Preseason Rankings 2008

I'm still working on the formatting. It seems that blogger has changed around a little since my last rankings. I may not be able to to the same format.

Now many of you who read this, may notice some similarities to the way I do my poll, and the way Stewart Mandell of Sports Illustrated does his. I will admit that I like his format and modeled mine after that format. Also, I agree that the poll shouldn’t try to be a prediction of the final poll, but a representation of where the teams are currently. This is of course just my opinion of the matter.

I also like Mandell’s mailbag column. I often find myself disagreeing with Stewart, but respect his writing and his knowledge of College Football. I hope that people would grant me the same. If anyone would like a particular topic address, or simply a question answered, please send an email to me and I will incorporate it into this blog.

I anticipate that much like last year, I should have weekly rankings and wrap-ups of the weekends games. I may also blog concerning other topics dealing with the teams, particularly the teams that I follow, religiously. Since we are truly at the beginning of the College Football season, and the games won’t begin for nearly two months, I may not be as regular in my posting, but if you would like to see more, please let me know.

1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (Last Season 11 – 2)
They finished the season strong and many felt that they deserved a shot for the National Championship. They lost out to LSU for that bid, but with their returning team they get the top spot.

2 GEORGIA (Last Season 11-2)
The Bulldogs were in the mix for playing for the National Title last year. The lost mostly because they didn’t win their conference. They have an experience quarterback and a solid running back.

3 OKLAHOMA (Last Season 11-3)
The Sooners keep disappointing in bowl games. They appear to be one of the best in the nation and then blow their bowl game. This affects their rankings with many, but with me, I think they have one of the best teams and could fix their bowl woes this year.

4 OHIO STATE (Last Season 11-2)
The return much of their team that played in the National Championship game. I’m just not a big believer. They should win the Big 10 again this year.

5 MISSOURI (Last Season 12-2)
Chase Daniels must be a favorite to win the Heisman. They lose their speedster Tony Temple, but they need to get past the Sooners. Losing to them twice keeps the Sooners ahead of them.

6 LOUISIANNA STATE (Last Season 12-2)
They win the National Championship for the second time in 5 years, but they lose many starters. They suspended quarterback Perriloux, though I wasn’t ever fully buying him as a quarterback, so they have no experience at quarterback.

7 TENNESSEE (Last Season 10-4)
I like this team. The will miss Eric Ainge at quarterback, but they should be reloaded for this season. Phil Fulmer has had too many “down” years for this to be another.

8 FLORIDA (Last Season 9-4)
Two pre-season polls this year have the Gators at number 1. The reason is that they attempt to predict the final poll. I put the teams in order where they are today. With Tebow, they could have a pretty good team.

9 TEXAS (Last Season 10-3)
This is the third year for Colt McCoy. Will he be the freshman phenom he was, or will his sophomore slump continue on. I think he’ll bounce back.

10 AUBURN (Last Season 9-4)
They have another pair of running backs that should cause some problems for defenses. They have a returning quarterback and a good coaching staff. With a new offense, we’ll see how they adjust.

11 TEXAS TECH (Last Season 9-4)
Michael Crabtree. This young man could win games by himself, but he has the benefit of a returning quarterback in Harrell. They have some new talent on defense too.

12 BRIGHAM YOUNG (Last Season 11-2)
They are returning just about everyone from their potent offense. They have strong linebackers, and their secondary is being replaced, and that is actually a good thing.

13 KANSAS (Last Season 12-1)
This was probably the best defense in the Big 12 last year. They should be as good this year. QB Todd Reesing has a year under his belt, and it was a pretty good year, but he lost some of his protectors on the offensive line.

14 CLEMSON (Last Season 9-4)
The Tigers have some players on defense that should make them pretty good. Will their defense be able to keep them in games when their offense struggles?

15 WISCONSIN (Last Season 9-4)
Did you know that PJ Hill was still in school? This must be his 12th year. It seems like he was playing while I was in school. He will have some help in the backfield with freshman John Clay.

16 ARIZONA STATE (Last Season 10-3)
They were pretty good last season. They had an explosive offense and have a returning quarterback. Their defense showed potential in spring drills.

17 PENNSYLVANIA STATE (Last Season 9-4)
They have the talent to compete for the Big 10 title. They have an excellent freshman running back, Stephfon Green, and JoePa has shown he’s not afraid to use freshmen.

18 OREGON (Last Season 9-4)
This team could have been playing for the National Championship last year if Dennis Dixon didn’t get hurt. They return some good receivers and some good secondary. Last years misfortune has helped develop QB Justin Roper.

19 WEST VIRGINIA (Last Season 11-2)
Pat White returns, and so does Noel Devine. They lost many starters and lost their coach. Can they pull this together for another run at a National Title or at least a BCS game?

20 ILLINOIS (Last Season 9-4)
QB Juice Williams returns, but he will miss Mendenhall in the backfield. They should find away to play without him, but they need someone to step up to fill that void.

21 CINCINNATI (Last Season 10-3)
The Bearcats return plenty of weapons on offense, and they will have senior quarterback assuming Grutza can hold off Demetrius Jones, Notre Dame transfer.

22 VIRGINIA TECH (Last Season 11-3)
Sean Glennon is back again. This is another guy that seems like he’s been here forever. Didn’t he split reps with a Vick? The lost a lot of Defense, but they always seem to field a good defense and special teams.

23 ALABAMA (Last Season 7-6)
This is Saban’s second year at ‘Bama. He made progress in his second year everywhere he’s been, except in Miami. They return QB John Parker Wilson and RB Terry Grant.

24 OREGON STATE (Last Season 9-4)
Wide Receiver Sammie Stroughter missed last season, but had a big year the year before. I expect him to put up big numbers in the passing game this year.

25 UTAH (Last Season 9-4)
Last year they were riddled with injuries and still pulled off a great season. This year with an experience Brian Johnson at QB, the Utes could be undefeated come November for an instate showdown.

Also Considering: Pittsburg, Michigan, Boise State, Florida State, Wake Forest, Notre Dame