College Football: My Preseason Top 25, Part 1

Update 07/018/08: here is the links to parts 2, 3 and 4:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/35642-college-football-my-preseason-top-25-part-2

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/36513-college-football-my-preseason-top-25-part-3

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/38995-college-football-my-preseason-top-25-part-4

I hope everybody had a great Fourth of July. I set off colorful explosives just as our founders intended. I am going to release my preseason ranking today for my top five teams. I will publish the rest of my Top 25 sometime in the next week

Preseason rankings, as a general rule, are more important than some fans give them credit for. While any team can climb high and low after the rankings are established, most teams are able to play their way into (or out of) any bowl throughout the course of the season.

However, if there are more than two undefeated teams come bowl selection in December, where they placed on the AP list at the beginning of the year matters (see Auburn 2004).

I have picked these teams based on, first and foremost, how strong I think the team is and in a distant second, whether I think they will or will not beat the teams they are facing.

I think anyone who makes rankings looks at what others have done.

I did not copy any sets of rankings, in fact, I included rankings from Athlon, Phil Steele, Stewart Mandel (Sports Illustrated), and Mark Schlabach (ESPN), to show you what they thought.

I made my own decisions, agreeing with some and not with others.

Stewart Mandel’s rankings are current as of May 1 and Mark Schlabach’s are current as of Jun. 25. I do not think either has produced a more recent version.

Without further ado, the first annual Colin Clark preseason rankings:

1. Ohio State (Athlon No. 2, Phil Steele No. 2, SI No. 2, ESPN No. 2)

Overview: Face it, no one actually wants to see these guys in the chase for the crystal football again.

However, they have the best team by a close margin. They have three Heisman candidates—RB Chris “Beanie” Wells, LB James Laurinaitis, and QB Todd Boeckman.

While the Heisman probably will not go to a defensive player (the last one was Charles Woodson from Michigan in 1997, the last one before that was Leon Hart from Notre Dame in 1949) Laurinaitis is probably the best linebacker in the nation.

Ohio State has all the pieces from last year (10 returning on offense, nine on defense) minus Vernon Gholston, the lone OSU player to go early to the NFL.

Opponents: In their favor is a relatively easy slate this year, besides a date with USC on September 13.

I also think they are a hungrier team than this year’s Pete Carroll incarnation and will win convincingly. Their game at Wisconsin provides a great upset opportunity for the Badgers. Finally, look forward to another unhappy Thanksgiving in Ann Arbor.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?