Filling In The Blanks
Never too early to talk college football
Soon rabid college football fans like myself will be gobbling up preseason college football publications. They will peruse the magazines from cover to cover with special attention focused to the team they follow and the conference they reside.
Of course their are preseason All-American teams, lists of Heisman Trophy favorites and the Top 25 are always interesting as well.
For the past several years I have thrown my hat into the college football prognostication ring. The research I do helps me stay informed about college football and fills a void between spring and fall sports.
This year, in addition to my Top Ten Countdown, I am going to (just for the heck of it) list the teams I have targeted at spots 11-25.
11. North Carolina – with 18 starters returning the Tar Heels might surprise.
12. Oregon – The Ducks lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but a bigger loss might have been that of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli who was arrested for burglary and suspended for the upcoming season.
13. Arkansas – The Razorbacks have nine starters returning on offense, including preseason All-American Ryan Mallett.
14. Florida State – Jimbo Fisher has some big shoes to fill but quarterback Christian Ponder and his Seminole teammates shouldn't have any trouble improving on last year’s record of 7-6.
15. Auburn – Auburn ended the year with an exciting 38-35 victory over Northwestern in the Outback bowl. The Tigers return eight starters on each side of the ball and should be a factor in the SEC.
16. TCU – TCU was one of two non-BCS conference teams to play in a BCS bowl game a year ago. They may not be as good this year, but still have plenty of cartridges left in the chamber.
17. LSU – This won't be one of the strongest LSU teams of the past decade, but they will still provide a stern test to anyone traveling to "Death Valley"; especially with Jordan Jefferson under center.
18. Nebraska – Last year the Corn Huskers relied on a stingy defense led by “all-world” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and finished the year with 33-0 shellacking of Arizona in the Holiday Bowl. Nebraska's defense might fall off a little, but with nine starters returning on offense there is no reason to expect the Corn Huskers to drop out of the top 20.
19. Miami – Miami returns eight starters on defense and has one of the best quarterbacks in college football, Jacory Harris.
20. WVU – Can Geno Smith get the job done under center? It seems as simple as that, with four of five offensive linemen returning along with explosive running back Noel Devine and 10 starters on defense. In fact, should the Mountaineers get solid play from their inexperienced quarterback, this ranking might be much too low.
21. Penn State – The Nittany Lions will have a tough time duplicating the 11-2 record from a year ago, but remain one of the premier programs in college football.
22. Stanford – Toby Gerhart is gone, but the Cardinal return eight other starters on offense including quarterback Andrew Luck.
23. Connecticut – UConn ended 2009 with an impressive victory over South Carolina in the PapaJohns.com Bowl and are primed to improve on last year’s 8-5 record with 16 starters returning.
24. Georgia – The Bulldogs hope to get back on top the SEC in 2010 and if their 44-20 pounding of Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl is any indicator, it could happen.
25. Oregon State – The Beavers lost their final two games a year ago, but don't let that fool you.ꆱ
