I know that as much as we all like to talk about how great our respective college football teams are gonna be in the coming fall because of preseason polls we all really have no clue as to how the season will play out. NEWS FLASH!!! Neither do those guys as ESPN. <------ If you reference this link you will understand what I am talking about. It is a link to the 2012 College Football Preseason rankings by ESPN last year. They were just about as clueless as JAMES is when he gets dunked on repeatedly by FROGGY FRESH.
After writing about something so serious I thought I would be good to take a minute and write about college football again.
Last season the people at ESPN said that USC was the #1 team in the country and Notre Dame was #25. Boy, were they wrong and boy will they be wrong again this season. ESPN and all of these supposed experts never predicted a few years ago that Appalachin State would defeat Michigan and completely derail a football program for several years. No one except Notre Dame thought the Irish could play for the National Championship last year. Even though I don't like Top 25 polls at the beginning of the season lets look at one and examine whether or not some of these teams actually have a shot at playing for a national championship this season. The poll I will utilize will be the Bleacher Report Pre-Pre Season College Football Poll.
USC somehow made it into this poll at #24. Here is the long and short of it. As far as I have seen Lane Kiffin cannot coach by himself. The problem at USC has never been the talent. The problem is the coaching staff. There are some guys who are just better as coordinators. Case in point Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, Kansas and every other football program he has been head coach of. Kiffin could not coach at Tennessee and he is experiencing the same problems in his tenure at USC. Good luck Trojans.
Ole Miss arrives in this poll at #20. Ole Miss staggered to another 7-6 season last year which is mediocre considering the talent that Hugh Freeze has been able to Oxford. Let's face it the Ole Miss Rebels have not been relevant in 50 years and unless Robert Nkemdiche is all he is cracked up to be in his first season the Rebels will be irrelevant again this season.
Texas rolls in to this poll at #16. Bad news Texas fans. I am afraid it is going to be another long year for Mack Brown and the boys in Austin. One reason is because the Big 12 Conference and the Texas Longhorns became the bottom feeder of the two big schools the minute they decided to spurn the SEC and allow the Missouri Tigers to take their place they began losing recruits. The other issue for the Longhorns they just can't seem to figure out who the quarterback is going to be. Without steady leadership it doesn't matter how much talent you have. The reason the Longhorns were so good were for so long was because of three guys and they weren't on the coaching staff they were named Vince Young, Major Applewhite, and Colt McCoy. Sorry Mack Brown David Ash and Case McCoy are not even close to any of these guys.
Oklahoma comes in at #15. I would say more about Oklahoma but Bob Stoops, his players and coaching staff are the biggest choke artists in the last fifteen years of college football. Enough said.
Louisville comes in at #14. However, I think this might be the most underrated team in the entire preseason poll. The Cardinals are locked and loaded with a guy named Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater destroyed the higher ranked and unmotivated Florida Gators. Bridgewater is a true college football talent. As Bleacher Report has stated the only issue the Cardinals will have is if their rather unknown defense can step up and help them make a run for the National Championship. At this point I would point to the Cardinals being a dark horse candidate for the championship game.
Florida rolls into the poll at #10. What? Are you serious? When you look at the Gators schedule and how the talent level has fallen out in Gainesville you will notice that the Gators might only win five games this season. Florida's wins will probably come against teams that are suffering from the same issue they are. Lack of talent. The main problem for the Gators is they really do not have a running game and Jeff Driskel might be a prototypical sized quarterback but so is my cousin and he can't throw the ball either. There is no doubt Driskel can chunk the rock but he can't read defenses or react fast enough when the pocket collapses around him. I will boldly say it. For the first time in a long time Vanderbilt will finish higher than the Gators who will be hanging out with Kentucky and Tennessee in the SEC East cellar at the end of the season.
LSU comes in at #9. There is not a lot to say except this. If Les Miles does what Les Miles does and Zach Mettenberger can improve his accuracy and the LSU passing game the Tigers have the talent to dethrone the Crimson Tide and take control of the SEC West. However, the best these Tigers do is come away with one loss this season and lose the west again to Alabama.
Clemson comes is at #8, South Carolina is at #7, and Texas A&M is #5. In all reality all but one of these teams could sneak into a contention for the National Championship. That would be Texas A&M. Just so Kevin Sumlin and Johnny Manziel know everybody in the country has been watching film for 8 months figuring out ways to shut down Johnny Football. The honeymoon in the SEC for the Aggies is over. Texas A&M and Johnny Football will not be major factors this year in the world of football. Especially in the SEC West. Nick Saban will make sure that Kirby Smart and the boys in Tuscaloosa are more than prepared for The Aggies this time. If Clemson can get past UGA and South Carolina on their schedule then be looking for the Tigers to be playing for it all in January because, Florida State is simply under talented and overrated. If South Carolina and Jadaveon Clowney can get over the hump and win the SEC East they will finally have a shot at the SEC Championship and could easily write their tickets to the National Championship game.
UGA comes in at #4. This might be a bit of a stretch for the Bulldogs this season. Here are some reasons why. The Dawgs have early season test like they have not seen since the early 1980's. Clemson is a challenge that may have the Bulldogs dragging their knuckles the next week against the USC Gamecocks. The one game where the Dawgs offensive line cannot afford to be tired is the USC game. Say what you will Jadaveon Clowney is the most talented defensive player in the SEC and I am sure before he leaves for the NFL he really wants to make a run at a national championship. Georgia is almost completely rebuilding a defense that was proven and powerful last season. The Bulldogs have reloaded but the new ammunition may not be a potent as the last volley thrown at the SEC East. Aaron Murray, Keith Marshall, Todd Gurley, Malcolm Mitchell, and Michael Bennett will have to outscore Clemson and South Carolina for the Bulldogs to win. Also, don't forget LSU comes to town in week 4 and they will be no small challenge for the Bulldogs either. UGA could win it all but they cold also start out 1-3 looking up at the rest of college football dazed and confused.
Oregon is at #3, Ohio State is at #2, and Alabama is #1. Plain and simple anyone of these teams can win it all. The Ducks are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and with a sophomore quarterback named Marcus Mariota and if you don't know who he is you will by the end of this college football season. The Ducks don't really have a flaw anywhere so their destiny and an undefeated season is in their hands. Ohio State and coach Urban Meyer are loaded like the Ducks. They have another special talent at quarterback Braxton Miller. With a perfectionist coach like Meyer and a year like last year the BIG10 has it's first real contender against Alabama. Alabama is more loaded than loaded. I would dare to say that the Crimson Tide could beat at least 2 NFL teams 9 out of 10 times they played them. What is the guiding force behind these teams? Two things A.J. McCarron and Nick Saban. Those are the two things that have not changed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. So, the Tide will again make a run for it, and the Buckeyes and Ducks will probably fight it out for who gets to play Alabama for it all. But just like I said. I really have no idea how things are gonna play out in this scenario.
The sleeper of this college football season will be Vanderbilt. These guys are now competitors. Vanderbilt is the new Tennessee and the Volunteers have been reduced to the status of cellar dweller.
If I insulted your team or didn't do them justice just realize this is my opinion and it doesn't matter for much. Also, I have no idea if any of these scenarios will play out. For all I know the Colorado Buffaloes could win the PAC 12 and ARMY could win three games in a row this season. Who knows? See y'all on Aug 31st for kickoff.
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