt McCoy set an all time NCAA record completing 76.7% of his passes. Yes, that number is correct. 76.7% is a just plain stupid number. Most NCAA quarterbacks don't complete ¾ of their passes in warm-ups throwing against air. Colt actually has said that he think he can improve on that number, but I hope that he puts it out of his mind and just plays. If he has numbers like that again this year and does not win the Heisman, they need to stop giving it away. This year's Texas offense will look a lot like we did last year because we still don't have a healthy/experienced tight end. Blaine Irby got the "terrible triad" last year vs. Rice and is out for this year too ("drop foot"). We have some young talent there, but not enough to get us out of the 3 WR base set. Texas is going to run the ball a lot more this year, and have 3-5 RB's that will be fighting over carries. Johnson and Whittaker will get most of the carries as long as they are healthy. On D, Texas only brings back 7 starters, but that number is a little fuzzy. All of the DB's return, and the "starting" linebacker that graduated spent about 80% of the snaps on the sideline because we were in the nickel package. Sergio Kindle was 2nd on our team in sacks last year but was not a "starter". He will take Brian Orakpo's spot this year and will be an All-American. We are a little thin at D-tackle, but our starters are very talented and fast. I expect to see some 3-4 this year to keep the best players with the most speed on the field. The Texas defense is going to be much improved over last season. We are built for the Big XII though, and I am glad that a 1990's Nebraska team is not on the schedule because we are thin up the middle. Can Texas run the table? Yes. Their biggest games are Sept 19th vs Tech, October 17th vs. OU and a trip to Stoolwater to play Oakie Lite on Halloween. If aggy has not canceled their football program by Thanksgiving, I might make the trip to see us clean up what is left of them on Turkey Day. There should be LOTS of tickets available for that game. Q: What is the difference between Cheerios and Oklahoma? A: When Cheerios are in a bowl, they actually belong there. Unlike Bob Stoops in a BCS game, these guys are right where they should be. OU is third in the preseason poll. Not surprising, they also bring back the majority of their defense and a very fine quarterback in Sam Bradford. Bradford probably would have been the first pick in the NFL draft if he had come out, so his decision to return to college was very surprising. Shocking really, when you take a look at what Bradford has around him and what direction his NFL stock is likely to go. Of the 8 starting WR/OL from last year's offense, only 1 returns from last year's squad. That would be their left tackle, and you probably remember him from last year's TX/ OU game. He was the one that had the "OH SHIT" look on his face as he was constantly beaten by Orakpo and Kindle on their way to plant Bradford in the turf. The only returning skill position starter that is any kind of threat is OU's TE. Gresham is one hell of a tight end, but Bradford is not going to be able to throw to him 15 times a game, and this year's WR's don't really scare anyone. Can OU run the table? Yes, but their offense had better have their shit in one sock early. The Sooners open with BYU, and they have a quarterback that all of the Latter Day Saints believe should be in the McCoy/Tebow/Bradford discussion, and the NFL scouts agree. OU also has games with Miami (but with less Crips than the 90's versions), Texas, Texas Tech (in Lubbock), Kansas, Nebraska, and Oakie Lite. They also have a trap game against Baylor the week before they play Texas. I can't think of a team that I would rather have OU looking past than Art Briles' bunch with Robert Griffin running around. That is a tough road. If I had to put money on OU either running the table OR losing 3-4 games, it would be on the latter. Their defense better be good, because their offense is full of holes. It's a sad day when the concession stand runs out of french fries. USC is #4 and the most over-rated team in the poll. The problem is that there is nobody on the schedule that is going to expose them for the fraud that they are. The Trojan's defense is full of holes (a phrase you never want to hear). They lost virtually their entire defense to the NFL, and they take a major downgrade at quarterback in a quarterback conference. They also had their coaching staff raided again, that that has taken it's toll in the past few years. Either USC or Ohio State is going to get a lot of undue national championship talk after their meeting in the 2nd week of the season, and neither conference has enough strength to do much about it. We could easily see these teams play twice this year (with a rematch in the Rose Bowl). California, Notre Dame, and Oregon are also on the schedule, and USC will probably choke away at least one of those games..but still win the Pac-10. Alabama is #5. OK, they had a good season last year and bring a lot of guys back. They will have a chance to justify this ranking in the opener against Virginia Tech. This is easily the best game of the opening weekend. They also have tough dates against Arkansas (who has a QB this year in Ryan Mallett), LSU and Mississippi. If they run the table they will deserve a shot at the crystal football, but I think they are going to fall victim to the tough SEC schedule. Alabama will miss Andre Smith..almost as much as some zoo misses the hippo whose face Andre apparently swallowed. Ohio State. Talented as always. You have 2 questions to answer: 1. Can Pryor learn about this thing called the "forward pass"? 2. Can you win a 2 game season. USC and Penn State. That?s it. Gawd your schedule is weak. VA Tech. Well, nobody is going to say that these guys play a weak OOC schedule. Bama, and Nebraska are a stiff test. But, you play in the ACC so you need all of the help you can get. This is a team that has to run the table to be in the conversation at the end of the year. They always play good defense and special teams. Can they score? I can't name a single VA Tech offensive player from the past decade not named Vick, and that's not good. Penn State. I said that Ohio State had a 2 game schedule. Penn State has a 1 game schedule. There are FCS division teams with much tougher non-conference schedules. Akron, Syracuse, Temple, and Eastern Illinois. What a joke. I know that Joe-Pa wants the all time wins record, but this is shameful. You play Ohio State November 7th. It may as well be the opener because you don't have much before that, or after. If you get no respect this year, it's your own fault. A visual representation of Penn State's schedule. LSU is #9 and is the highest rated team without a quarterback. They would do well to take a page from Florida and just line up a tailback under center. They might just do that with true freshman Russell Sheppard. I see 3 losses for this team this year, minimum. They have all the same problems they had last year, and only youth to fill in. These girls might just get asked to suit up and play some QB for the Tigers this year. Mississippi. I think that they are the 2nd best team in the SEC and will have a puncher's chance in the SEC title game. Jevan Snead is a damn good quarterback and has much more NFL potential than Tebow. Snead actually was Colt McCoy's backup at Texas 3 years ago and made a really good decision to transfer. He is to good to sit around and not play (and there is some primo skirt in walking around The Grove). Keep an eye on Ole' Miss this year. Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU are their toughest games. Yes, Mississippi. That is your quarterback. Oakie Lite is #11, and pretty good. Their coach is half crazy (a man, now 42), their QB is the third best in the Big XII South and would start for 10 SEC Teams, 10 Big 10 Teams, and the entire Big East. Dez Bryant is going to make a lot of money in the NFL next year, and their offense is very well balanced. Still, elite defenses like OU and Texas will take away their one downfield threat, make them one dimensional and then zero dimensional. They also don't have enough on defense with a very suspect secondary. You can get by in the SEC with a suspect secondary, not in the Big XII. They are a dark horse in the Big XII South, if they get turnovers at the right spots they can catch lighting in a bottle they can be a factor late. They will beat Georgia in the opener, and probably still be unbeaten on Halloween when they play Texas. Gameday can already book their rooms if they have hotels in Stoolwater. We are Oklahoma State University!!! Cal is #12, mostly because they have a really good running back and the media knows that they have to give some other Pac-10 teams some love to justify their constant USC blowjob. Georgia is #13 and they don?t have a QB or RB. Good luck against those SEC defenses. Oregon is #14 for the same reason Cal is #12. They just dropped 2 places because their uniforms suck. Georgia Tech is #15, and Paul Johnson is going to give people fits. Fun team to watch, and might make some noise. The ACC isn't very good, but Ga Tech plays all of the halfway decent teams. The triple option is still alive and well in Georgia. Fun team to watch. That is 1-15. Anyone else worth talking about will make themselves known by the end of September. If there is one thing that really stands out teams this year is the overwhelming concentration of quality football in the south and southeast. It?s the Big XII, the SEC, and everyone else.
Only NTACs call it "Va-h Tech." We call it VT or Tech, or sometimes VPI if you're old school about it. GO HOKIES, or if you're feeling long winded "GO Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University!"
I had this thing half written, and fucking Firefox crashed on me and I lost the whole goddamed thing. It was everything that I could to not to throw the computer across the room. I rewrote it in MS Word, and C&P'd it in here. I'll clean up the translation issues sometime tomorrow.
