Blogpoll - 2010 College Football Preseason Ranking Begins With the Top Ten

Alright now I can buy into all of this except, Boise behind TCU, and Oregon in the top ten.

Boise has to be ahead of TCU. I will start off with the same logic you stated for Bama being #1, which I totally agree with, Boise beat TCU last game either team played so until knocked off that hill shouldn’t they be king? And also the team that won that returned 20+ starters, not sure of exact number. I don’t see any way to reason TCU ahead in this one?

Now with Oregon at number 10 I do understand your logic, if not them then who? Now with Masoli still running the offense I would completely agree and maybe put them even higher. Now they are falling back on a completely untested backup to run this offense.

In place of them, as much as I hate to admit it, I would pry put Miami. They showed serious talent last year. Harris is a stud that runs the O. If they get some consistancy I look for them is my dark horse, with the understanding that my beloved Huskers are picked by way to many people to stlii be considered a dark horse!

I’d like to think Nebraska is 6 or better, but they don’t deserve that in a “PRE” season poll. They’ve got a lot to prove on offense. I think (hope) they will prove deserving, but to give that rating, partially based on the bowl performance, doesn’t reflect the horrible offense we really saw last year.

Who else in your top 10 had anything near as bad an offense as we did? Are you really saying anybody that could win 10 games with that bad an offense deserves a top 10 rating? If you are going to drop anyone to add Texas, I’d recommend Nebraska. Now that is blasphemous, but if we want credibility in a preseason poll that’s my recommendation.

We did lose the all time winningest qb and our top receiver as well as our big time dt and start safety.
Not to mention a great linebacker as well.
Plus our offensive line doesnt look all that great.

But I think the place where we can most easily replace production is the safety position. Kenny Vaccaro, Blake Gideon, and Christian Scott all look to become big time players. I think we can increase the number of incerceptions we had from our safties despite losing earl.

At receiver we have a ton of talent. Although there have been some inconsistency issues I do think by the time we hit Ou Gilbert and crew should have alot of that figured out.

Our offensive line may have some issues. We had them last year too as evidenced by the Nebraska game. The squad this year has looked good at times and so long as they can run block and not let the pocket collapse at every opportunity we should be fine.

At qb we have a guy with all the talent in the world, and a winning pedigree. I have only really heard good things about him. It took him a little while to get into the flow of things but he was a blindside tackle away from potentially leading a game winning touchdown drive. He brought us back into the game and within 3. He has also looked really good in practice so I am going to go with we should be good here.

Our offense should be good. Defense elite. The most overlooked part of our team? Special teams. I dont know the number off the top of my head but our special teams is just about the most dangerous in all of college football. They have the ability to break away for a touchdown on just about any play.

But I’ll state my case for Texas:

1. I think we will have the best defense in the Big 12, and if not, we’ll have the best secondary at least, even without Earl Thomas. We are loaded at defensive end (the best DE unit from top to bottom in the country, in my opinion) and have quality linebackers. We have a question mark at DT next to Kheeston Randall and we have a question mark at safety without Thomas, but safeties Kenny Vaccarro and Christian Scott are coming along and we have options at DT. This is why we have more than a “lightning’s strike” chance of beating Oklahoma. I’m sure even OU fans would hesitate to call themselves such overwhelming favorites against Texas.

2. Garrett Gilbert is the real deal. He will have his new QB struggles and I’m expecting at least one of those WTF games where he turns the ball over three times (I’m hoping it doesn’t happen, but it’s reasonable to expect out of all new quarterbacks). But the guy can play.

3. We will definitely miss Shipley, but we have a ton of talent at wide receiver. It will be a dynamic unit that can make big plays, although no one is as reliable as Shipley was.

4. The run game will be better. I’m not expecting someone to just explode like Jamaal Charles, because we don’t have someone like him, but the new changes seem to be good ones and while we don’t have a stand out runner, that doesn’t mean we don’t have good runners. Tre Newton and Cody Johnson run with toughness and good vision.

5. As some above posters are pointing out, it is easy to see departures and problems on other teams. Oregon has a QB issue, Oklahoma has to replace guys like Gerald McCoy and try to improve a mediocre offensive line without Trent Williams, Ohio State needs to put together a passing game, Nebraska has Zac Lee at quarterback, Iowa’s offense also has issues, etc. Also, the talent differential from schools like TCU and Boise State to Texas is significant, especially when it comes to depth, although those two schools may finish with better records based on schedule.

With that said, I would agree that Texas at #4 might be a tad high, but it is not irrational as you make it seem, and Texas being in the Top 10 is pretty non-controversial. We had one of the best defenses in the country last year, and while we lose some pieces there like Houston, Thomas, and Kindle, most of the starters return. That alone will give us a chance in any game, and merits Top 10 consideration.

…With your preseason poll, are you looking to project the year-end finishes (which I am assuming based on your looking at schedule, conference winners, etc), or where you would place them in order right now (as you mention that you follow the rule of placing the reigning champ without any major issues at #1)? Just curious as they seem to be opposite directions.

Overall, I think you do a good job of rationalizing most teams placement in the top 10. I don’t know if I agree with Oregon, but I think whoever comes out of the Pac-10, unless it’s someone coming out at 8-4 from a 3-way tie, deserves merit in the top 10 end of season. While they don’t deserve a top ranking right now, I’m going to say something crazy and pick Oregon State to win the Pac-10. I also agree with many of the posters that Boise should be above TCU until given a reason to be lower. They do return essentially the same team minus a cornerback, and I don’t think that potential weakness will be exploited by run-focused Virginia Tech or Oregon State (Jacquizzzzzz!). Two other teams that I think will be hovering near the top 10 will be Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. While they may not have the same cred as teams in the SEC, Big Ten, or Big 12, Butch Jones has followed Brian Kelly before at CMU with a similar QB situation (proven mobile QB – Zach Collaros started 7ish games) and turned it into 2 league titles, admittedly in the MAC. I also love what Jon Baldwin, Dion Lewis and Greg Romeus did at Pitt and believe they will have a stronger (albeit less experienced) QB in Tino Sunseri. They don’t deserve top 10 rankings right now, but should be in the initial discussion, in my opinion.

I’m surprised at the general perception that Big Ten teams or conference as a whole are inferior, especially from the Texas posters, but I’m new to these parts. I think OSU is one of the top 3 football teams right now (pains me to say it), as much as Alabama should be in any top 3. I can see Iowa in an 8-9-10 spot, that’s not it. I think I just get a general feeling toward the conference as a whole.

From the side of me that is a general college football fan, I really hope we get some new contenders in the national title game, as well as some of the conference champions. We’ve had a rut of top teams dominating the conference landscapes (Florida, Bama, Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Cincy-what?) that I’m ready for something new. Count me in, Husker fans, I’ll be rooting for you to take the Big 12. Maybe someone like Arkansas or South Carolina coming out of the SEC? Wisconsin or – I CAN DREAM – Michigan in the Big Ten? Good preseason top 10.