How can you tell college football season is almost upon us? Because the time has come to cast our preseason ballots in the SB Nation BlogPoll. Here is my initial top 25:
Dawg Sports Ballot - Week 19
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 4 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 5 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -- |
| 6 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -- |
| 7 | Clemson Tigers | -- |
| 8 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 9 | West Virginia Mountaineers | -- |
| 10 | Michigan St. Spartans | -- |
| 11 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | -- |
| 12 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 13 | Michigan Wolverines | -- |
| 14 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 15 | Georgia Bulldogs | -- |
| 16 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 17 | Florida St. Seminoles | -- |
| 18 | Texas Longhorns | -- |
| 19 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -- |
| 20 | Florida Gators | -- |
| 21 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -- |
| 22 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 23 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -- |
| 24 | Auburn Tigers | -- |
| 25 | Southern Miss. Golden Eagles | -- |
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
Explanations follow after the jump.
Here are a handful of observations concerning the foregoing:
- At this point, it’s largely guesswork. Many teams will be overrated, many others will be underrated, and only time will tell. If something in those rankings strikes you as indefensibly wacky, feel free to let me know, but there’s no use getting upset about it. If I’m wrong---and, rest assured, I will be quite mistaken about a great deal of it, as will everyone else---we’ll both know it soon enough.
- I have been a faithful BlogPoll voter since 2005, and I know this to be true: There are never, ever ten teams worthy of being ranked in the top ten, nor are there ever 25 teams deserving of inclusion in the top 25. Frankly, we should go back to having an old-style top 20.
- I entertain serious doubts about Southern California (Lane Kiffin is the Trojans’ coach, for which I dock USC ten poll positions, not out of animosity, but out of realism), Michigan (Brady Hoke is the Wolverines’ coach), Georgia (we went meh-and-four last year), Arkansas (John L. Smith is the Razorbacks’ coach, and Bobby Petrino isn’t), Florida State (a decade spent on the verge of an unrealized resurgence will do that to a team), and Notre Dame (two decades spent on the verge of an unrealized resurgence will do that to a team). Show me something on the field, folks.
- What in my recent experience would lead me to believe Louisiana State, Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Boise State won’t wind up ranked approximately in the vicinity in which I have placed them?
- The only basis for objecting seriously to my placement of South Carolina, Clemson, and Michigan State is prejudice based on the two decades preceding the last two years, which has nothing to do with present program strength.
- The poll positions of Oklahoma State, Texas, Nebraska, and Texas Christian attest to just how little sense the Big 12 makes to me this year. The Horned Frogs are in the Big 12, right?
- I’m a Georgia fan. I twitch when I think of either orange or Urban Meyer. That may be the only reason I can muster for ranking Florida, Ohio State, or Auburn, but I’m sticking to it, dang it.
- In keeping with my established tradition, and with special significance on the day Sunday Morning Quarterback’s return to SB Nation was announced, I have awarded my preseason No. 25 ranking to Southern Miss as a tip of the cap to the best college football writer in the blogosphere, Matt Hinton, a USM alumnus.
Those are my thoughts. As always, I welcome yours.
Go ‘Dawgs!