Courtesy of www.beervanabuzz.com
To be clear these are the Preseason Rankings, but this is not where I think each team will end up at the end of the year. I'll make that post next week. That having been said, most of us have been starving for football since winter, so let's see where the Top 25 fall.
Courtesy of www.undergrad.osu.edu
1. The Ohio State University
Look I hate when people call Ohio State by this name, and I'm not at all a fan of TOSU, but hats off the Buckeyes. They went and flat out beat Alabama and Oregon in every facet of the game this January. They could literally play any of their 3 QBs and still win the B1G TEN going away. They deserve the top spot and The Pontiff doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.
2. TCU
TCU got snubbed last year, and they went into Atlanta in the Peach Bowl and made it known that they were pissed. I had a front row seat in the TCU section and spent 3 1/2 hours watching the Horned Frogs punch their opponents in the face and then punch them again for making their knuckles bleed. Trevone Boykin is a legit Heisman candidate and I pity anyone who has to face this team in the regular season.
3. Alabama
Major questions at QB and a fan base where anything less than a National Championship is a disappointment make coaching football at Bama extremely stressful, just ask Miss Terry. But, this team basically played a running back last year at QB and still made the playoffs. They have a strong defense, continue to get top recruits, and if Saban lets Kiffin open up the offense, they'll be favored in almost every game they play.
4. Michigan State
Sparty & Baylor put on a hell of a show in the Cotton Bowl. Dantonio has continued to build a Sabanesque program that emphasizes clock management with a tenacious defense. I doubt the B1G TEN will get 2 teams in at the end of the year, but if there's one team that could give Ohio State a run at the conference title, it's Sparty.
5. Oregon
The loss of Mariota is going to hurt the Ducks, but this team has repeatedly filled the QB spot with great player after great player without sacrificing wins. Oregon's fast-paced offense is a mismatch for most teams as opponents find themselves sucking wind by the 3rd quarter. While Helfrich recently got a much deserved raise, we'll see if he continues to succeed where Chip Kelly left off.
6. Baylor
It is abundantly clear, the two best football teams in Texas aren't the Longhorns and Aggies. How great thou Art and G-Patt have built two elite programs and they aren't about to let anyone take back what they've waited a long long time for. Gold chrome helmets and a Friday night lights story straight out of Hollywood have made the boys from Waco fun to watch. People thought Baylor would drop off after Bob Griffin left for D.C., but after seeing that they were better without him, Baylor has been getting a lot of respect. We'll see if they can find the next heir apparent now that Bryce Petty is off to New York.
7. Georgia
The Dawgs still have a question at the QB position, and Mark Richt has said he may play more than one QB against the Fighting Willie Robertsons next week. Still, expect a heavy dose all season of Nick Chubb. The Georgia offense lives and dies with its running game. By the way, that's not a FCS team that he just made that run against, that's Clemson.
8. FSU
The Florida State Criminoles. Oh how we have missed you. Seriously, it takes me back to the 90s when FSU was dominant and Bobby Bowden got a lot of late night phone calls. Jimbo has not missed a beat, and he's kept the Seminoles at the top of the ACC. He brought a National Championship back to Tallahassee all while making defense attorneys in the Florida state capital rich. Despite all the off the field issues, FSU has elite talent and it's unlikely they will see a huge drop-off this year in wins.
9. Auburn
I think the Tigers will be much improved, but they lost 5 games last year. Even with the addition of Coach Boom as their DC and what people on The Plains are calling the Second Coming of Cam Newton at QB, I still have questions about how bad that defense was. Muschamp will get them playing much better in 2015, but whether or not that leads to promised land remains to be seen.
10. Clemson
The Tigers think with Jameis gone from FSU, that the ACC is ripe for the taking. Clemson finished 10-3 last year after completely dismantling Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl. They don't have the easiest schedule, but they do get ND, FSU, and GT at home.
11. Notre Dame
With Golson off to Tallahassee, Notre Dame looks to Malik Zaire to lead them back to the National Championship. Brian Kelly has done a decent job at Notre Dame. He's won 8 or more games in each of his 5 seasons in South Bend, but outside of 2012, Irish fans feel as if their team has been underachieving. They get Texas, USC, and GT at home, while having to travel to Clemson and Stanford in 2015, if they win the games they'll likely be favored in they could be looking at a double digit win season.
12. USC
Someone might want to tell Sark that mixing prescription medications with alcohol is a bad idea. USC has a lot of talent, but I'm not sold on Sark as the next Pete Carroll. He's a decent coach, but I don't see him ever winning a National Championship at USC, barring some major changes. USC went 9-4 last year, and this year they have to go on the road at Arizona State, Notre Dame, and Oregon, all tough places to play.
13. UCLA
That other team in Southern California sits at No. 13 right behind the Trojans. The Bruins went 10-3 last year, but they lose their starting signal caller. That having been said, their schedule falls nicely, with only real big road games being at Arizona and at Stanford, with their annual game against the Trojans being played in The Coliseum.
14. Ole Miss
The Rebels fell apart down the stretch after the injury to Treadwell in the Auburn game. What looked like the potential for an epic season, turned into 9-4. This year though, they have arguably the best receiving corps in the country, a top 5 NFL draft pick at Left Tackle, a 1st round pick at Defensive Tackle, the SEC's best TE, and an elite defense. People still are questioning who their QB will be, but it's not really a mystery to insiders. Chad Kelly, barring an injury or extremely poor off the field decision will be the starter when the Rebels head to Tuscaloosa. The big question for this team in 2015 is can they run the football effectively?
15. Arizona State
The Fighting Rod Tidwells won 10 games last year. Last year, they were a dark horse to slip into the playoffs until the last couple weeks of the season. They'll have a very good defense this year, and will be bowl bound again. They don't get an easy start though, having to go to Houston to play Texas A&M in the first game of the season. On a related note...check out that helmet!
16. Georgia Tech
The Rambling Wreck capped off a nice season last year with an Orange Bowl victory in South Florida to give them 11 wins. Paul Johnson has done a phenomenal job with this program, implementing the Triple Option offense that virtually no one else in the country runs. The schedule this year looks a little more challenging having to play on the road at Notre Dame, Duke (I can't believe I'm saying that), and Clemson. Plus they have FSU, VT, and Georgia all coming to Atlanta. It is unlikely another Orange Bowl birth will happen this year, but the Yellow Jackets should still have a good season.
17. LSU
I know some people picked LSU to win the SEC West this year; how they reached that conclusion though I have no idea. Losing John Chavis is going to cause MAJOR problems for the Fighting Tigers. The number of times that defense bailed out mediocre play on offense in the Les Miles era is staggering. LSU will ground and pound the football with Fournette, and of course there will be some trickeration from the Mad Hatter, but this team isn't a true title contender. Their defensive line should be much improved with Ed Orgeron coaching in the trenches, but I'm not sold on Kevin Steele and LSU has big questions at QB.
18. Oklahoma
The Sooners had a down year last season, going 8-5, with losses to Kansas State, OK State, TCU, Baylor, and of course Clemson. Herbstreit has them picked to make the College Football Playoff this year, and I think they'll be improved, but they're still the 3rd best team in the BIG 12. Running Back Samaje Perine will be the deciding factor in how well Oklahoma does this year.
19. Missouri
Mizzou has gotten little respect from analysts despite winning the SEC East the last two years, but they don't take crap from anyone. This is their QB. There are many like him, but this one is their's. His name is Maty Mauk, he is 14-4 as a starter at Mizzou, and he's looking to make another trip to the SEC Championship. While the schedule starts out easy, the October 17th visit to Athens could decide who goes to Atlanta.
20. Boise State
The Blue Turf Boys went 12-2 last year capped off by an epic win against Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl. This year's schedule sees them having to go to Colorado State, and face Washington on Friday in a Chris Petersen homecoming. The Broncos return almost everyone on both sides of the ball, and if they can get an early win against the Huskies, they could be headed back to a big name bowl.
21. Wisconsin
What are the odds Barry Alvarez pisses off Paul Chryst, who then leaves at the end of the year, and then Barry pays himself $500K to coach the bowl game? That having been said, the Badgers did beat Auburn in OT in Raymond James Stadium, so maybe there's something to that. It'll be hard for Wisconsin not to see some regression with the loss of Melvin Gordon, but they should still be in decent shape. Cory Clement has some big shoes to fill, but he'll get plenty of opportunities this Fall.
22. Arizona
Despite a complete breakdown at the end of the Fiesta Bowl, Rich Rod has done a very good job in the desert. The Wildcats are coming off their best season in nearly 20 years, but this season's schedule is not going to be easy to navigate without some bumps and bruises. Arizona has to go on the road to Stanford, USC, and they have to play Arizona State in Tempe. Solomon as a freshman QB was inconsistent; he put up a lot of passing yards, but also completed less than 60% of his passes, and was sacked 38 times. If his sophomore season sees an improvement, the Wildcats could be contenders again for the PAC 12 South Title.
23. Stanford
The Cardinal under David Shaw have continued what Jim Harbaugh started. They've continued to dominate on defense, while relying on conservative play calling and a strong commitment to the run on offense. While this team went 8-5 last year, this Fall they get almost all their big name opponents at home. UCF, Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, and Notre Dame all have to go to Stanford. That's still a tough schedule, but it's a huge advantage that they get those teams at home. Their only real test on the road comes on September 19th against USC. If the cards fall right (terrible pun intended) Stanford could be headed to Levi's Stadium in December.
24. Texas A&M
The Aggies saw a big dip when Johnny Football left for Cleveland. Kevin Sumlin and his Swaggercopter swooped down into Baton Rouge and dropped a bag of money on John Chavis's lawn until he followed the Aggies back to College Station. Sumlin is a good coach, but he's gotten worse every year he's been in the SEC (11-2, 9-4, 8-5). His receiving corps is loaded with talent, but it will likely take a year or two to get that Chavis defense rolling.
25. Tennessee
The Vols believe Butch Jones is the new Phil Fulmer, and he's done a great job recruiting. However, he still has a losing record since coming to Knoxville. Tennessee should be improved this year and make some noise with Josh Dobbs, but I still think they're a year or two away from being a division title contender.
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