Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 College Football Power Rankings: Week 4

Our first power rankings of the season.

1. Alabama
They deserve this spot until somebody knocks them off.  Big test this weekend @ Arkansas.  We'll see if they deserve this spot.

2. Ohio St.
Terrelle Pryor looks like a new man.  He has virtually been unstoppable and the defense has been unflappable.

3. Oregon
Best offense in the country.  This is a team that's being a little overlooked when it comes to the BCS National Title picture.

4. Boise St.
Another big test for them this weekend vs. Oregon State.  A win here and they will have a decent argument for a national title game berth.

5. Nebraska
This team looks that much better than last season.  The defense is still very stout and new QB Taylor Martinez has sparked the offense.

6. TCU
Defense looks good despite losing some big names.  Andy Dalton has the offense picking up where they left off in 2009.

7. Florida
Things looked a little bleak early but the offense is starting to click.  Now to stay healthy and keep their guys out of trouble.

8. Oklahoma
Schizophrenic team that can look dominant at times, other times far from that.

9. Texas
Defense still fairly good.  Gilbert looks to be continuing to improve.

10. Arkansas
I've said all along that this team was a big sleeper.  Ryan Mallet just may be the best QB in the country too.  They always seem to play number 1 teams tough.  Look out Bama.

11. Wisconsin
Looked a little iffy vs. Arizona St.  When running game is on they are tough.  We'll see how good they really are soon.

12. South Carolina
Is this the year Spurrier finishes top 2 in the SEC West?  Garcia has been solid at QB and the defense looks good as ever.

13. LSU
LSU is young and has speed.  They should continue to improve.

14. Arizona
Big win over Iowa puts them in this spot.

15. Iowa
Tough road loss to Zona.  They're still a very good team if they can overcome some injuries.

Not far from the pack:
Stanford, Miami, Michigan, Auburn, Utah

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

2010 College Football Preview: Pac-10

So at this point it's not exactly a preview but we'd still like to keep going with our predictions. I've got the Pac-10, Big XII and Big East so should have the other two up later this week, establishing at least a little credibility without the benefit of three weeks of scores to look at.


1. Oregon - Granted, one could look at the score of 72-0 over New Mexico and make a pretty strong case for their ability to challenge for the Pac-10 title. LaMichael James's return only strengthens a team that could contend for the national title if their offense clicks like it has been, even without Jeremiah Masoli.

2. Stanford - losing Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart hurt, but QB Andrew Luck will be a first-round draft pick and has one of the better WR committees in the Pac-10.

3. USC - talent-wise USC is as good as ever, but their defense is young. Sophomore QB Matt Barkley should live up to the hype this year and into the next two seasons, if he stays in college football.

4. Oregon State - RB Jazquizz Rodgers is an early favorite for the Heisman, and if he can come on like he did late last season they could end up higher than 4th.

5. Arizona - They face a tough challenge in week three vs. Iowa. It should tell us a lot about where this team is at and if they could contend for a BCS bowl.

6. Arizona St. - they came on last season but still have some work to do, a tough matchup at #11 Wisconsin could be painful if they can't stop the run.

7. Washington - At this point, if Jake Locker can't live up to all the hype this team is in for a long season, playing three top 25 Pac-10 teams on the road.

8 . Washington State - A lack of playmakers doesn't give WSU much of a dynamic offense.

9 . California - Losing Jahvid Best gave them too much to make up

10. UCLA - A bad loss to Kansas State doesn't bode well for a down year at UCLA.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

2010 College Football Preview: Big Ten

College Football is less than a week away, I'll do a quick preview of each conference.  Nothing to in-depth, but it's time to get back into the college football spirit.  Let's go!



1. Ohio St.
Terrelle Pryor is back and looking to continue his late season success.  Pryor will be in New York for the Heisman presentation and has a great chance to even win it.  The Buckeyes return 17 starters coming off a big Rose Bowl win over Oregon.  Brandon Saine and DeVier Posey are also back to help Pryor win a national title.

2. Iowa
Iowa surprised many last season.  They had a very stingy defense and return the majority of it.  The secondary will be arguably the best in the country.  Ricky Stanzi returns at QB, along with Adrian Clayborn at DE.  Look for the Hawkeyes to get back to a BCS Bowl.

3. Wisconsin
Will UW finally live up to it's preseason hype?  I think so.  18 starters return in all.  RB John Clay is one of the best in the conference.  If the defense can hold it's own and fill some holes, they have a shot to win the Big Ten.

4. Penn St.
Penn St. returns a majority of it's players but they do lose QB Daryl Clark.  Evan Royster will be one of the best backs in the nation.  The defense should be decent again, but I don't think Joe Pa will get his 11 wins for the 4th time in the past 6 seasons.

5. Northwestern
A team that was a sleeper last season and should be again in 2010.  They return a good nucleus of players that should make them very competitive again.  They do lose some key players including QB Mike Kafka and DE Corey Wootton, but look for the Cats to get a big surprise win again and play in another bowl game.

6. Michigan
I really see Michigan improving quite a bit this year.  They're older and more experienced and it took a bit to adjust to Rich Rodriguez's system.  Michigan is a about a year away from competing for the Big Ten title again, but they have a favorable conference schedule to finish in the top half.

7.  Michigan St.
MSU once again returns the majority of it's team but they never seem to live up to the preseason hype.  They will let Spartan nation down once again.  Their Big Ten schedule is fairly tough despite Ohio St. being left off.  Greg Jones leads a tough defense but I just don't see Sparty living up to the hype.

8. Purdue
Look for the Boilermakers to climb up the Big Ten latter again this season lead by WR Keith Smith and Miami QB transfer Robert Marve.

9. Illinois
Illinois has some talent and Ron Zook always recruits well but he never seems to convert that into wins.

10. Minnesota
Gopher fans are starting to get frustrated with Tim Brewster.  He's recruited well the past few seasons, but look for Mini to have another miserable year.

11. Indiana
The Hoosiers have a very talented WR core but that's it.

Offensive Player of the Year: Terrelle Pryor, QB- OSU

Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Jones, LB- MSU

Coach of the Year: Rich Rodriguez- Michigan