Taking a look at the post spring top 25, I refuse to put Ohio State back at number one. As talented as the Buckeyes are, when you lose two straight championship games and get dominated in the process, I just can't justify giving you the number one ranking again.The Dawgs look like a loaded team, but has a tough schedule to navigate through. Is this the year Richt puts it all together?
USC is also looking dominant again, with Sanchez at QB and Joe McKnight looking to make you forget about Reggie Bush.
Here's how my post spring rankings shake out.
1. Georgia- Great backfield of Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, athletes all over the field, especially in the secondary. Biggest hurdle facing the Dawgs is the brutal schedule with road games at Auburn, at LSU, and at Arizona State, not to mention Tennessee and Florida along the way. The Dawgs will face 9 bowl teams from last year. If they navigate that schedule they will no doubt be in the championship game. Even a loss with that schedule should put them in there considering what conference they play in.
2. USC- Mark Sanchez takes over the reigns at QB and should have plenty of receivers to throw to and Reggie Bush clone Joe McKnight looks like the next Trojan superstar. Everson Griffin leads a talented defense as well.
3. Ohio State- The Buckeyes might be the most talented team in the nation with 18 returning starters, but when you get embarrassed two years in a row in the BCS title game, you have to earn it this time. A September 13th trip to play mighty USC is exactly how you send a message early in the season.
4. Oklahoma- The Sooners return maybe the best OL in the nation led by Duke Robinson, and with Sam Bradford and their stable of running backs to lead the offense, look for the Sooners to be an explosive team again in '08.
5. Florida- Returning Heisman winner Tim Tebow doesn't hurt, and adding USC transfer RB Emmanuel Moody should help the run game and take pressure off of Tebow. Watch out for Chris Rainey, a Percy Harvin type player, the Gators should be tough to stop. Defense should be much improved as well.
6. Missouri- Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin return to lead a high powered Tiger team that also brings back 10 starters on defense. They also catch a break since they don't play Oklahoma or Texas Tech this year.
7. Clemson- Cullen Harper, James Davis, CJ Spiller, and Aaron Kelly all return to what should be an exciting Clemson offense. They need to replace some starters on defense but they have recruited well. Opener against Alabama in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta will set the tone. Lose that one and watch out.
8. Texas- Biggest offseason addition wasn't any player, it was bringing in defensive coordinator Will Muschamp from Auburn. This exciting young coach should energize a average defense and make the Longhorns a Big 12 title contender again. Having Colt McCoy doesn't hurt, need to find a replacement for Jamal Charles though.
9. Auburn- The Tigers are bringing in a new offensive and defensive coordinator. Paul Rhoads from Pitt on the defensive side and spread guru Tony Franklin from Troy on the offensive side. Normally that would be a problem but Tuberville has a way of keeping things consistent. They return what might be the best OL in the SEC, a good stable of running backs like always, and have a great home schedule with LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia all coming to Jordan Hare. Tough road games at West Virginia and Alabama.
10. LSU- Even without Ryan Perrilloux, the Bayou Tigers are loaded with talent, especially on both lines. All the quarterback needs to do is manage the game, because it will be tough as always to score on LSU and they have plenty of offensive weapons to win games. Better catch the new quarterback early.
11. Texas Tech- This should be Mike Leach's best team. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree back on offense is a deadly duo, and Leach should have his best defense he's ever had with the help of some JUCO kids.
12. West Virginia- Rich Rodriguez, gone. Steve Slaton, gone. Darius Reynaud, gone. Owen Schmitt, gone. New coach Bill Stewart will have his hands full replacing those guys, but with Pat White and Noel Devine in your backfield anything is possible. Defense will take some hits, but should be good enough to navigate the Big East.
13. Tennessee- The Vols are bringing in a new offensive coordinator to replace departed David Cutcliffe. Jonathan Crompton looks to take over the reigns at QB and has the ability to win, they have a solid backs, solid receivers, and maybe the best safety duo in the nation in Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley.
14. Arizona State- Dennis Erickson looks to build on his 10-3 record of last year and prove it wasn't a fluke. Returning Rudy Carpenter helps, so does ramping up the defense.
15. BYU- The Cougars return QB Max Hall and have a good offense again. They shouldn't have a lot of trouble with the Mountain West either.
16. Illinois- Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn look to lead this Illini team to another great season. Losing Mendenhall and J Leman will definitely hurt, but Zook's recruiting should start to show more this year.
17. Virginia Tech- The Hokies always find a way to be good and this year shouldn't be an exception. They will have to decide what to do at QB with Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, but both are talented. Losing Brandon Ore will hurt though. Need to replace some studs on defense.
18. Wisconsin- The Badgers are still looking for a QB to replace Stocco, but they always seem to come up with a solid one. The backs will be good with PJ Hill and Zach Brown. Travis Beckum is coming back and is the best tight end in the nation.
19. Kansas- Todd Reesing looks to show that the Jayhawks are here to stay in '08, but he'll have to do it without some key players from last year including Aquib Talib and Marcus Henry. They also face a tough schedule with road games at South Florida and Oklahoma.
20. Pittsburgh- Will the Panthers ever get over the hump and win the Big East again? They will have a solid defense this year with the leading tackler in the nation from last year at linebacker. They also return running back Lesean McCoy who they will need to be big time.
21. Oregon- Replacing Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart won't be easy, but Justin Roper went a long way to making Duck fans feel better about the QB position in the bowl game, and Jeremiah Johnson and sleeper back Legarrette Blount should be more than adequate to make the Ducks successful.
22. Fresno State- The Bulldogs are bringing back 10 starters on offense and will always play that tough aggressive style of play on defense. Also face a tough non-conference schedule...but what's new there.
23. South Florida- Matt Grothe returns as the Bulls QB and he should have a more experience team this time around. Losing Mike Jenkins will hurt at corner, but defensive end sack artist George Selvie will lead the defense.
24. Alabama- This may be a surprise pick, but the Tide should be a team that gets better as the season goes on. They return QB John Parker Wilson, if he stays consistent with his play the new offense should be fine. They have a good stable of backs led by Terry Grant and Glen Coffee. Watch out for some true freshman to come in and get early playing time on both sides of the ball and make an immediate impact.
25. Cincinnati- The Bearcats lose Ben Mauk, but they still have Dustin Grutza who was the starting QB a few years ago and has experience. Defense should continue to be solid under Brian Kelly.
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2 months ago
Great Stuff! I hope Alabama does well this year. Since they are in the SEC they might have a tough time with the schedule but they are a top 25 team. By the way should you be allowed in the top 25 if you play in the Big Ten?
2 months ago
Good article. Being a Buckeye I'm glad to see you kept them in the top five. I agree we do have to earn it.
2 months ago
Dustin, I'm glad you are objective and not mad that I made that comment. I believe Ohio State is loaded, but I just can't give them number one this time because of the last two years. But with your schedule and a chance to beat USC, the BCS game is yours if you want it.
2 months ago
No way USC is number two. Sanchez was anything but average in the games he played last season. I am a Buckeye fan too and I am not saying they should be two, but USC is not the second best team either.
from about 1 month ago
"Sanchez was anything but average"
You don't exactly seem knowledgeable regarding what happened last year. When Booty went out with a broken finger, Mark had to step into a very ugly situation and play behind a very deeply injured O-line, and no wide receivers were standing out and he had to play with a VERY limited play book as well, and out of the three games he started, he only lost to OR, which was one of the best teams at the time with Dixon and Stewart. Given the situation and his performance I would say he did as good as any QB in his position if not better. I know ND was a joke last year, but if you watched that game you would have been very impressed with Marks play as a backup. I honestly think he deserves more credit than most give him, but thats what he will prove this season, I am just glad he is the starter now, Ive been wanting to see him start since the day he got to USC. Should have seen his HS games, the kid has major talent.
2 months ago
LSU at 10 seems like a stretch. Yes, they have defensive studs up front, but they have to replace the entire secondary.
Then there's the whole "we just won the national title" layoff that happens every year. And the schedule ain't easy either.
New quarterback, new defensive coordinator, etc., etc. Doesn't add up for me.
The Clemson-Alabama game is going to decide a lot. Can't wait for that game.
2 months ago
Tim, yea Clemson-Alabama should be a good one.
LSU has a stud DL and OL, they have good backs, good receivers, and an offense that can be successful without Perrilloux. They will have to find corners but they've recruited some good ones, but their safeties will be good with Curtis Taylor and Chad Jones.
Thing is, I try not to rank teams based on their schedule or where they will finish. I rank them on how good I think they are assuming they all played the same schedule. I think it could be tough for LSU to finish in the top 10, but they are one of the best 10 teams in the nation.
2 months ago
Chris, you may be right. I just think Sanchez will be fine, and Joe McKnight will be the next big thing and probably the best player on the field most of the time. They are also loaded at receiver. I think Ohio State could very well be the number one team, but I like USC.
2 months ago
Just because you aren't a fan of Ohio State, the current BCS system, or the Big Ten doesn't mean that Ohio State should not be ranked where they deserve to be ranked. They are team that played way past their expectations a year ago and got lucky (well now it seems unlucky) to make it to the NC game. Then, they return 18 starters on a team that was already deeper than most teams in the country and still people want to say that they shouldn't be #1. They should be preseason #1 whether you like it or not, if Ohio State would have won the NC the year before against Florida or not even made it last year (and had the chance to manhandle a team like Hawaii) there is no doubt they would be a consensus preseason #1 this year.
However, preseason rankings don't mean a whole lot and Georgia is a good team. Ohio State and USC have the opportunity to prove they deserve the #2 ranking. I don't see anyteam out of the top 10 with a shot at a National Championship so I stopped reading after 15. Another thing that bugs about your rankings is four Big 12 teams in the top 12. There is no defense played in the Big 12 and Reesing, Daniel, McCoy, and Harrell are all overrated. Last year we ran into this problem of having three Big 12 teams in the top 8 at the end of the year, 2 of which did not belong there. The same thing will happen this year if they start off that highly ranked.
The last thing that gets me is how the last 2 years the SEC basically got an automatic bid to the national title game for whatever team wins the SEC championship game (Florida and LSU who were not #2 either year going into the SEC championship game). Also, whatever team finishes the the previous year the strongest gets to be the preseason #1 (LSU and Georgia). Sure the SEC has the most talented players, the biggest named coaches, and a primetime game everyday Saturday night on ESPN, but with the current BCS system we have shouldn't the other 5 BCS conferences have a chance for more than just one spot in the title game???
2 months ago
Just curious. Was Oklahoma treated as a leprous pariah after they lost two NC games in a row, being blown out by 36 in the second one? I have nothing against the Sooners, but they've proceeded to lose two more BCS games since then, including one to a non-BCS conference school. I rarely see a mention of Ohio State in the sports press that doesn't nearly gag at the thought of them playing in the title game, but the Sooners seem to have had their record expunged. Just seems odd.
2 months ago
Good point about Oklahoma, they would be the team of the decade if it wasn't for their BCS bowl losses. That's why they've earned the nickname, "Chokelahoma". Ohio State gets more press because they choked in the title game, where Oklahoma got blown out in the title game, but it was do a great team in USC. Florida and LSU aren't considered really great teams so the fact that they got blown by those two makes it even worse. But the Oklahoma losses to Boise State and West Virginia are pretty embarassing, definetly worse than losing to LSU and Florida, but because they weren't in the title game, it doens't get as much press as Ohio State's losses.
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