2008 Preseason and Regular season Polls - Page 42

alpo · #**616** (**permalink**) 08-04-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OregonBuckeye

It frequently does though. There are always exceptions to the rule but it's more than reasonable to expect significant improvement from a team that returns so much.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/cont...0803bohls.html

Kirk Bohls of the, 'American Statesman' out of Austin agrees w/exactly that. Sent by a biz friend in Texas who was as surprised to read it as I was, considering the source.

3's a charm, truly!

jlb1705 · #**617** (**permalink**) 08-04-2008, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OregonBuckeye

Thank God for Pete Fiutak. He is spot on in his analysis.

Scout.com: CFN's 2008 Preseason Coaches' Poll Analysis

He usually has a lot of good points. I don't like all the complaining he does in that column about teams like Illinois being ranked too low and teams like Virginia Tech being ranked too high, saying that some teams are getting by on reputation while good (chic) teams are getting the shaft. This is just one example out of a few in that column. I'm not gonna go over all of them, but he makes a similar complaint several times in that column - hopefully just being nitpicky and trying to fill space rather than actually being serious.

In my opinion, returning players and the program's reputation are about all you really have to go on when it comes to preseason rankings.

Illinois doesn't have the rep and they aren't bringing back their two best players from last year. There's plenty to be optimistic about, but it is mostly potential that has not yet been realized.

10-win seasons since 1999: 1
8-win seasons since 1999: 3

With a resume like that you have to earn your way into the top fifteen this season, and doing so may earn you a top fifteen for next preseason to go along with it.

Virginia Tech on the other hand has the rep, if not the returning players.

10-win seasons since 1999: 7
8-win seasons since 1999: 9

I was even kind to Illinois in setting the 1999 season as the starting point for this comparison, as that was the first of Ron Turner's good years at Illinois. That was also the start of the Michael Vick era at VT, but you can go back into the early 1990s and add to that tally of good seasons for Tech without seeing anything of significance out of Illinois. You can even add in Zook's tenure at Florida (two 8-win seasons) to get a more "complete" Illinois+Zook track record and VT still smokes them. The point of this is, players come and go at Virginia Tech and they fall in and out of NC contention, but their track record shows that you can pretty much mark them down IN PEN for an 8 or 9 win season every year with a strong possibility of double-digit wins and a conference title. In my book that's deserving of a top-15 preseason ranking this year and every year until they show on the field that they won't be performing at that level.

MD Buckeye · #**618** (**permalink**) 08-05-2008, 03:32 PM

ESPN - NCAA College Football Power Rankings - NCAA Football

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

College Football Power Rankings: Preseason

1) Georgia - How will the Bulldogs handle lofty expectations? Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford certainly help, but the alarming player suspensions don't.

2) USC - USC fans have Sept. 13 circled on the calendar. That's when Ohio State visits, and we'll know more about these Trojans -- and QB Mark Sanchez.

3) Ohio State - Depth, talent and experience. The Bucks seem to have it all, but the road to the BCS title (at USC, at Wisconsin, at Illinois) won't be easy.

4) Florida - Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin are back, and that means the Gators will find the end zone -- a lot. But will their young defense grow up in 2008?

5) Oklahoma - Barring a sophomore slump from Sam Bradford, the Sooners should be the class of the Big 12 South. They've got bigger goals in Norman, however.

Contd....

ORD_Buckeye · #**619** (**permalink**) 08-06-2008, 11:45 AM

UC fan is having a total meltdown that they're not in the top 25. After one top 25 "finish" they spent all off season convincing themselves that they had become a top 25 "program." Now, they're dealing with the crushing blow of reality, and they don't like it one bit.

Maybe if Brian Kelly says "BCS" a few hundred more times to the press, that'll soothe their shattered psyches.

generaladm · #**620** (**permalink**) 08-07-2008, 08:26 AM

The complete cfn.com rankings are posted, and the Buckeyes are #1!

Quote:

1. Ohio State
- 2008 Ohio State Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart

Why Ohio State is No. 1: No one has more NFL talent. Ten starters are back on offense and the one new face to the top of the depth chart, OT Bryant Browning, will be a star. Chris Wells is a Heisman caliber back who might be the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft if he comes out early. Super-recruit Terrelle Pryor will add another dimension to an attack that already has a future NFL clipboard holder in Todd Boeckman. The defense went from terrific to impenetrable with the stunning decisions by LB James Laurinaitis and CB Malcolm Jenkins to return for their senior seasons. The linebacking corps is great, the secondary is better, and the D line appears to have improved despite the loss of Vernon Gholston. If that wasn't enough, the special teams are among the nation's best.
Why Ohio State shouldn't be No. 1: There's still a very, very, skeptical nation that assumes Ohio State will get blasted by USC and couldn't carry Georgia's jock. Does the team have the head to actually finish and win a national title after all the negativity the last two off-seasons? At this point, anything less than play for a national championship will be a major failure, but that's still setting the bar high considering the road trips to USC, Wisconsin and Illinois. The D line will be good, but it has to prove it after a down year overall, while the off-the-field issues with several defensive backs might be a wee bit of a distraction.
Relative Strengths: Running Backs, Secondary
Relative Weaknesses: The SEC

Muck · #**621** (**permalink**) 08-07-2008, 10:31 AM

It's great that everyone notices that Ohio State is returning 18 starters (FB, RT, DE & SLB the only positions needing replacing) BUT has anyone in the media noticed the fact that if you count the second team from last year Ohio State only loses another five players (Dan Dye, Tyler Whaley & Henton on O and Alex Barrow & Clifford on D) from the two deep?

So out of the top 44 players Ohio State returns 35 (39 of 48 if you count the P/Ks).

That doesn't include Lawrence Wilson.