Preseason Top 25

Well I'm glad they didn't pick Ohio State as # 1 because that's almost always a jinx.

Well I'm all for putting the jinx on Mobilehoma!

I don't agree with their picks, quite honestly everyone is taking the safe bets this year on their preseason picks. There are quite a few teams in this poll who do not get the respect they deserve, and several who are getting way too much respect - such as Washington for one. Several teams that finished in the top 10 last year are not even ranked. Look for this poll to go through major changes as the season unfolds. If you want to see my picks - stay tuned, as they will be posted just before the start of the college season. To see how I ranked the Big East, check out the college football section. You will see that the Hurricanes fall to #2 in my Big East picks, so that shows you where I rank them.

Exfballplayer

I'm underwhelmed. Its the coaches poll. I can smell bias from a mile away. Any guess which conferences have the most voting members? Big 12 and Big 10, with 7 each. [the MAC somehow also has 7 voting members]

Guess which two conferences posted teams at #1 and #2?

Everyone's jockeying for position; voters with aspirations vote their head-to-head competitors rather highly.

Sad to say, but a fair number of the voting judges (Fulmer/Bowden) use their vote to manipulate the poll to their advantage. No shocker there.

Its the damned BCS - this poll feeds directly into the BCS equation. The whole thing is a conflict of interest, IMHO.

Gee, Texas is ranked in the pre-season Top 10 again. That's a big surprise.

I don't think that both Ohio State and Oklahoma cannot go through the season without a loss. Ohio State has to go on the road to Michigan as well as some other tough games, and Oklahoma has an early tough game at Alabama. The top 10 will change alot this season, because virtually no one has a cupcake schedule. Miami at #3 has some very tough road games this season.

[ August 01, 2003, 08:36 AM: Message edited by: SmoothRon ]

Even though Ohio State has to play AT Michigan and Penn State this year, the W-L record is fairly mixed, regardless of whether they play at home or away against both of these teams. Ohio State has won easily at Penn State a few times, and not so easily at Michigan over the years, but a W is a W.

Kansas State's out of conference schedule should be sponsored by Hostess: California, Troy State, McNeese State, UMass, Marshall - all at home.

FYI - the AP Top 25 comes out tomorrow.

Cattledog, please prepare yourself to see Texas in the Top Ten again. eek! I know how shocked you were at the Coaches Poll, so I just want you to brace yourself this time. wink

It's the B.O.M.C. in action. :cool: (Burnt Orange Media Conspiracy for those outside the College Station loop.)

Taken from a pre-Spurrier era cheer: Please Go Bears!

FOUR ACC teams in the top 17? -- that's gotta be a first (and it you count Miami and Va Tech, that would give the "basketball conference" SIX of the top 17 gridiron teams in the land eek! )....and this is without giving Bowden's crew much credit either -- you know all the FSU supporters won't be very happy if the 'Noles finish the season at #12 as predicted.

Only four TOTAL votes for the Gamecocks? :confused: ....where have all of Lou Holtz' believers gone?....I guess the 'Cocks will just have to prove it on the field once again.

FINALLY....

A year without hearing about Cornhuskers!!!! Never thought I'd see the day. And FSU at # 12, oooooo, another reason to rejoice, may they fall farther.

A lot of new teams in the Top 25, not bad.... should be a very interesting year.

Pitt at # 11.... I like. Middle of the pack, ready to rise and let the higher up folks tumble down....

pittkid

Hornfan, good luck against those real tough out of conference opponents, like, New Mexico State, Rice, and Tulane. I guess after that opening schedule, and a defeat of Arkansas, you really will be a Top 10 powerhouse. In the meantime, my school will be dealing with the likes of Utah, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. At least, this past season, A&M got rid of its biggest dissadvantage, R.C. Slocum, the worst coach in the history of college football.

The Horns like to do their talking in the Big 12 conference. Maybe that vaunted out of conference schedule will get the ags in a Bowl game this year.

Interesting comment there, pittkid, especially since Pitt owes it's recent resurgence to . . . a Cornhusker!

I never thought I'd see a pre-season Top 25 without the Huskers either. Should be an interesting season.

Uh-oh....

No disrespect intended there NorCalHusker, I kinda lost track of Pitt for a while, and I'm still catching up. What's the Husker connection? Tell me it's Walt, isn't it? :confused:

I freely admit I'm jaded against Nebraska, Miami and Notre Dame mainly because (yes, their football programs are impressive) their over-exposure and high hype factor makes them an easy target for all the underdogs of the world.

And not seeing Nebraska at all in the Top 25 is just so odd after so many years of just automatically assuming they'd be there. I love paridy I'm afraid....

later,

slowly becoming more of a true pittkid

no disrespect taken. the huskers enjoyed a lot of success to get that overexposure you're rebelling against.

steve pedersen was, until last spring, pitt's athletic director. he was responsible for hiring the football and men's hoops coaches who turned the programs around.

pedersen is a nebraska grad who returned to take the nebraska AD job when it opened up. he also took with him the assistant AD at pitt (also a former husker) who pitt somehow let slip through the cracks when they didn't act quickly enough to offer him the job.

good luck to the panthers this fall.

blahhhhh

I hope they win every game but one. GO EERS!

Hey, there are only two Eers on here. We got to keep our profile up!

Cool NorCalHusker...

I never knew. thanks for the info...

I just can't help cheering for the underdog, so if the Huskers ever get that bad, who knows, I may just root for them....

theodoresdaddy.... at least you have two. I have yet to see another Pitt fan running aronund these boards.... sigh.... a lone panther in the wilds.... yet it seems so right...

wandering the Appalachains....
pittkid

[ August 07, 2003, 01:08 PM: Message edited by: pittkid ]

Don't feel bad... I am a lone Aggie. They don't allow gay people at Texas A&M, so I doubt any would show up here. So when our teams play each other in a few weeks, let's not beat each other up. Well, then again, another A&M over Pitt victory might taste just a little sweet!

You said it, theodoresdaddy. Let's Gooooooooooo Mountaineers!!!

Sorry I have to disagree with the Noles at #12 ahead of the other 3 ACC teams in the running. FSU will be lucky to finish in the top 3 in the ACC this season. Theyre a marked team.

NC State has the Chest and Philip Rivers.

Maryland and UVa are still hungry.


As for the rest of the ACC....basketball season anyone? Maybe Mack Brown wants to be in Carolina blue again? *sigh*

Hmmm....

Cattledog, whatever happens, it should be a good game. Maybe some long distance rivalry can form too.... ya can never have too many rivalries in college football (and outside WVU, Pitt lost their No. 1 rival PSU.... )

toodles,

pittkid

If there is a God...

And the AP says.....

Oklahoma, who I just don't buy ... as GREAT as their D is supposed to be, they're susceptible to get bombed by the right team....

The season has not even kickoff and the gator faithful have already talked their manure on this board. They will be quite after September 6th.

Always, my choice for the ranked #1 team is the defending national champion until they are defeated. I have always follow this formula.

My starting top 10 teams in 2003 ....
1. Ohio State
2. Miami (Fl)
3. Oklahoma
4. Auburn
5. USC
6. Georgia
7. K-State
8. Michigan
9. Pittsburgh
10. NC State

Will be quite what after the season kickoff? Literate? wink

Glad to see ya back, J T.

Gay Goters!

The NYTimes is out with their preseason rankings:

1. Auburn
2. Virginia Tech
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. North Carolina State
6. Miami
7. Ohio State
8. Kansas State
9. Maryland
10. Michigan
11. Pittsburgh
12. Georgia
13. Washington
14. Wisconsin
15. LSU
16. Oregon State
17. USC
18. Tennessee
19. Florida State
20. Notre Dame

Link to article and descriptions (reg. req.)

and Their conference preview, where they predict the following winners:

Pac Ten: Washington
Big 12: Oklahoma
SEC: Auburn
Big Ten: Ohio State (with the caveat "as long as Maurice Clarett can play most of the games ...")
Big Easy: Virginia Tech
ACC: North Carolina State

Aw, shucks! Another less-than-authoritative source picks my alma mater #1? The Sporting News was bad enough, but now the NY Times?

I already knew AU wasn't the best of the crop, although very close. And any poll that has Va Tech ahead of Miami is instantly suspect, IMHO.