With the college football season just around the corner, it’s time for me to get on the record about my predictions for the upcoming season. Hopefully by early January I’ll look like some spooky voodoo genius, but more than likely I’ll be getting emails in early October with links to this post, when my picks have already lost twice and are running out their third string quarterback to take snaps. I thought about breaking things down by conference, but to be honest, that is way more work than I felt like doing. So I decided to go with a pre-season top 5. I’ll save my Michigan football preview for later. So without further shenanigans, the picks. . .
5) Ohio State- It pains me to type these words, but the Buckeyes are loaded. 25 seniors return to last year’s Rose Bowl winner. Their non-conference schedule is a joke: three MAC schools, and Marshall from Conference USA. The light early season work should give Coach Tressel’s boys time to settle issues along the offensive line, leaving them undefeated going into a late November matchup at Iowa. Look for the Hawkeyes to defend their home turf and ruin Ohio State’s shot at a perfect season.
4) Virginia Tech- Tech is going to need to use a potentially explosive offense to overcome a tough schedule, bookended by a September 6 matchup with #5 ranked Boise State (read that again, doesn’t it just sound weird?) and a closing stretch that includes Georgia Tech and away games at Miami and North Carolina. I think that Tech drops one of those four (probably to Tech at home) which is why I have them at number 4.
3) Alabama- It didn’t take long for Nick Saban (A.K.A Satan Incarnate) to build a monster in the SEC. I suppose it’s easier to dominate and micro-manage the lives of 20-year-old indentured servants, than it is to dictate to grown men who can engage in collective bargaining. The talent is everywhere in Tuscaloosa, but it is mostly inexperienced on the defensive side of the ball. The offense returns Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, and Quarterback Greg McElroy and his undefeated career record. The players are there, but inexperience trips up the Tide, in what every ESPN talking head will tell you (ad nauseam) is the best conference in America.
2) Iowa- Call me crazy, but I think the Hawkeyes’ combination of a tough defensive front, veteran quarterbacking and favorable schedule will allow them to run the table in the Big Ten. While they will have to solidify their offensive line play with three new starters, they aren’t particularly young and should gel quickly. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is the key to Iowa’s hopes, some guys just possess some intangible quality that sets them apart at crunch time, and Stanzi is one of those guys.
1) Texas- The Longhorns looks to get back to the title game this year. Five-star talent all over the field, particularly at running back and in the secondary gives them a great shot at getting there. Like many teams Texas’ fortunes ride largely on their quarterback, Sophomore Garrett Gilbert, himself a top ranked high-school prospect, will have to be ready to step into the shoes of Colt McCoy. Gilbert gained experience in last year’s Nation Championship game, and although he struggled, he also showed flashes of brilliance. Texas has had success under Coach Mack Brown using young quarterbacks, with Chris Simms, Vince Young, and Colt McCoy all seeing significant playing time as freshmen. I expect Brown to lean on his running game early, and coax a stellar season from his young signal caller.
Well, those are my picks. Like I said, I’ll probably be wrong, which is one of the reasons college football is so exciting. Feel free to unload in the comments section that I left out Florida, or that Mack Brown is a terrible coach, or that the Pac-10 doesn’t get any respect. Check back this weekend for my Michigan preview.
No comments:
Post a Comment