Today I picked up Lindsey's Southeastern preseason magazine....(yeah, I know.......I can't help it! ).

They are a BIT more positive about USC.......ranking us 53rd and taking a "talented, but young" approach to the analysis of our season. We are really looked down upon offensively.......ranked dead last at the QB position in the SEC (hard to argue......stats from last year's offensive rankings have us in the bottom 10 of the entire nation!! Owwwcchhh!).

But the key, according to Lindsey, is our young talent.....which they tended to look upon more favorably than either Athlon or Sporting News. They are very high on Summers, Strophshire, Newton......and especially Mitchell. Mitchell is the only Gamecock recruit listed among "difference makers" in the SEC among all freshman. Interesting. They rank us 10th in the nation in recruiting, our highest ranking ever by Lindsey. We were 13th last season, and that was the previous high.

Like the other mags, they stress this year is critical for Lou and the future transition to Skip. Getting back to ANY bowl game is a reasonable goal, according to Lindsey. I didn't get that impression from SN.....and certainly not Athlon.

I'm not exactly whistlin' a happy tune about the upcoming season........but at least it appears we have some raw talent.

Did I read that right, they only listed Mitchell as a difference maker? Not Mitchell AND Summers?

I bought that one today. It's a great mag except they picked UT to win the SEC East......

1st and Goal Wrote:Did I read that right, they only listed Mitchell as a difference maker? Not Mitchell AND Summers?

Yep. Weird, ain't it?

That's nothing. Athlon lists Summers....get this......NO. 100 among the top 100 freshman.......dead LAST. WHITESIDE is ranked number eighty-something.....wayyyy ahead of Summers!! I don't get it either. No other Gamecock recruit is in their top 100. Not a one.

Naturally, Eric Young, who we lost to Tennessee, is in their top 10. And that has me wondering. I still say these ratings are affected by a program's reputation. One wonders that, had WE been the ones to land Young, if he still would've been in their top 10. Or do these magazine editors say to themselves "Hey.....this guy signed with Tennessee, so he MUST be great. But this guy signed with South Carolina, so he can't be all that good." I dunno. But I'll bet you anything that if we ever have a couple of big seasons in a row....double digit wins.......you'll suddenly see our recruits get better recognition. It's stupid.....but I really think that's how the media perceives things.

As for you Dogs fans, you OUGHT to love these mags. They're practically drooling all over you guys!!



<!--EDIT|Galactus|Jun 4 2003, 09:33 AM-->

Athlon's good for some nice game day pics, some feel good stories, & a good spread on hot chicks. Not much more. Lindey's not much different. I stopped reading them both several years ago.

If I'm going to look at any of them it's usually Street & Smith, or TSN.

Agreed. For real good info, Sporting News and Street & Smiths rule. I like Sporting News' design......and S&S is really good for getting the schedules of every team in the nation, including Division 1-AA, Div. II, etc.

The best thing about Linsey's Southeastern (and other regional) editions is their rosters......which I've found to be more extensive and complete than rosters in either S&S or Sporting News. TSN usually just highlights the two deep depth chart and the stars........but there are no complete rosters.

Ath-wrong is by far the weakest of the bunch.

Understand.....none of these mags I've picked up are the national mags as of yet. Those are two or three weeks away. These are just the southeast editions which focus on this part of the country. I think my favorite pages in the national mags are the schedule listings of every team in the nation.

Some interesting matchups this year to say the least. North Carolina plays AT Wisconsin and hosts Syracuse. NC State plays AT Ohio State. Georgia Tech's got a date at Auburn and they host BYU. Arkansas renews it's rivalry with Texas. Alabama has a big rematch with Oklahoma. Furman is playing at Clemson to probably lose for the upteenth time in Death Valley. I'll miss the Auburn-Southern Cal rematch this year, since I plan on attending the South Carolina-Louisiana Lafayette game.



<!--EDIT|Galactus|Jun 4 2003, 11:51 AM-->

Just an FYI......

I believe it's Lindy's. Not Lindsey's.......

You are correct!

Drakeman Wrote:Athlon's good for some nice game day pics, some feel good stories, & a good spread on hot chicks. Not much more. Lindey's not much different. I stopped reading them both several years ago.

If I'm going to look at any of them it's usually Street & Smith, or TSN.

and who was on the cover of street and smith??????????

i think it was some unc player, or maybe state. i'll have to look again next time im at the beer store........

Drakeman Wrote:i think it was some unc player, or maybe state. i'll have to look again next time im at the beer store........

true

Galactus Wrote:That's nothing. Athlon lists Summers....get this......NO. 100 among the top 100 freshman.......dead LAST. WHITESIDE is ranked number eighty-something.....wayyyy ahead of Summers!!

Now that's just damned ridiculous. Shows you how reliable those magazines are. That's probably the furtherest off the mark any publication could have been. He was without a doubt, America's most wanted last February. How does anyone miss that? The only way I think you could not know that is to simply not know jack-$#!% about college football.

FWIW, I get as many different magazines as I can and cross-reference specific information about specific teams in order to get a good feel for how they may or may not be in the fall. I have yet to see any one publication which is even relatively on the mark year after year. Last year, I thought Street and Smith's national circulation edition was the absolute worst.

Amazing isn't it, Samurai? I think they are off the mark on the less-traditional programs........they probably just keep up with the Southern Cals, Michigans, Floridas and Miamis of the world......but beyond that, they seem clueless.

BTW, guys, thanks for the correction. It IS Lindy's. Sorry.......I've been moving to a new galaxy over the past couple of weeks.......I'm braindead right now. :snore: