BigPPup's College Football preseason Top 25 (never too early for this)
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by user BigPPup
Yeah, its late may, and yeah spring football has been over for the past month, and fall practice is a long way off but who cares it is never too early to talk college football. That’s right at Walker Sports we are all about football all the time, and now we’re ranking the nations top 25 post-spring practice. So what there are 1000 things that can change between now and August when these teams take the field to resume practice? We’ll re-rank them then. Right now it just feels good to talk football again.
Remember this is not an exact science
1)The Ohio State University: The offense is going to be high octane, who said the Big 10 was all about 10 yrds and a cloud of dust. The Bucs lost an entire linebacking core to the NFL, but when has Coach Tressel not put together a solid D.
2) Oklahoma Sooners: Boomer Sooner baby, the Sooners got off to a shaky start in 2005 but finished strong. Look for them to pick up where they left off in their Bowl victory over Oregon. Sophomore QB Rhett Bomar finally gets it and has grown into his role as a starter. And oh yeah Adrian Peterson… remember him?
3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Brady Quinn is the top QB in the nation and looking for a Heisman Trophy. Jeff Samardzija is a top receiver who knows how to make the big play. Two questions that will plague the Irish the season: Painful schedule, once again the Irish may have bitten off more than they can chew. Second, is defense, ole Charlie is an offensive man remember?
4) West Virginia Mountaineers: Yeah, this feels strange saying this but you have to remember a few things. The Mountaineers played a hell of a game against UGA in the Sugar Bowl and look to build on that. Remember they play in the Big East the worse major conference in NC2A, so making a BCS game is not improbable.
5) Auburn Tigers: Looking for just a few small pieces in the blocking department. Other than that this is an experienced squad on both sides of the ball. What will hurt the Tigers is the same thing that hurts every SEC team the conference is too deep to produce a legit BCS Championship contender.
6) USC Trojans: Pete Carroll is still there and that is good for 3 wins alone. Throw in the Pac 10 factor and you can add another 3 wins and now you are well on your way to solid season and the players haven’t kicked in yet. If QB John David Booty stays healthy going into the fall there are still enough weapons around him to make him a productive QB. The biggest question will be how much longer can Carroll hold this empire together as the arrows of scrutiny and investigations begin to rain down.
7) Texas Longhorns: If one player had come back the Longhorns would have been the hands down number one team in the country. There are plenty of weapons left in the arsenal. RB Jamal Charles and safety Michal Griffin will anchor both sides of the ball respectively. Texas is lacking experience at QB neither of their prospect have taken an NC2A snap that could cause the Horns to drop quickly.
8) LSU Tigers: There’s a lot of talent of on offense for this team JaMarcus Russell should return from his nagging injuries to be productive and be an instant standout. Once again the brutal schedule of the SEC will prove to be the downfall for the Tigers. Playing on the road at Auburn, Tennessee, and in the Swamp at Florida is enough to test any team.
9) California Golden Bears: RB Rashard Lynch and WR DeSean Jackson return as the cornerstones of a high power offense. They also have the choice of two successful QB’s in Nate Longshore who ran took snaps last season, and Joe Ayob who ended up losing the job last year. New offensive Coordinator Mike Dunbar has installed elements of the spread offense and Ayob has flourished. Look for the Bears to make a move on a weak Pac 10.
10) Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines are an interesting team to look at for the 2006 season. Coach Lloyd Carr must come up with a big season in the newly expanded Big House. Chris Henne is returning as the starting QB and this should be the season it all clicks for him and joins the ranks of standout Michigan QB’s. RB Mike Hart is also healthy and looks to bounce back to the form he had in 2004. Throw in defensive coordinator Ron English to revamp the defense and the Wolverines have the chance to make some big noise in the Big 10.
11) Florida Gators: The Gators are in year two under Urban Myer. Chris Leak is returning for his senior year in what has been a colorful colligate career to say the least. In any other offense Leak would be the best QB in the nation however the Myer is sill not a perfect fit for him. Don’t be surprised if frosh Tim Tebow gets some snaps. Despite all that he is a smart enough player and, Myer is a smart coach with enough weapons around them (Dallas Baker and Cornelius Ingram) to overcome shortcomings to be a powerful offensive team. Now let’s see if they can take care of business on what will be a brutal schedule.
12) Louisville Cardinals: The biggest returning star for this program last season was Bobby Patrino turning down the Oakland Raiders offer. Louisville had a great season going till QB Brian Brohm hurt his knee. From all indications he is recovery quickly and ahead of schedule. Throw in the addition of Michal Bush who may be the best RB in the country and you have another dominate offense brewing down in Kentucky that most the world will never get the opportunity to see.
13) Florida State Seminoles: Every team at the top of the ACC has the same problems and FSU is no exception but may be the best of them. Returning QB Drew Weatherford has made major strides during winter workouts and spring training. This will be his second year as the starter and he’s ready to make his mark on the FSU football tradition. The defense is once again stout as the Noles were deeper than anyone thought last season.
14) Georgia Bulldogs: The Dawgs have a tenacious defense returning for the upcoming season. The will look to ride that defense and the legs of RB’s Thomas Brown, Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin. Now if they can find someone to play QB…
15) Nebraska Cornhuskers: It has been a long time since we could rank a Cornhuskers team this high but it appears the storied program is finally turning the corner. QB Zac Taylor showed in spring training that he has made the adaptation to the west coast offense. There is also a solid running game split between Lucky and Glenn at tailback. Throw in a weak Big 12 North and the Cornhuskers can make a run.
16) Oregon Ducks: The Ducks have flown under the radar for a long time now. They showed off a solid defense last season, and have rode that so far through the spring. QB Dixon is returning and the possible addition of former USC signee Derrick Jones at WR and the Ducks are poised for a big year.
17) Clemson Tigers: The Tigers have what should be a loaded offense. WR/RB Rendrick Taylor had an outstanding spring game piling up 174 yards of offense. Add in RB James Davis and new QB Will Proctor is a kid being giving the keys to a new Mercedes.
18) Iowa Haweyes: There are a lot of people who think the Hawkeye’s are the second best team in the Big 10 behind OSU. (Not us, go Big Blue) Drew Tate is another great QB coming out the Big 10 (where’d all these Midwest QB’s come from?) Add in a strong defensive line and talented safeties and Iowa can make some noise.
19) Miami Hurricanes: The Canes are sporting their best defense in years, which is scary. They will need that defense to dominate to make up for an offense that is rebuilding. New offensive coordinators, slow tailbacks and Kyle Wright are enough to hamper any offense. Luckily it’s a slow year in the ACC.
20) TCU Horned Frogs: The Horned Frogs have the potential to be the next non BCS team to break through. That will be determined if they can survive their first month of play (Baylor, Texas Tech, BYU and Utah). To help with survival the Frogs showcase a deep backfield with a power running attack that is enough to hurt most any defense.
21) Boston College Eagles: The Eagles have quietly put together a great program under Coach O’Brian. Their success is based around one of the best offensive lines in the country. BC controls the ball on offense and therefore often controls the game.
22) Penn State Nittany Lions: Joe Pa proved last year he still had a little left in the tank. Now the 2006 season will not be as story book as 05 was, losing 13 starters is never easy for any coach. Joe Pa will be happy that he got all those freshmen last season will come in handy as he will be looking for experience anywhere he can find it in the fall.
23) Virginia Tech Hokies: Coach Beamer always showcases a stiff defense and this year will be no exception with the return of Chris Ellis, Xavier Adibi, and Vince Hall. Now if he can overcome the scandals, the lost of four assistants, solid offensive production and late season choke jobs, Beamer and the Hokies will be able to make moves in the ACC.
24) Arizona State Sun Devils: Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter could be the best QB combo in the country. Throw in WR Terry Richardson and the Sun Devils will be prolific on offense. Good thing no one plays defense on the left coast.
25) Utah Utes: QB Brad Ratliff and WR Brian Hernandez both had coming out parties in last years bowl game when they torched Ga. Tech. The Utes proved they still know how to run the spread even without Urban Myer. They will be able to put up points against any opponent they play out west.
Date
Thu 06/08/06, 2:50 pm EST
