2012 preseason Top 25 (really?)

[goDAWGSsicem]

A Very Early College Football Top 25 for 2012 | AthlonSports.com

1. LSU – Regardless of what happens in the national championship game, expect to see the Tigers start the year ranked No. 1 in many preseason polls. The offense will have to replace quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, but Zach Mettenberger is talented, and the offense can lean on a talented rushing game to ease him into the starting lineup. The defense suffers a few losses, but cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and end Sam Montgomery will keep this unit among the nation’s best. One scheduling break: LSU will host Alabama next season.

2. USC – Will he or won’t he? That’s the question surrounding quarterback Matt Barkley. If the junior decides to enter the NFL Draft, the Trojans will tumble in our next release of a very early preseason top 25. However, should Barkley and left tackle Matt Kalil decide to return for their senior year, it could be a special season for USC. And if both players return, the Trojans may overtake LSU for the No. 1 spot.

3. Oregon – The Ducks have claimed the Pac-12 title for three consecutive seasons and could be in line for a fourth. If Matt Barkley returns to USC, Oregon will likely be picked just a couple of spots behind the Trojans in preseason polls. Should Barkley leave, the Ducks will likely be in the top three of many preseason polls. Running back LaMichael James is likely leaving for the NFL, but replacements Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas are more than capable of keeping this offense among the best in the nation.

4. Alabama – Trent Richardson is likely off to the NFL, and the defense will have to replace several key contributors. However, don’t expect that to stop Alabama from contending for the national title next season. Quarterback AJ McCarron will have to carry this team early on, but the offense will get a boost from running back Dee Hart, who missed all of 2011 with an ACL tear. The Crimson Tide open the year with an intriguing non-conference battle against Michigan.

5. Georgia – Expect the Bulldogs and South Carolina to be picked at the top of the SEC East once again next season. With Texas A&M and Missouri coming into the conference, the schedules for both teams are up in the air, but that matchup could go a long way towards determining the division champ. Aaron Murray returns as the SEC’s top quarterback, and the defense will remain among the nation’s best. However, the offensive line will be a major question mark entering spring practice.

6. Ohio State – After a disappointing 6-6 record this season, expect the Buckeyes to rebound in a big way in 2012. Urban Meyer was a home run hire, and it won’t be long before Ohio State is back in the national title discussion. Quarterback Braxton Miller should thrive in Meyer’s spread offense, while a young group of receivers should be better next year. The offensive line has a few holes, which loses center Mike Brewster and tackle Mike Adams. Unless defensive lineman John Simon bolts for the NFL, the Buckeyes will have nine returning starters on defense.

7. Oklahoma – Quarterback Landry Jones could enter the NFL Draft, but appears more likely to return for Norman for his senior year. The Sooners clearly missed receiver Ryan Broyles since his ACL tear, but spring practice will allow the offense plenty of time to get Kenny Stills, Jaz Reynolds and Kameel Jackson more acclimated into roles that will allow the passing game to click. The Sooners should be strong on defense, but will miss defensive end Frank Alexander.

8. Florida State – Sure, the Seminoles may have been one of 2011’s most disappointing teams, but there’s too much talent to expect another 8-4 record. Injuries to quarterback EJ Manuel and the receiving corps early in the year slowed the progress of the offense. In order for Florida State to win the ACC, the rushing attack and offensive line has to be better next season. The defense is filled with talented underclassmen and should be one of the best in the nation.

9. Michigan – 10 wins – including one over Ohio State – was a terrific debut for Brady Hoke at Michigan. But 2012 could be even better. Quarterback Denard Robinson returns, along with running back Fitzgerald Toussaint to form a potent one-two combination on offense. The line will have to be rebuilt, but left tackle Taylor Lewan is a good starting point. The defense showed major progress this season and should only get better next year.

10. Virginia Tech – It’s a close call between the Hokies and Florida State for the very early No. 1 spot in the ACC predictions. For now, the edge goes to the Seminoles. The Hokies fell short of winning the ACC Championship this year, but return a solid core for 2012. Quarterback Logan Thomas will only get better with another round of offseason practices, while Marcus Davis and D.J. Coles should emerge as the new go-to threats at receiver. The biggest concern on offense will be the line, which has to replace four starters. Running back David Wilson could also depart for the NFL. The defense is likely to only lose one or two players, and should challenge Florida State for the best unit in the conference.

 

[MarkOU]

@ at Ohio State going 6-6 and already getting preseason top 10 hype.

Thats fucking wack. Who wrote that shit? Is he a buckeye?

 

[goDAWGSsicem]

@ at Ohio State going 6-6 and already getting preseason top 10 hype.

Thats fucking wack. Who wrote that shit? Is he a buckeye?

Never heard of him... googled him, he's from Tennessee...

 

[HighTide]

I don't think we will be top 5 good next year.

 

[goDAWGSsicem]

I don't think we will be top 5 good next year.

Sweet, so tha moves UGA up to 4! LOL

 

[HighTide]

Sweet, so tha moves UGA up to 4! LOL

If Robinson comes back, I would say Michigan should be the favorite in the game.

Honestly though, I don't even know who is leaving yet.

 

[ugafan6612]

the Big seems too inconsistent to have an undefeated team next season.

 

[rolltide14_0]

I don't think we will be top 5 good next year.

I disagree a little bit. I think we will lose a lot on defense, but thanks to Saban we are pretty deep, we got some good talent coming in to stock up the secondary, and I think Sunseri is gonna be a beast in the secondary. That dude loves to knock off heads. Our defense is still gonna be stout, there will be a drop off in the secondary like last season, but even last season we still had a top 5 defense in the country.

As for the offense, this might sound crazy, but I think it will be better whether Trent stays or goes. Eddie Lacy is a damn good running back and it wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't getting some Heisman hype somewhere along the season, then you got Dee Hart coming back from that injury, he's gonna provide that speed that will counter Eddies power and SPIN MOVE!! And lets not forget Kenyan Drake coming in next season also, he's gonna be special. At WR, yes we lose two reliable seniors, but we have some very young and talented WR's this year, not to mention the great WR class that Saban is bringing in this year with Cooper and Black. The offensive line will take a hit without our Outland winner Barrett, but I got a good feeling about the Kouanjio brothers. Also, anybody can say what they want about AJ McCarron, but I think he is the most talented QB we've had in a while. This is his first season as a starter and he's done a very good job of running our offense, I think he will be a great QB next year.

My best and worst case scenario,

Best case, our young secondary catches on quicker than we expect and we finish the regular season 12-0.

Worst case, our secondary struggles to stop the pass and we finish the regular season 9-3, with 3 close losses.

My prediction is 10-2 for the season.

No matter what it's gonna be a good year. If we're not in the title race next year, we most certainly will be in 2013.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Fight On \/

 

[Cobrabit]

8. Florida State – Sure, the Seminoles may have been one of 2011’s most disappointing teams, but there’s too much talent to expect another 8-4 record. Injuries to quarterback EJ Manuel and the receiving corps early in the year slowed the progress of the offense. In order for Florida State to win the ACC, the rushing attack and offensive line has to be better next season. The defense is filled with talented underclassmen and should be one of the best in the nation.

Let the FSU/Miami media :bj: begin. You know, one of these years they'll actually get it right and claim how great they were in their predictions.

 

[Brasky]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck Michigan.

That is all gents.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

If Robinson comes back, I would say Michigan should be the favorite in the game.

Honestly though, I don't even know who is leaving yet.

no you guys will crush Michigan

even if your defense loses a bunch of starters you run too smart of a defense to allow Robinson to run

thus he will throw and when he throws it's usually a mile above his reciever or it's a pick

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

but this top 25 sucks

LSU will take a bit of a step back next year, not too far, it will be them vs Georgia for the SEC

USC and Oregon are good where they are, though USC will probably beat Oregon but Lane Kiffin will drop a game against Washington State or someone like that.

Alabama's going to have a drop off next year

Ohio State's ranking is crazy right now, they could be a great team next year but make them prove it first. They went 6-6 last year

Oklahoma is probably losing too much to be ranked 7th, especially since their 19th right now

LOL@ FSU failed their preseason expectations after being ranked in the top 10 last year, lets throw them back in the top 10 again, they proclaim it's "talent" what kind of "talent" loses to Wake Forest??? seriously hold less weight in the overrated recruiting rankings

Michigan is overrated, they're trying to hype up that opening game between them and Bama, with them replacing starters on the offensive line Robinson isn't going to get long holes to run through, and he can't pass very well.

Virginia Tech is good where they are they lose their top corner and reciever I believe, Wilson might be gone but they always have some random new running back ready to take a departing one's place.

after the top 10 just going to point out a few terrible spots

Notre Dame 16th seriously????

West Virginia is too high

Wisconsin seems to be ranked based on Ball and Konz going

and of course they're going to drop Boise State once they finally have an excuse to, we're going to be fine next year, Quarterback will be a bit tough with Moore gone but we will be starting a mobile quarterback instead next year, which will mean a new offense, Michigan State is going to have a tough time preparing for it. Harper will replace Martin, plus we'll get Johnson back from injury. losing Potter is a bit of a worry but I'm confident in our ability to find a new tackle, defensive line is the deepest position on our roster, so I'm not worried even though we lose some good ones. we will be far better than 20th I can tell you that

Baylor's ranking seems to be assuming that Griffin leaves, if he stays Baylor should be in the top 10

Kansas State is too low

I think Louisville might be good but you have to wait and see with that team after they went 7-5 this year with losses to Marshall and FIU

Washington and TCU should both be higher

 

[rmilia1]

@ at Ohio State going 6-6 and already getting preseason top 10 hype.

Thats fucking wack. Who wrote that shit? Is he a buckeye?

Says the fan of a team that went 7-5 in 2009 and started 2010 7th.... LOL

 

[iowajerms]

No Notre Dsme?

 

[yeodonie]

so silly.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

Hopefully Wisconsin gets Montee Ball to stay and picks up that Notre Dame QB off the waiver wire...

 

[Smart]

the Big seems too inconsistent to have an undefeated team next season.

I'm not so sure about that. Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska could all do it.

Wisconsin's offense won't be near as good as last year, but our defense should be rock solid. If we can get special teams protection and coverage issues fixed, we should be good. The best part of our schedule is that we avoid MSU and OSU on the road, which have both presented a ton of problems for us. We'll always be tough to beat at Camp Randall. If we can escape from there unscathed, our toughest road games will be at Nebraska and Penn State. We'll be flat out better than Penn State, and our linebackers are fast enough to pose major problems for Taylor Martinez. We have a good shot of running the table.

Yes, OSU went 6-6, but it's not like they were that far away from going 11-1 or 12-0. This team has a quarterback that should ignite their offense, and getting Urban shouldn't hurt. With Fickell and a ton of defensive talent back, don't be overly stunned if those close losses turn into close wins. If they can find a way to win in Camp Randall, they'll get the other two favorites at home. Winning in East Lansing and State College will be tough, but it's hardly unfathomable.

Michigan has Shoelace and a ton of other young talent back. They'll get tougher nonconference experience than the other contenders. They're schedule isn't easy (in fact it is really hard), but they will probably have the most experienced talent core in the B1G. If this team can replace their two talented lines, they could be one of the best teams in the country.

Nebraska has a defense that is capable of playing well, Rex Burkhead, young developing receivers, a young O-Line. If their youth develops like it is capable to, this should be one of the more complete teams in the B1G. They get Michigan and Wisconsin at home, while the game at OSU should have a strong Nebraska presence.

All of these teams should be good, and I wouldn't be stunned if any of them went undefeated.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

my Top 25 right now

1. USC- this team is clearly dangerous they got a lot of talent, people assumed they would leave for the draft but that doesn't seem to be the case, remember these players toughed it out through the sanctions they may see this season as the reward
2. Georgia- this team looks to be the best in the SEC, they have both a good offense and good defense.
3. LSU- starting a new QB that really hasn't played much will be trouble plus they will lose some people
4. Oregon- they return some players, concern will be that the players never really bought in this last year.
5. Virginia Tech- this team was already pretty good last year and they will return mostly everyone it appears.
6. Kansas State- they return a lot of people only concern is losing 5 starters on defense.
7. TCU- they return a lot of players from a team that ended the year very strong, Tank Carder will be a loss but TCU is deep at linebacker.
8. Baylor- I think Griffin will return and that will make this team very good. If Briles does go to UCLA(which I don't see) Griffin would then probably leave and Baylor will probably go back to being Baylor.
9. South Carolina- Connor Shaw ended the year very strong that and the return of Lattimore will make this offense great, they will lose a few people on defense though.
10. Clemson
11. Alabama
12. Wisconsin
13. Ohio State- I find it tough to rank a team that went 6-6 this high, but if any 6-6 team ever deserves to be this high it's them, Meyer is a major upgrade at head coach and at times this year this team showed it has talent.
14. Boise State- the players we lose takes away a lot of expectations for this year, I'm alright with that
15. Michigan State- the offense is going to be a major issue, they lose their two biggest parts
16. Oklahoma- after a disappointing year this year, their expectations can't be high for next year, especially with them possibly losing some of their best offensive and defensive players, bad news is one of those might not be Landry Jones, if he leaves it might be addition from subtraction for Oklahoma.
17. Arkansas- Tyler Wilson will be a year more experienced and getting Knile Davis back is a plus, but they will lose some of their best recievers which will hurt.
18. Nebraska- their offense will have issues with some lost starters on the line but other than that their offense should be good, their defense has to improve.
19. Texas- this team can be dangerous if they solve their quarterback issues.
20. Washington- this team will be pretty good, they have a big early test against LSU.
21. Stanford- Andrew Luck is probably gone, but this team won't fall completely, they have been bringing in lots of talent, whoever their new QB is will get a great chance to ajust to playing in college football because their OOC schedule is simple.
22. Florida State- they don't lose much from this year's team but they weren't that good this year, top 10 is crazy right now for them I can't believe people have them there, especially after this last year.
23. Michigan- the losses on the line aren't going to give Robinson holes to run through which is going to hurt their offense a lot, more than the media wants to think about.
24. Utah- getting Jordan Wynn back is huge for this team, if he can stay healthy their offense will be much better, if it is better this team will be a factor in the Pac-12 because they're one of the few in the conference that has a defense.
25. Arkansas State- why not?? this team returns just about every good player from a 10 win team(maybe even 11 wins) this ranking is assuming they hire a good coach.


could potentially sneak in depending on how the offseason goes

Oklahoma State- they lose a lot, but if they can replace those players this team can be at least in the middle of a deep Big 12.

Georgia Tech- this team started out good last year but kind of fell apart mid year, and were alright at the end, we'll see if they can play good throughout the year next year.

Virginia- this team had a great year this last year, I'm not sure who they're returning so I'll keep them out of the top 25 for now.

Auburn- this team could be really good if they develope well in the offseason, that remains to be seen if they do though.

Iowa State- they return a lot of great players from a surprisingly good team last year, sure they went 6-6 but they had a tough schedule that they really should have only won 3 games against.

Iowa- they went 7-5 this past year but should improve as long as they don't lose to Minnesota again.

Washington State- Mike Leach will make this team relevant again, he has more pieces for his offense here already than most think.

Penn State- this team was pretty young last year and figures to be pretty good, I just want to see who they hire first.

Illinois- with the apparent hire of Tim Beckman this offense should improve greatly next year, the offense was the weakness in their 6 game losing streak to end the season. They could be a surprise team.

SMU- at times this team looked good but they ended the season badly, the surprising Quarterback issue at the start of the year hurt their season, they can be good next year.

Ohio- this team was pretty good and I don't believe they lose a lot of players.

Toledo- this team came so close to being 11-1 instead of 8-4 with pretty much all their starters maybe they can get on the other end of close games, depending on who's their new coach though.

Louisiana Tech- maybe not top 25 worthy but this team does return some good starters from an 8-4 team including their quarterback Colby Cameron, who took over when they were 2-4 and didn't lose a single game as a starter while throwing 11 touchdowns and only 2 picks. They by the way lost to Mississippi State, Houston and Southern Mrs by a combined total of 9 points, the Mississippi State loss was by 6 but was in overtime.

 

[757Hokie83]

preseason poll already? i'm not even going to comment on it, its way too fucking early, a whole hell of a lot can and will change.