T1B

Yeah, I know it's January, but like we have anything better to do. SO who will be the Pre-season #1 next season. With Vince Young, I would have said Texas (Sincerely, Marcus Allen). But that not being the case I will go with Ohio State, followed by Notre Dame.

Let me be the first to call 2006 Notre Dame overated.

I'd probably say LSU.

Whoever starts out at #10 or #11 is looking pretty good next season.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say either Tennessee or Cal. Either one is a sure fire 3-loss national champion.

I say Texas. Still stacked without VY.

Going w/ tOSU based on that the bring back the most offensive players other than ND.

Ohio State or LSU, but if I had to pick I'd guess Ohio State.

ND will be top five though.

Texas definitely won't be the preseason #1, and USC had better not crack the top seven. Top ten for them would be a stretch...

top 15 even. They will have 2 new starters on the o line and the entire back field will be new starters, they also lose 3 of 4 db's.

At this way-too-early point, I might even be inclined to go with OU. Probably not a bigtime favorite at this point, I just have a hunch they might be the team to beat next year.

Once again, more of a hunch than any one thing I can solidly argue.

Far be it for me to argue with an OU fan as to whether OU will be good or not, but like I said, it's based on a feeling/hunch/premonition rather than any sort of logic...if that makes sense? That, and I think any team with good coaching and AP aren't going to suck.

Which is a pretty unfortunate premonition, since OU is on my teams' schedule this season.

I say Texas will retain, but they will barely be #1 with ND at #2 and OSU at #3. LSU will be #4 and FSU will be #5.

Iowa. Oops I thought you said NFL.

IndyFrisco wrote:I say Texas will retain, but they will barely be #1 with ND at #2 and OSU at #3. LSU will be #4 and FSU will be #5.

Fresno State at #5???????

FlStU loses their two DTs, two LBs(including Simms), and two safeties(and Cromartie left even though he blew out his knee). Not sure about you but that's a lot to lose even for them. It also looks like they lose five seniors on offense. I know they reload but.......

BraveFan wrote:I say Texas. Still stacked without VY.

Who's going to be the QB? If Vince was coming back there's no doubt Texas would be #1. I really like Ohio State with Troy Smith being a Heisman candidate but their defense took some huge hits...especially at linebacker and at corner. They'll reload...I wouldn't expect less.

T REX wrote:

IndyFrisco wrote:I say Texas will retain, but they will barely be #1 with ND at #2 and OSU at #3. LSU will be #4 and FSU will be #5.

Fresno State at #5???????

FlStU loses their two DTs, two LBs(including Simms), and two safeties(and Cromartie left even though he blew out his knee). Not sure about you but that's a lot to lose even for them. It also looks like they lose five seniors on offense. I know they reload but.......

FSU shouldnt be Top 5. I think #10 is more suited. Losing Bunk and WImbley on the D-Line is going to be tough, but we usually churn out D-Line, so I am not as worried. LB's are our specialty. We simply re-load. Timmons and Thaxton are freaks and will be better than AJ and Ernie in '07. Our secondary is returning 2 experienced corners but safety we need to find replacements.

Offensively. Your guess is as good as mine. We dont lose much. Lose our Center, our RB and Willie "Big Game" Reid, but I think we are loaded w/ talent and that if our O-Line can protect Drew, we are gonna throw for close to 3700-3800 yards.

Shoalzie wrote:
Who's going to be the QB? If Vince was coming back there's no doubt Texas would be #1.

I've been hearing it's gonna be Colt McCoy. I'm sure Vito has a better idea than I do. Still, with Taylor, Charles, (Selvin) Young, Sweed, Pittman, Cosby-- all those guys coming back-- Texas should be preseason Top 3, IMO.

I really like Ohio State with Troy Smith being a Heisman candidate but their defense took some huge hits...especially at linebacker and at corner. They'll reload...I wouldn't expect less.

Yes, they should reload, but I've said elsewhere that linebacker won't be a weak unit next year. Lots of guys coming back with game experience who were either injured early in the season last year (D'Andrea, Freeman), or who just couldn't break the lineup of Hawk, Carpenter, & Schlegel.

The secondary will be the big question mark for tOSU next season. And with Texas on the slate, with all those guys mentioined above, that could be scary.

L45B wrote:Colt McCoy

Now that's a college football name if I've ever heard one...

This is tough. Who's ready for a championship run? I'd say Notre Dame would be ranked No. 1, but that isn't usually given to teams that lost by double-digits in their last bowl game in which it was obvious that the team's speed wasn't close to the others.

I'd be willing to bet that Texas will remain No. 1 until they lose followed by USC, Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan (maybe OU at No 5. They may be No 6).

That's my call. We'll see if I'm right.

1. Texas
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. LSU
5. West Virginia

Right now I have LSU #1 and tOSU 2.

My top 5

1. LSU
2. tOSU
3. FSU
4. USC
5. Who knows, maybe OU maybe Virgina

I personally think Texas will have 2 or 3 losses next year and likely start and end the season outside the top 10

Vito, I'm thinking the exact same thing about USC. Why do you have 'em at #4, considering everybody they lost?

#1 they play in the PAC 10
2. I think Booty or Sanchez will replace Leinart without missing much of a beat
3. The SC defense will be much better next year
4. You get all your receivers back
5. You get Jeff Byers back to bolster the OL, when healthy he is as good as any of the starters you are losing.
6. You have good fullbacks, this is a huge help when breaking in a new freshmen tailback and helping on passing plays with a green QB. It also helps if the Oline is green to know you have a reliable blocker in the backfield to pick up blitzes.
7. You need to replace your tailbacks but you are recruiting some damn good ones and it is a hell of a lot easier for a talented freshmen runningback to make a big impact than it is for a great freshmen QB.

When all is said and done, USC will reload and be right back in it again.

Vito,

No way is Texas not ranked in the Top 10 preseason. I would say they are almost a lock for Top 5. We all know the history of teams breaking in a new QB-- it is nearly impossible to run the table. But with all the talent surrounding whoever the new guy is, you can't doubt Texas will be a contender next year.

I have a hard time thinking USC can repeat their previous seasons considering how much they lose (Leinart, Bush, White, Rucker, Bing, Wyatt, etc.) If they are a top 10 team after all that, I'll have a greater respect for Carroll and his program.

USC is a 2-3 loss team next year.

Jimmy Medalions wrote:USC is a 2-3 loss team next year.

Perhaps, but that doesn't necessarily stop them from being a Preseason Top 5.

Hell, Tennessee was a preseason Top 5 this year, and we all know how that turned out.

If USC is top five then the rest of the field must really suck next year.

Not necessarily. Some of the writers are lazy, and at least in the preseason, will vote based on reputation.

Cicero wrote:

T REX wrote:

IndyFrisco wrote:I say Texas will retain, but they will barely be #1 with ND at #2 and OSU at #3. LSU will be #4 and FSU will be #5.

Fresno State at #5???????

FlStU loses their two DTs, two LBs(including Simms), and two safeties(and Cromartie left even though he blew out his knee). Not sure about you but that's a lot to lose even for them. It also looks like they lose five seniors on offense. I know they reload but.......

FSU shouldnt be Top 5. I think #10 is more suited. Losing Bunk and WImbley on the D-Line is going to be tough, but we usually churn out D-Line, so I am not as worried. LB's are our specialty. We simply re-load. Timmons and Thaxton are freaks and will be better than AJ and Ernie in '07. Our secondary is returning 2 experienced corners but safety we need to find replacements.

Offensively. Your guess is as good as mine. We dont lose much. Lose our Center, our RB and Willie "Big Game" Reid, but I think we are loaded w/ talent and that if our O-Line can protect Drew, we are gonna throw for close to 3700-3800 yards.

Clifton Dickson will be back on the DLine, he would have been a starter this year. Along witht he emergence of Andre Fluellen, our DT situation will be better than it was this year.

LB's we will miss AJ, but we are loaded here and will be fine. We've got some serious big hitters that have been waiting their turn.

CB will still be a glaring problem. Tony Carter is good, but the others I'm still worried about.

We will be fine at Safety because Roger Williams will be playing. I think he will not skip a beat from Hall or Watkins.

All that said, we don't deserve to be anywhere near a top 10. Our defense can be as good as top 5...but our offense...that is another story. Throw Booker in there dancing around instead of running....we'll probably end up around 15-20 range.

Only way we are better than that is if McHale turns out to be a great Oline coach. If not...we b fucked.

No love for Penn St.? They're losing a lot of starters, but besides Robinson, all of their star players will be back.

USC will only return one of their fullbacks (Brandon Hancock) and in all honesty the lack of a good fullback last year lead to them not picking up those last 2 inches on 4th down late in the game. Lee Webb was a great run blocker and the lack of a run blocker like Webb is what forced the Trojans to call a slow developing counter play, which allowed Texas' penetration, instead of a power play.

No love for Penn St.? They're losing a lot of starters, but besides Robinson, all of their star players will be back.

Mike.... that's just flat-out not accurate. PSU is losing a lot more "stars" than just Michal Robinson.... mostly on the defensive side of the ball (Hali, Zemeitis and Phillips come to mind.... and they would've lost Poz if not for his injury v. FSU).

On offense, they were indeed young... but saying they're "just losing Robinson" is almost like saying Texas is "just losing Young." MR brought so much to the table as a senior leader on such a young team..... I can't imagine Morelli coming in and the offense not missing a beat.... especially conidering PSU is also losing some key guys on their O-Line.... AND they have to play AT Notre Dame and AT Ohio State in their first three games..... with AT Minnesota and AT Wisconsin a little later in the season.

Don't get me wrong.... I don't think PSU will be a "bad" team by any means.... but I see them as a 4-loss-team-that-will-kick-the-shit-out-of-somebody-in-a-bowl-game-in-late-December kind of good as opposed to a pre-season-#1 kind of good.

-

For what it's worth.... nationalchamps.net has Texas as their early #1 with SC, Notre Dame, OSU and LSU rounding out the top five. These guys are usually nails.... I think that's what we'll see out of the AP & Coaches as well come late August.

I'm hopeful for PSU, but I'd rank them in the 12-15 range coming in. I see them with a very creditable season, finishing 10-2 with losses to ND and OSU.

We're definitely back, though...the recruiting has been going well of late.

the recruiting has been going well of late.

Ain't that the truth! You guys own the state of Maryland now.

I can see PSU going somewhere in the 2-4 loss range with a nice bowl win to cap off the '06 season. In '07, I think you guys are absolutely preseason #1.... and I'd expect a season much like '05. You've got ND & OSU at home and Michigan on the road..... so take care of home field and don't let Carr put time on the clock.... and you're playing for it all in '07. I'd love to see JoePa hold on for two more years so he can be a part of that.

BraveFan wrote: For what it's worth.... nationalchamps.net has Texas as their early #1 with SC, Notre Dame, OSU and LSU rounding out the top five. These guys are usually nails.... I think that's what we'll see out of the AP & Coaches as well come late August.

I'm pretty sure they ranked Texas #1 before Vince declaired. Looking at Texas as a whole you can make an argument that next years team is going to be better than last year...EXCEPT for QB POSITION!

Like I said, all I can see when I look at the QB position is 3 freshmen that have never taken a snap in their lives. That is scary!

Yeah, no doubt Texas will be very good. But I don't see how you can put a team as the pre-season best in the nation with a Freshman QB, especially when in the recent past that team has relied so heavily on the QB position.

^^^ Yeah, but when was the last time the defending national champions started the season out of the top ten? Can't agree with Vito on this one.

When?

Certainly not during the BCS/ESPN Hype Machine era.

Believe the Heupel wrote:I want to say 1975.

OU DID open the 1975 season as the preseason AP #1, fell as low as #6, then beat Michigan in the Orange Bowl and finished #1 in the AP poll.

OU was not ranked at any point by the coaches in this season, I believe.

Now, can you figure why? ;)

Because the coaches Poll does not include teams on probabtion. ;)

Arizona State was their national champion that year.

L45B wrote:^^^ Yeah, but when was the last time the defending national champions started the season out of the top ten? Can't agree with Vito on this one.

I think they will be top 10, just not #1.