CSNbbs

Not sure if this is already posted yet but if not, here is ESPN's preseason top 25. It is likely to change a couple times before the season. I know preseason rankings don't mean schit, but for it's good to look at for discussion purposes. TMSU is listed at #20 and they are hyping up Omar Jacobs. I hope that Omar is a higher draft pick next year than Leinart.

<a href='http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=1959749' target='_blank'>http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/stor..._pat&id=1959749</a>

Quote:The Gatorade isn't even dry on Re-Pete Carroll's back, and already the talk is turning toward next season. Predicting the 2005 Top 25 in January might be the dumbest thing this side of Mark Bradley picking up that bouncing punt -- but it hasn't stopped us.


What follows is the first word on next season:


1. USC Trojans
Why: The answer is as obvious as a Reggie Bush cutback or a LenDale White power run. If even they lose their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to the NFL draft, the Trojans could be the unanimous preseason No. 1.


Why not: The only reason to bet against USC is the fact that nobody has won three straight AP national titles.


2. Texas Longhorns
Why: Vince Young will be back behind a veteran offensive line, and the recruits keep flooding into Austin.


Why not: Losing star linebacker Derrick Johnson and running back Cedric Benson will hurt, and Oklahoma is still on the schedule.


3. Michigan Wolverines
Why: Chad Henne, Michael Hart and Steve Breaston make a pretty awesome skill-position trio to build around.


Why not: Wide receiver Braylon Edwards made Henne look good on many occasions. The Wolverines face a major rebuilding job in the secondary.


4. Miami Hurricanes
Why: Something tells us the Hurricanes will be better without Brock Berlin. And the defense should be nasty.


Why not: Larry Coker needs to rekindle a Miami offense that seemed short on playmakers at times this year.


5. Oklahoma Sooners
Why: No team in America has a better building block than Adrian Peterson, and recruiting never slows down in Norman.


Why not: New quarterback. Rebuilt offensive line. Key losses on defense. And did the Sooners lose some of their aura during that mugging in Miami?


6. Tennessee Volunteers
Why: Three proven quarterbacks return, plus plenty of additional experience. And for once, the Volunteers have post-bowl momentum.


Why not: Vols will face significant losses to deal with at running back, offensive line and receiver, and might lose a couple other players to early entry.


7. Iowa Hawkeyes
Why: Almost the entire offense is back, and Kirk Ferentz has firmly established himself as one of the nation's elite coaches.


Why not: The Hawkeyes must do some rebuilding on the defensive front seven.


8. Florida Gators
Why: Take Chris Leak, Andre Caldwell and the rest of that gang, give them some improved coaching from Urban Meyer, and look out.


Why not: Well, losing Channing Crowder and Ciatrick Fason doesn't help. Plus, these guys don't know what it takes to win at the highest level. How quickly can they learn that?


9. Louisville Cardinals
Why: Bobby Petrino stuck around to play mad scientist with dazzling talents like quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush.


Why not: Even with all the players coming back, it's never easy to replace a great quarterback (Stefan LeFors), your top rusher (Eric Shelton) and top receiver (J.R. Russell).


10. LSU Tigers
Why: This team is littered with prep All-Americans, many of whom got valuable experience in a "rebuilding" 9-3 season.


Why not: After losing Nick Saban, it's hard not to think LSU settled for Les with Miles.


11. Virginia Tech Hokies
Why: Because Frank Beamer really doesn't have bad years, and because this year's 9-3 team was built around its junior class.


Why not: Losing quarterback Brian Randall could prove a bigger blow than anyone could have imagined at this time last year. Is Marcus Vick still in the picture?


12. Ohio State Buckeyes
Why: Ted Ginn seems like a wonderful place to start.


Why not: An NCAA investigation could turn into a mushroom cloud over Columbus.


13. Texas A&M Aggies
Why: Dennis Franchione took a step forward in Year Two in College Station. Look for a leap in Year Three.


Why not: Have to be concerned by how the Aggies finished the season, losing four out of five -- including a loss to Baylor and a 31-point shellacking in the Cotton Bowl from underdog Tennessee.


14. Fresno State Bulldogs
Why: Just about everybody of consequence is back from a team that won its last six games, including an upset of Virginia in the Micron PC Bowl. And next season, WAC heavy Boise State must come to Fresno.


Why not: Somebody unexpected always seems to jump up and get Pat Hill's team somewhere along the line.


15. Georgia Bulldogs
Why: Mark Richt's program is just about on autopilot, continually sustaining itself with excellent recruiting and good coaching.


Why not: Even a top-flight program will struggle after losing four-year quarterback David Greene, defensive end David Pollack, most of the receiving corps and probably a couple other defensive stars through early entry.


16. Arizona State Sun Devils
Why: The only major offensive loss is star quarterback Andrew Walter, and his backup, Sam Keller, played great in the Sun Bowl upset of Purdue.


Why not: The defense will have to be largely rebuilt -- and it was shaky at times anyway.


17. Florida State Seminoles
Why: It's not like losing Chris Rix is going to hurt. A good defense in '04 should be sensational in '05.


Why not: Key losses on the offensive line and in the secondary, and you have to wonder whether the talent level has taken an appreciable dip from the halcyon days in Tallahassee.


18. Boise State Broncos
Why: Dan Hawkins' program has a ton of momentum going right now, and brings back a lot of talent. Many people in Boise thought all along that '05 would be the Broncos' best team.


Why not: The offensive and defensive lines were exposed by the superior size and speed of Louisville in the Liberty Bowl.


19. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Why: Mike Leach will plug in another 4,000-yard quarterback and drive defensive coordinators crazy.


Why not: The Red Raiders still have to compete with Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M in the murderous Big 12 South.


20. Bowling Green Falcons
Why: If Matt Leinart goes pro, Omar Jacobs might be the top returning quarterback in the country. Coach Gregg Brandon deserves to see his name on future hot lists.


Why not: Most of Jacobs' receiving corps is gone.


21. Auburn Tigers
Why: Tigers should be very good up front on both sides of the ball, and bring back a posse of quality receivers.


Why not: No team could lose quarterback Jason Campbell, running backs Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown and defensive backs Carlos Rogers and Junior Rosegreen without some serious slippage.


22. Virginia Cavaliers
Why: The program has become an annual contender under Al Groh. Cavaliers' brightest skill-position stars are back (as long as stud tight end Heath Miller doesn't opt to go pro early).


Why not: There are some big losses to deal with on both lines, most notably offensive lineman Elton Brown, and Virginia didn't prove up to the task of taking down the ACC big boys last year.


23. Pittsburgh Panthers
Why: Resourceful quarterback Tyler Palko leads a strong cast of returning players.


Why not: Does Dave Wannstedt know what he's doing on the college level? For that matter, did he know what he was doing on the pro level?


24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Why: Plenty of players back from the Champs Sports Bowl champions, including almost the entire defense.


Why not: In three years under Chan Gailey, Tech has not been able to push past "decent" and into "good."


25. Iowa State Cyclones
Why: Quarterback Brett Meyer and wide receiver Todd Blythe, both sophomores, will be one of the top tandems in the country. Playing in the Big 12 North will help the Cyclones' record.


Why not: We'll see how this program performs with a bullseye (admittedly, a small bullseye) on its back.


Another Dozen To Watch
Alabama, Boston College, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Purdue, South Carolina, Toledo, Utah and Wyoming.

Oh great, the UT jinx, we're screwed

mossmaidi Wrote:Oh great, the UT jinx, we're screwed

My thoughts exactly! Do you play in Muncie this year? :D

Bowling Green will run the table. After beating USC in the Rose Bowl, the Falcons will beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl!

Omar also gets the Heisman and Urban Meyer will come home to roost!

As Rodney Dangerfield famously said, "We'are all gonna get laid!"

LakelandRocket Wrote:Bowling Green will run the table. After beating USC in the Rose Bowl, the Falcons will beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl!

Omar also gets the Heisman and Urban Meyer will come home to roost!

As Rodney Dangerfield famously said, "We'are all gonna get laid!"

And I finally wake-up from that nightmare. :snore: :snore: :snore:

Glad to see there won't be much pressure on us (NIU). We can just go about our business and have another good season. Maybe we will be able to sneak up on Toledo then.


I always root for MAC teams, until they play us. So I hope BG and Toledo have strong OOC seasons next year. I was talking to a BG alum friend yesterday and we both think that BG is going drill Wisconsin next year in Madison. By at least 2 TD's.

At NIU, I don't think we have much chance at Michigan, considering they are preseason #3, but I have my eyes on winning at Northwestern 2 weeks later.

Keep BG in the MAC West!

Go MAC!

The kiss of death for BG!

"the kiss of death for BG!"- isn't that another way of saying that you have been transferred to UT?

FalconFan1999 Wrote:"the kiss of death for BG!"- isn't that another way of saying that you have been transferred to UT?

How do you get transferred to UT? A student can transfer to UT, by their own free-will. However, I am not aware of anything that could force a student to transfer to UT; therefore I have to question your attempt at a comeback.

Those are fun to look at. Good to see BG and Toledo getting some pre-season respect.

We in H-town think the Herd will be back on the winning track this year and by the look of this list, will surprise a lot of people.

Chris from WV Wrote:We in H-town think the Herd will be back on the winning track this year and by the look of this list, will surprise a lot of people.

You ALWAYS think that. :D

We surprised a lot of people last year. . .

Many predicted Marshall to be MAC Champions. :(

If nothing else, at least we're surprising people. :rolleyes:

I can't say that I was surprised. I will, however, be surprised if Marshall has a good season next year. I think that the sanctions will still be felt for at least a few more years, even against weaker competition. I guess the main thing will come down to who your QB will be. Pruett has been able to overcome a lot of weaknesses on his teams with superb QB play. If he has a new Chad or Byron in the wings, who knows what will happen? I doubt that he does, and will have to rely on his running game, never a strong suit for Marshall, while breaking in a new QB.

To be perfectly honest, Pruett's success was not built on a solid foundation, and is most likely in decline. Conducting business the way he has rarely produces long term results. He should have been fired and replaced when it was discovered that he was doing things incorrectly. Instead of a fresh start and a freash chance, Marshall chose to stay on the same path. The effects of that may outlast the effects of the NCAA sanctions.

This poll has been out for some time and I emailed the author to correct his comment that BG had lost most of it's receiving corp. I mentioned that BG did lost Cole Magner and our starting tight end but
pointed out the returning Falcon receivers had 2686 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2004. I believe the receiving corp is the least of BG"s concerns heading into 2005.

If the offensive line jells with 3 new starters and can protect Omar the offense will be dynamic. It is the defense that needs to be upgraded.

Quote:Why: If Matt Leinart goes pro, Omar Jacobs might be the top returning quarterback in the country.

Personally, I think Jacobs is the top returning QB in the country...I still have nightmares from Mobile. :crying:

You're a little pale perhaps but otherwise not a bad looking guy I suppose. I hope you are right about Omar. It will be hard for him to duplicate last years numbers but even if he doesn't I believe he will be better in 2005.

Nice BB win over Louisville the other night. The Tigers seem to be coming on strong.

falcon flier Wrote:You're a little pale perhaps but otherwise not a bad looking guy I suppose. I hope you are right about Omar. It will be hard for him to duplicate last years numbers but even if he doesn't I believe he will be better in 2005.

Nice BB win over Louisville the other night. The Tigers seem to be coming on strong.

I'm not trying to show off my good looks...just one of the most exciting (sports-wise) times in my life...the ONLY time Memphis has beaten Tennessee. That upright went home with me and a few friends (not pictured). Besides...how can you tell how I look under all the face paint.

Jacob's 2004 numbers were simply amazing. It may be hard to duplicate statistically (3 INTs all season?!? WTF?), but I'm scared to see what a more experienced version can do.

I thought Memphis beat the Vols twice in a row back in the mid-90s. Is my recollection that foggy?

Ohio will play three ranked teams from this list plus Toledo in the next 12. We also have @Northwestern and Miami to play. That probably 6 bowl teams. This schedule will also mean plenty of ESpn coverage from highlights and games. This is the kind of schedule that will help that MAC get better ratings. Ohio's Strength of Schedule such be a plus for the MAC. An early upset could put cats on the national map(Pitt?).

Papa Lou BSU Wrote:I thought Memphis beat the Vols twice in a row back in the mid-90s. Is my recollection that foggy?

Unfortunately, yes it is. The only victory Memphis has EVER had against the hated Volunqueers was in 1996. We've come close several other times only to see them pull out the "W" in the final minute, but only 1 victory.