Roll Tide Roll... Into Patrick Lacey's Preseason Top 25

Patrick Lacey — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:30:39 -0400

#25. Alabama Crimson Tide

With the return of Nick Saban for his second season as the head coach at Alabama, you have to like this team's chances of competing in the SEC, no matter what kind of team he has. And when you consider the talent on this 'Bama squad, coming off of a bowl win against Colorado and only their second winning season in five years, the case is made for the Tide to be in the top 25.

Unfortunately for Alabama fans, the Tide still play in the SEC, which is by far the toughest conference in all of college football, and they will get their fair share of losses to teams such as Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, and Auburn. However, I do not expect them to lose all of those games.

Strengths

Nick Saban is one of the best coaches in college football, and has had great success in the SEC before while he was at LSU.
John Parker Wilson is the best quarterback in the SEC West
Eight returning starters on offense is tied for the most in the SEC, including RB Terry Grant
The Tide also have one of the best offensive lines in the SEC, which should make the run game even stronger this season

Weaknesses

The loss of D.J. Hall, the SEC's second leading receiver last season could cause some depth problems at WR
Only six returning starters on defense with most of them being in the secondary
Not much experience at the WR and LB positions
The schedule is brutal... With games against Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, and Auburn, Alabama can not be expected to lose less than three games

Schedule

Aug 30 at Clemson
Sep 6 vs. Tulane
Sep 13 vs. Western Kentucky
Sep 20 at Arkansas
Sep 27 at Georgia
Oct 4 vs. Kentucky
Oct 18 vs. Mississippi
Oct 25 at Tennessee
Nov 1 vs. Arkansas State
Nov 8 at LSU
Nov 15 vs. Mississippi State
Nov 29 vs. Auburn

Bold=Conference game

I don't see Alabama winning the SEC West this season, but I think they can finish the season with only three conference losses and only four or five overall, and in the SEC, a four or five loss team will be in my top 25 any season.

NCAA Pre-Season Top 25 "25 Teams In 25 Days"

Patrick Lacey — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:52:37 -0400

The 2008-2009 college football season is less than a month away, so here is my pre-season top 25. I'll be writing a different article every day for the next 25 days covering the strengths, weaknesses, key players, and more for each of my top 25 teams.

25. Alabama

24. Penn State

23. Boise State

22. Arizona State

21. Central Michigan

20. Texas

19. Pittsburgh

18. Fresno State

17. Tennessee

16. South Florida

15. Kansas

14. Virginia Tech

13. Auburn

12. Texas Tech

11. BYU

10. LSU

9. Wisconsin

8. West Virginia

7. Clemson

6. Missouri

5. USC

4. Georgia

3. Florida

2. Ohio State

1. Oklahoma

Be sure to check out the upcoming articles, and also check out my show on youtube.com called "You Heard It Here First". Search for xV4L0Rx (the 0 is a zero) and then let me know what you think of the show.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Patrick Lacey

Roll Tide Roll... Into Patrick Lacey's Preseason Top 25

NCAA Pre-Season Top 25 "25 Teams In 25 Days"