2018 Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll & Rankings Prediction

[WizardHawk]

Oregon could sneak in to the top 25. We have a non conference schedule against high school teams and out 2 toughest games are at home. I could see 9 wins, ranking 20-24 and the Alamo bowl.

Pac is going to be hard to predict this year. Way too much turnover to easily pick which teams click and which fall off the map. I mean there are a couple of obvious choices at either end of that, but I'd be shocked if the standings end up exactly in order of their preseason rankings. Oregon for sure is one of those teams somewhere in the middle that no coach should look past. Herbert is legit and they still have some dangerous athletes. Just hard to predict how tight they will all be after yet another straight year of staff changes and Herbert has to stay healthy for the full season.

 

[7Samurai13]

And will be again this year as usual. Look amazing against scrub after scrub and their fans will be shocked when they finally play someone with a pulse and aren't prepared for it at all.

They got a tougher cross division schedule with games at Michigan, at Penn State, and Rutgers rather than home for Michigan, at Indiana, and home for Maryland. The OOC is still an abortion.

 

[Across The Field]

And will be again this year as usual. Look amazing against scrub after scrub and their fans will be shocked when they finally play someone with a pulse and aren't prepared for it at all.

Actually Wisconsin's schedule this year is pretty tough. They don't have shit on the OOC but their in conference is definitely a lot tougher than last year.

 

[WizardHawk]

They got a tougher cross division schedule with games at Michigan, at Penn State, and Rutgers rather than home for Michigan, at Indiana, and home for Maryland. The OOC is still an abortion.

PSU should be a legit test. Hard to tell with how underperforming Michigan is pretty much every year going well back before Harbs came. And of course no OSU. But yeah, they have a challenge or two maybe and a lot of fluff that will over inflate their fans sense of relevancy IMO.

 

[Across The Field]

It's cute how their little historical algorithm thinks Wisconsin will be treated like a 13-1 team returning its entire offense. In reality, there's no way we are #5. Hell, we went 13-1 last year with our loss being closer than any of our wins and coming against an elite team, and we still didn't crack the top 5.

When the actual rankings come out, we'll probably be #7 or #8.

The OSU game wasn't as close as the score indicated. JT was the best player Wisconsin had. I would say the Purdue and Northwestern games were every bit as close.

 

[WizardHawk]

Actually Wisconsin's schedule this year is pretty tough. They don't have shit on the OOC but their in conference is definitely a lot tougher than last year.

It may be tougher than last year, but if we are comparing it straight up against the other expected to be ranked teams it's still way behind.

Again, I hate using ESPN's FPI garbage, but that's all that's available right now and Wisconsin has the expected worst SoS of any team until 36th place which is Boise State. The other 34 teams expected to be higher ALL have expected tougher schedules.

FWIW they have Wisky with the 65th SoS in the country.

 

[Across The Field]

It may be tougher than last year, but if we are comparing it straight up against the other expected to be ranked teams it's still way behind.

Again, I hate using ESPN's FPI garbage, but that's all that's available right now and Wisconsin has the expected worst SoS of any team until 36th place which is Boise State. The other 34 teams expected to be higher ALL have expected tougher schedules.

FWIW they have Wisky with the 65th SoS in the country.

They won't be skipping their way into the conference title game like last year, though. Managing to miss the top 3 teams on the opposite division and then playing the 2/3/4 teams in their own division at home was pretty miraculous. They've got 5 road games this year against teams that should win at least 7-8 games, if not double digits.

 

[WizardHawk]

They won't be skipping their way into the conference title game like last year, though. Managing to miss the top 3 teams on the opposite division and then playing the 2/3/4 teams in their own division at home was pretty miraculous. They've got 5 road games this year against teams that should win at least 7-8 games, if not double digits.

If they do manage to beat PSU on the road they sure add more legitimacy than last year to be sure. But it is a friendly schedule in terms of easier ramp up games early, early bye right after their first challenge and a chance to gear up for a couple of key tests, and Penn State late enough in the year to have a better chance of injuries and health to have impact on it.

 

[Across The Field]

If they do manage to beat PSU on the road they sure add more legitimacy than last year to be sure. But it is a friendly schedule in terms of easier ramp up games early, early bye right after their first challenge and a chance to gear up for a couple of key tests, and Penn State late enough in the year to have a better chance of injuries and health to have impact on it.

Honestly, I think Penn State won't be as difficult as michigan. PSU just had too many personnel losses on offense for me to pick them higher than 4th in the East. I think the Wisconsin game will determine everything on how michigan's season goes. I wouldn't call it a must-win, but it's pretty damn close.

 

[WizardHawk]

Honestly, I think Penn State won't be as difficult as michigan. PSU just had too many personnel losses on offense for me to pick them higher than 4th in the East. I think the Wisconsin game will determine everything on how michigan's season goes. I wouldn't call it a must-win, but it's pretty damn close.

I'd like to think that, but every time it looks to me like Michigan is ready to live up to their talent... they don't.

It's like I stopped picking UCLA to EVER live up to their talent. Pick them to lose at least 2 more games than it looks like they should on paper.

 

[kburjr]

Wisconsin has to break through in the CCG. Until then, they are just Wisconsin good.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

18. South Carolina Gamecocks (NR)

Cot sammich!

Tired of this shit

 

[7Samurai13]

Cot sammich!

Tired of this shit

You beat Michigan, you should be in the top ten.

-stupid sports writers

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

You beat Michigan, you should be in the top ten.

-stupid sports writers

I will SHOVE a mofo

 

[AlaskaGuy]

 

[Olyduck]

Wisconsin was a product of schedule.

id say so in 16 but 17 they were better. won 3 out of 4 against ranked teams and only lost the other by 6.
also beat unranked 10 win Northwestern a

 

[Olyduck]

And will be again this year as usual. Look amazing against scrub after scrub and their fans will be shocked when they finally play someone with a pulse and aren't prepared for it at all.

see my post above

 

[blazer prophet]

Pac is going to be hard to predict this year. Way too much turnover to easily pick which teams click and which fall off the map. I mean there are a couple of obvious choices at either end of that, but I'd be shocked if the standings end up exactly in order of their preseason rankings. Oregon for sure is one of those teams somewhere in the middle that no coach should look past. Herbert is legit and they still have some dangerous athletes. Just hard to predict how tight they will all be after yet another straight year of staff changes and Herbert has to stay healthy for the full season.

A very fair analysis. I see UW, USC and then about 7 teams vying for table scraps. I just think we be the best of the worst (or is it the worst of the best?).

 

[Across The Field]

So basically it's the SEC and B1G beating up on each other while the Pac 12/ACC/Big 12 are easy 1-horse races.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

So basically it's the SEC and B1G beating up on each other while the Pac 12/ACC/Big 12 are easy 1-horse races.

SC, Washington, Utah, Stanford .... Oregon as a Dark Horse. Any of those teams could win it imo. Arizona will be solid also.