preseason polls

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun May 18, 2008 10:44 pm

I realize that preseason polls this early are about as useful as airports in SEC towns, but ... I'm kind of a geek when it comes to polls. And it's May. And well...there's very little to discuss. And maybe this will provide another comical moment for Toejam to lambaste your favorite team for not playing all 12 of their games on the road.

Anyway. Here's a poll from some ESPN hack:

1. Ohio St
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. USC
5. Florida
6. Missouri
7. Clemson
8. Texas
9. WVU
10. Auburn
11. Texas Tech
12. LSU
13. Arizona St
14. BYU
15. Tennessee
16. Illinois
17. Kansas
18. Wisconsin
19. Pitt
20. Va Tech
21. Fresno St
22. Wake Forest
23. Oregon
24. Michigan St
25. Penn St

I think it's pretty funny that I see MSU ranked in many preseason top 25 polls. Usually the "experts" wait for MSU to string off their first four cupcake wins (one of which includes ND) before they toss them into the polls...only to get immediately bounced after exiting the treacherous environs of Indiana, Northwestern, or some other Big Ten juggernaut.

And this is the reason you should NEVER pre-rank MSU. They're likely #1 in the country in sheer unpredictability. I'm sure even Adelpiero knows to stay away from an MSU point spread when he's looking to lay down some action with his daughter's college tuition fund.

Take at look at the first seven games for MSU:

@ Cal
Eastern Michigan
Florida Atlantic
Notre Dame
@ Indiana
Iowa
@ Northwestern

Now...if they can find a way to keep their uniforms urine-free in Berkeley, you'd think they can skate past their next six games with relative ease, and maintain the ranking they were unjustly provided with until the Bucks roll into town. But nope...herein lies the problem: MSU could JUST AS EASILY go 3-3 in that upcoming stretch as they could 6-0. How many of you, with the teams you root for, could say that? I'm guessing not many. Hell, they could probably pull off 2-4 if they really put their hearts into it.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Sun May 18, 2008 11:26 pm

teams ranked too high

clemson, auburn, tech

how taco tech can be more than a 23-30 team is beyond me. they cant stop aynone, and you make a stop or 2 and you end up beating them soundly. joke of a team, and fuck the fudge pirate! the complaints about Clemson are too many to list, it starts with their shit coach.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Sun May 18, 2008 11:30 pm

too high, imo....

USC
WVU
Illinois
Pitt

Probably BYU, and ASU as well.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Mon May 19, 2008 12:50 am

I realize that preseason polls this early are about as useful as airports in SEC towns.

snort

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:18 pm

WolverineSteve wrote:too high, imo....

Illinois

Well, we shall see right out of the gate about that. Mizzou vs. Illinois = not a bad match up to start the season.

Just wondering, how many other ranked teams open up playing against each other?

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon May 19, 2008 2:48 pm

Wags, I think that just might be the only opening salvo featuring ranked teams. Just pathetic. After looking at some of the ranked-team schedules, these are about the only interesting games I see:

UCLA v Tennessee
Clemson v Alabama
Rutgers v Fresno St
Cal v Michigan St (homer pick, but still applicable)

Oh, and I see Oregon is opening up vs a conference foe. Dins, is this SOP?

PSUFAN · Post by **PSUFAN** » Mon May 19, 2008 3:22 pm

It seems like PSU has a lock on the 25th slot each and every year. It's not a bad spot for them, either. PSU has been blessed with tremendous linebacker play since 2004, but with the injury to Sean Lee, that position will probably take a step back this year. PSU will have a tremendous DL with Mo Evans and many talented newcomers, but the back 7 will be vulnerable.

PSU's offense will be led by a QB with very little* starting experience, which basically guarantees that Joe will restrict the playbook with a vengeance. PSU's finally got a conference-quality OL, and there are no 5th year seniors to award the starting RB slot to, so I think PSU's strength this reason will be on the ground. A 9-4 finish at #25 will not surprise me in the least.

*none

RumpleForeskin · Post by **RumpleForeskin** » Mon May 19, 2008 3:34 pm

Honestly.....I think Texas is ranked too high. They have a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Jamal Charles was a HUGE part of Texas' success last year and frankly, Colt McCoy was inconsistent for the most part a year ago. The defensive secondary is going to be young too.

They should be 13th or 14th right now.

Clemson at 7 is laughable.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Mon May 19, 2008 4:21 pm

no problem Sam...

pick on OSU...hey they deserve it...but I can't complain about the success of OSU in the last few years...

I honestly think UGA or OU should be #1...

and sam...we don't have 85 first round picks like Iowa...

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Mon May 19, 2008 4:53 pm

Pitt at #19 to start the year?

PSUFAN · Post by **PSUFAN** » Mon May 19, 2008 4:59 pm

SOMEBODY in these polls is mighty impressed with WVU...enough to rank them highly, depite roster and coaching upheavals. Pitt's spot is based directly on their win in Morgantown last year. Pitt will probably be a bit better, unless the injury bug decides to rake through them again. McCoy is a good RB.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon May 19, 2008 5:47 pm

WVU opens up with...VILLANOVA!?! Are they gonna toss basketballs around and expect us not to notice?

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon May 19, 2008 5:49 pm

Yeah, McCoy is an absolute beast. I saw him when MSU faced Pitt last year, and he wrecked some havoc. He'll be a good'un.

Goober McTuber · Post by **Goober McTuber** » Mon May 19, 2008 6:25 pm

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Oh, and I see Oregon is opening up vs a conference foe. Dins, is this SOP?

I thought that the Big 10 toyed with that idea at one point so I looked it up. In 1995 and 1996 Illinois opened up against Michigan. (It was Michigan’s second game in 1995 as they were slotted into the Pigskin Classic). Also, in 1996 Purdue opened at MSU.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Mon May 19, 2008 7:30 pm

I'd say folks are putting too much into Pitt's win over WV, they'd have probably lost that game if Pat White hadn't gotten hurt and WV had SOME offense. Plus the architect of their D, Rhoades, split for Auburn, he was what kept them in games. Now they are down to Wanny who hasn't had a winning season yet at Pitt. Dude is just not a good HC, it isn't like Pitt has been playing any sort of meatgrinder sched either. They have the recruiting and returning players to finally make a bowl and get above .500 but that is about as far as they'll go.

Tommy Bowden has always lost enough to frustrate Clemson fans but win enough to keep his job and allow hope. I doubt this year will be so much different. They have a nice backfield and a solid D. They'll be top25 but I doubt #7.

TTech should be salty. They have most starters back on both sides of the ball. Their D quit being a trainwreck after they sacked their DC, they won't be first-rate by any means this year but they'll stop folks enough to allow their O to outscore most of their opponents. I'd say #11 is a little high but they are worth ranking. I see them as a dangerous 9-3 team that is capable of beating anyone on their sched.

I know they lost some players on O but return a fair amount on D, I'd throw Cinci in the rankings, I like Kelly a lot and see his team as a top25 staple in the years to come.

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Mon May 19, 2008 7:40 pm

PSUFAN wrote:SOMEBODY in these polls is mighty impressed with WVU...enough to rank them highly, depite roster and coaching upheavals. Pitt's spot is based directly on their win in Morgantown last year. Pitt will probably be a bit better, unless the injury bug decides to rake through them again. McCoy is a good RB.

I know that is why they got the spot at #19, but that is just a joke. Yes, McCoy is a very good RB and they have a decent defense, but their QB is suspect and Wanny is a their coach. Enough said.

Cincinnati is a team that should be ranked there. They are going to be real good this season.

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:39 pm

MuchoBulls wrote: Cincinnati is a team that should be ranked there. They are going to be real good this season.

yeah, i'm a little leery of playing the Bearcats.

i'm not entirely sold on this year's Sooners. just a feeling, i guess.

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:50 pm

Missouri, however, if you read their boards.....they will win the Super Bowl this year. they are already convinced Chase Daniel is maybe the greatest football player of all time.

a year ago they wanted to fire Gary Pinkel.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Mon May 19, 2008 11:09 pm

King Crimson wrote:Missouri, however, if you read their boards.....they will win the Super Bowl this year. they are already convinced Chase Daniel is maybe the greatest football player of all time.

a year ago they wanted to fire Gary Pinkel.

I don't participate in homer boards, and am cautiously optimistic.

Never been ranked this high in the pre-season before, so it's uncharted territory. Trust me, I'd love to spout off, but that wouldn't be prudent. You have to earn respect on the field.

As for Chase Daniel, he's only as good as the team around him... which should be pretty damn good. 16 returning starters, booya!

And I didn't want Pinkel just fired, I wanted him run out of town tarred and feathered.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Mon May 19, 2008 11:44 pm

King Crimson wrote:Missouri, however, if you read their boards.....they will win the Super Bowl this year. they are already convinced Chase Daniel is maybe the greatest football player of all time.

a year ago they wanted to fire Gary Pinkel.

i still think pinkel is average, with mediocre coords.(daniel makes christiansen look good)

last year i predicted a big season, easy schedule, only tough game was vs OU. rest of teams are retooling or bad(see nebraska)

this year is still an easy schedule(minus @tejas). 2 toughest rival games are on neutral fields.

Won't have to worry, Pinkel will leave after this season. I see him in the Pac10 possibly next season. Mora kind screws him out of Huskie gig.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue May 20, 2008 6:29 am

King Crimson wrote:
MuchoBulls wrote: Cincinnati is a team that should be ranked there. They are going to be real good this season.
yeah, i'm a little leery of playing the Bearcats.

i'm not entirely sold on this year's Sooners. just a feeling, i guess.

Stilll kinda wary after those three upset-losses last season? I think OU will be their usual top10 selves but trip a time or two on the way. Their noncon should be challenging, Cinci is no joke plus TCU and Wash will scrap. The 12 is going to be tough. Texas will be a different team with Muschamp's D. Leach will have his best team. KU will be very dangerous coming the week after the RRS. Plus you have the usual assortment from Neb, ATM, Okie State, and KSU looking to pull an upset. Then there is still the 12-championsip. I see a two-loss season, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:38 am

please stop with the bearcat hype. weak conference, average team.

Terry in Crapchester · Tue May 20, 2008 11:45 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:I think it's pretty funny that I see MSU ranked in many preseason top 25 polls. Usually the "experts" wait for MSU to string off their first four cupcake wins (one of which includes ND) before they toss them into the polls...only to get immediately bounced after exiting the treacherous environs of Indiana, Northwestern, or some other Big Ten juggernaut.

And this is the reason you should NEVER pre-rank MSU. They're likely #1 in the country in sheer unpredictability. I'm sure even Adelpiero knows to stay away from an MSU point spread when he's looking to lay down some action with his daughter's college tuition fund.

Take at look at the first seven games for MSU:

@ Cal
Eastern Michigan
Florida Atlantic
Notre Dame
@ Indiana
Iowa
@ Northwestern

Now...if they can find a way to keep their uniforms urine-free in Berkeley, you'd think they can skate past their next six games with relative ease, and maintain the ranking they were unjustly provided with until the Bucks roll into town. But nope...herein lies the problem: MSU could JUST AS EASILY go 3-3 in that upcoming stretch as they could 6-0. How many of you, with the teams you root for, could say that? I'm guessing not many. Hell, they could probably pull off 2-4 if they really put their hearts into it.

Worthless as preseason polls are, especially in May, ND is unranked and rightfully so. And while ND typically isn't anywhere near as schizophrenic as Sparty is, here, fwiw, is the first seven games on ND's slate next season.

S06 SAN DIEGO STATE
S13 MICHIGAN
S20 @ Michigan St.
S27 PURDUE
O04 STANFORD
O11 @ North Carolina
O25 @ Washington

Under ordinary circumstances, ND could quite easily go 7-0 to open the season against that schedule. (Sorry, Sparty, but you're not quite as bad as you think you are.) And while Michigan is Michigan, they'll have to adjust to DickRod's scheme, and many of the "experts" are predicting at least one tough season during that transition. OTOH, I could see ND going 3-4 against that group just as easily, maybe even more easily, than 7-0. Hell, if there hasn't been any improvement since last season, 0-7 is even a possibility, albeit a somewhat remote one.

War Wagon wrote:And I didn't want Pinkel just fired, I wanted him run out of town tarred and feathered.

Why? I noticed the vitriol MizzouFan had for Pinkel, but I just didn't get it. If you looked up Pinkel's winning percentage, even before last season, it was comparable to Mizzou's all-time winning percentage. It's not exactly as if you guys were running off national championships left and right before Pinkel came to town.

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:19 pm

Adelpiero wrote:please stop with the bearcat hype. weak conference, average team.

Step up and play them then.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Tue May 20, 2008 4:02 pm

Who's "hyping" up Cincinnati? They're a solid, competitive program right now. Not much more or less.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Tue May 20, 2008 6:26 pm

A poll before Oct is only as good as the birdsh!t on it in the bottom of a cage.

Adelpiero · Post by **Adelpiero** » Tue May 20, 2008 7:31 pm

MuchoBulls wrote:
Adelpiero wrote:please stop with the bearcat hype. weak conference, average team.
Step up and play them then.

They already have 2 many cup cakes on the schedule

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Tue May 20, 2008 7:49 pm

Adelpiero wrote:
MuchoBulls wrote:
Adelpiero wrote:please stop with the bearcat hype. weak conference, average team.
Step up and play them then.

They already have 2 many cup cakes on the schedule

No sense in adding another I guess.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:00 pm

Terry in Crapchester wrote:
War Wagon wrote:And I didn't want Pinkel just fired, I wanted him run out of town tarred and feathered.
Why? I noticed the vitriol MizzouFan had for Pinkel, but I just didn't get it. If you looked up Pinkel's winning percentage, even before last season, it was comparable to Mizzou's all-time winning percentage. It's not exactly as if you guys were running off national championships left and right before Pinkel came to town.

Terry, I've seen him make the dumbest decisions so many times that cost them games before last year. Just total dumbfuck meltdowns in play calling and substitutions at critical moments that absolutely BLEW games over the years.

I won't go into detail now like I did then, but if I went back and searched I could find my meltdown after Mizzou pissed away the 2006 Sun Bowl against Oregon. That wound is still fresh.

Hopefully, Pinkels' braincramps are in the past and he'll just let his players talent overcome his coaching ineptitude, but I wouldn't bet on it.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:17 pm

Here ya' go, Terry.

http://www.theoneboard.com/board/viewto ... =a&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Only Pinkel could have done that. Up 14 with 8:00 minutes left. Just stopped OSU on 4th down at midfield. Temple runs the ball for 18 more down to the OSU 34 yard line... and they take TT out of the game for the next 3 plays in which they lose 8 yards and wind up punting. Instead of playing to win the game, Pinkle started playing not to lose.

.m2 · Post by **.m2** » Wed May 21, 2008 5:08 am

War Wagon wrote:
I won't go into detail now like I did then, but if I went back and searched I could find my meltdown after Mizzou pissed away the 2006 Sun Bowl against Oregon. That wound is still fresh.

Have you ever thought Pinkel might play down to the stupidity level of his fans ???

Especially the ones in Kansas City.

Just a thought.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Wed May 21, 2008 12:39 pm

Oregon - Oregon State, who gives a fuck? Certainly not me, though I knew some dipshit would try to make hay with that misnomer, and of course mtool didn't disappoint. Props.

Goober McTuber · Post by **Goober McTuber** » Wed May 21, 2008 12:44 pm

War Wagon wrote:Oregon - Oregon State, who gives a fuck?

Who indeed?

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed May 21, 2008 1:36 pm

Sudden Sam wrote:LSU would be in the top 5 with Perriloux there

Rrrrright. What the hell did that guy ever do to make you believe that?

SunCoastSooner · Post by **SunCoastSooner** » Wed May 21, 2008 1:48 pm

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:
Sudden Sam wrote:LSU would be in the top 5 with Perriloux there
Rrrrright. What the hell did that guy ever do to make you believe that?

Breath and get an SEC schollie offer of course...

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Wed May 21, 2008 2:46 pm

Sam I would like to play an SEC team in a bowl again...at some point OSU will win a bowl game against an SEC team...if SEC fan thinks that the SEC will always own OSU in bowls they are crazy...

I would love to play UGA...what the fuck did they do last year to warrant such high praise? GOT shutout by South Carolina, and got hammerfucked by Tenn...granted UGA is a good team...but fuck win something big first...

I mean OSU is playing Tenn in non-con games in 2018 and 2019...I want them to schedule Bama so we can get revenge on the 77 game I believe...

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed May 21, 2008 3:35 pm

Plenty of guys with raw talent have turned out to be busts at the starting QB position. I'm not denying he had all the talent in the world, but he hadn't done dick in the college game to warrant massive amounts of LSU hype.

RumpleForeskin · Post by **RumpleForeskin** » Wed May 21, 2008 4:22 pm

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Plenty of guys with raw talent have turned out to be busts at the starting QB position.

Hey, leave Ron Pawlus out of this.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Thu May 22, 2008 2:55 am

I think Miles must know what he is doing. I'm sure he'd like to keep a talent like Perriloux if possible. But the kid was a cocky-ass cancer to the team. Miles sent a clear message to his team, that ability does not give you a pass on the rules. The team will have more solidarity for this.

This is the best thing for Perriloux as-well. Further coddling wasn't going to help him face his shortcomings and grow-up.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:14 pm

RumpleForeskin wrote:
MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Plenty of guys with raw talent have turned out to be busts at the starting QB position.

Hey, leave Ron Pawlus out of this.

Powlus started 4 years at ND, set every major passing record and had many big wins during his career. Yet he is universally regarded as the biggest bust in the last 20 years.

Wither Dan Kendra? Kyle Wright? Ron Curry? Drew Henson? Rhett Bomar?