| DesertSAPPER's Top 10 |
| Preseason 2005 |
| 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. |
| This week's big games |
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| All the cool helmet designs are due to the creative talents and abilities of Charles Arey, who manages the helmet project site. His artwork is awesome, and he makes it free to use. Thanks Charles! |
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| POOL RANKINGS |
| 1. 2. 3. |
| Brooks |
| Crain |
| Kozak |
| W-L-T |
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| Next week's big games |
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| *Changes in Bold |
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| CHAMPIONS |
| 2000 Kozak 31-24-0 2001 Kozak 36-30.5-24.5 2002 Crain 33.5-29.5-17-4.5 2003 No Champion - 2 Deployed 2004 Crain 51-35-31 |
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| 3 September 5 September |
| Navy v. Maryland Texas A&M @ Clemson Notre Dame @ Pitt Georgia Tech @ Auburn Miami @ Florida State |
| #6 Oklahoma (17 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: Adrian Peterson, RB @UCLA (Davin Joseph, OT) Texas (Travis Wilson, WR) @Nebraska (Dusty Dvoracek, DT) @Texas Tech (Rufus Alexander, LB) Oklahoma's confidence has been shattered in the post season for two straight years, and last year's shellacking in the Orange Bowl may have been completely debilitating but for one small thing. The Sooners lost 10 to the NFL Draft (Plus Jason White, the Heisman Trophy winning QB that got them to two straight championship games). For most teams, this would be a curse, but for the Sooners it may be the fresh start they need to get beyond the negative mojo of the past two post-seasons. The talent pool may have been diminished by the loss of so many starters and key contributors, but the Sooners have the talent to once again compete for all the marbles. The biggest reason? Adrian "AD" Peterson returns after setting the NCAA Freshman rushing mark. He is an incredible talent, and could help offset the uncertainty at QB. OU returns Travis Wilson, possibly the best receiver on the team last year (he was only slightly outshone by All-American Mark Clayton and he scored more TDs). The Defense looks to be stellar again, but having to replace both safeties could be daunting. In the end, expect the 6th straight 11-win season, potentially the 3rd straight 12-win season, possibly a Big XII championship berth (if they beat Texas in October), and possibly a spot in Pasadena (only if they have a better record than all other possibilities - voters will be wary this time). Instant Impact Recruits: Demarcus Granger, DT Malcolm Kelly, WR Reggie Smith, S Eric Huggins, WR |
| #1 USC (15 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: Matt Leinart, QB @Arizona State Reggie Bush, RB @Notre Dame Darnell Bing, SS (Winston Justice, OT ) (Dwayne Jarrett, WR) If anybody has a question mark about why I have USC number 1, you need to have your head examined. This team has the most momentum of any team in the country coming into the season, with the big Orange Bowl win, 2 National Championships, and a 22 game winning streak. They play in the patsy PAC-10 (sorry west coast folks, this isn't the SEC, the ACC, the Big 10, or even the Big XII). They have the best leader in the country returning at QB, with possibly the best accuracy and maybe the strongest arm. They have a dynamic playmaker returning in Reggie Bush. Their defense is solid, despite losing Shaun Cody, Mike Patterson, Lofa Tatupu, and Matt Grootegoed. They have possibly the best punter in the NCAA returning in Tom Malone. And losing Norm Chow doesn't hurt quite so much when you lure his protege Steve Sarkisian in as a replacement (remember that Sarkisian was a QB for BYU when Norm was doing the same thing in Utah). The only thing that stands in the way of a threepeat for USC is USC itself. A lack of humility has a way of working itself into failure pretty quickly, especially when you have a big target on your back. It may sound funny, but watch out for South Bend on October 15. The Irish will be looking for a statement game, and what bigger statement could you ever make? Instant Impact Recruits: Patrick Turner, WR Rey Maualuga, LB Brian Cushing, LB |
| #2 Texas (17 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Vince Young, QB) @Ohio State (Aaron Harris, LB) Oklahoma @Texas A&M Anybody that knows me knows that this is a painful, painful thing for me to admit: this may be the year that Texas breaks the 5-game losing streak in Dallas. Texas is very, very talented, and they have momentum riding from the Rose Bowl win over Michigan. That may not guarantee much, but it does give them the best potential in the Big XII. They lost Greg Robinson, a passably good Defensive Coordinator to Syracuse, but they replaced him with Gene Chizik, who did wonders for Auburn. Vince Young is a spectacular talent. He could be the best QB in Texas history, and already carries a spectacular statistical record. If they can get beyond their own hang ups, they may be back in Pasadena in January. Instant Impact Recruits: Quan Cosby, WR/DB |
| #3 Ohio State (18 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Ted Ginn, FL/KR/etc.) Texas (AJ Hawk, LB) @Michigan Ohio State is an unknown commodity. Their last two games were awesome performances, thrashing Michigan in Columbus, then crushing Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. They may have the best schedule in the Big 10, with no Purdue and Iowa in Columbus, but they face Michigan in the big house for the last game, and the Wolverines will be out for blood. Couple that with an early showdown with the Texas Longhorns and it looks daunting. Still, with that much talent (Ted Ginn alone is enough), the Buckeyes should be rocking this year, especially starting out with the month of September in the horseshoe. If they can get the Media under control, avoid any Troy Smith off-field fiascoes, and replace both of their kickers, they may win the Big 10 and make a convincing case to play in Pasadena (especially if they beat Texas). Instant Impact Recruits: Alex Bone, OT Jamarrio O'Neal, WR/CB |
| #4 Tennnessee (16 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: Jesse Mahelona, DT @Florida (Kevin Simon, LB) @LSU (Jason Allen, DB) Georgia @Alabama @Notre Dame What to say about Tennessee? They have a ton of momentum from their thrashing of Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, but they baffled in their last two games of the regular season (Kentucky and Vandy). They have their choice of QBs, with Clausen and Ainge leading the pack. Gerald Riggs is back, and will likely be the most important piece to their offensive success. They have great receivers, and a ton of talent, and they get Georgia in Knoxville. The bad side to all of this is that their schedule is murderous (what else would one expect in the SEC?). If they can survive back to back beatings in the Swamp and in Baton Rouge, they still must face the Bulldogs at home, travel to Bama, and travel to South Bend (remember that the Irish won in Knoxville last year). This all boils down to endurance. If the Vols can endure, they have a shot at all the SEC marbles. If not, well... Instant Impact Recruits: Demetrice Morley, DB Josh McNeil, C |
| #5 Florida State (11 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Ernie Sims, LB) Miami (Antonio Cromartie, DB) @BC @UVA @Florida I could say that Florida State is Florida State is Florida State, but the truth is that the ACC is not the easy cake walk that it once was. FSU has the most talent in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, and may not have much trouble making it to the championship. The question is, are they better than their Coastal competitors? This could easily be Miami or Virginia Tech, and much of that rests on who comes ready to play, because each of these teams matches well physically. Florida State has some QB questions, but is probably the most settled in their QB (Wyatt Sexton) of any of the three. Florida State gets Miami in Doak, and does not face Va Tech in the regular season. They travel to the swamp, and that will be a crucial game, but if they are able to make it that far, Bobby Bowden has a good shot at showing Urban Meyer what that rivalry really means. Florida State, as usual, will place a heavy burden on its defense, and they are looking excellent. Ernie Sims is a spectacular LB, and Antonio Cromartie is speedy at the corner. The emergence of end Kamerion Wimbley in the spring means FSU could be particularly dominant right now. It doesn't hurt that they bagged one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Instant Impact Recruits: Fred Rouse, WR Antone Smith, TB Callahan Bright, DT Derek Nicholson, LB |
| #7 Virginia Tech (14 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Daryl Tapp, DE) @NC State (Jimmy Williams, DB) @WVU Miami @UVA It is likely that Va Tech or Miami will be the number one team in the Coastal Division of the ACC. The question is, which one? As we said when discussing Florida State, all three teams are fairly evenly matched physically, all have well-established coaches, all rely on defense. The QB situation is the determining factor. If Marcus Vick steps up and plays like his brother did, we may see Va Tech in the Rose Bowl. If not, they may not escape their own division. The ACC may end up being the toughest conference in the land this year, especially with the new championship game. I expect to see some Beamer ball this year from the Hokies, and if Vick can get himself together, I expect a whole lot more. Instant Impact Recruits: Victor Harris, CB |
| 10 September |
| Texas @ Ohio State Notre Dame @ Michigan Iowa @ Iowa State Arizona State @ LSU Southern Miss @ Bama |
| #8 Louisville (15 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Michael Bush, RB) @WVU (Elvis Dumervil, DL ) Before anybody starts whining, remember that Louisville is now in the Big East, which also means they have a place at the table if they win out. They were a great football team last year, but they played in Conference USA, which means that they were not afforded the same respect that Pittsburgh was when it came time for bowl selection, despite the fact that the Big East was not any tougher than Conference USA last year. Gone were Miami and Va Tech, which truly were the only teams that made the Big East competitive (sorry, West Virginia). Bobby Petrino returns (to his own chagrin), and has QB Brian Brohm ready to step up and lead the way. Brohm has more physical talent than his predecessor Stefan LeFors did, and if he can lead the team half as well, the Cards will be sitting pretty. They have a rock solid defense, led by Elvis Dumervil on the line, and they have a strong run game, with former Mr. Football for Kentucky; Michael Bush, setting the pace. I expect at least the same performance this year from Louisville (particularly without a trip to Miami on the slate), but they will not go to the Rose, regardless of their success. Instant Impact Recruits: Brian Roche, OL Nate Harris, LB |
| #9 Michigan (16 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Chad Henne, QB) Notre Dame (Michael Hart, RB) @Wisconsin (Steve Breaston, WR) @Iowa (Gabe Watson, DL) Ohio State Michigan may be the best team in the Big 10, but they also have the hardest road to a championship. They don't face Purdue, which is good, but they travel to Iowa, which is bad. They get Ohio State at home, they return Henne and Hart, and they have the best receiving corps in the country (Breaston, Avant, and Tim Massaquoi) despite losing all-world receiver Braylon Edwards. The Wolverines landed big time recruit Kevin Grady at RB, despite Hart's success last year. Speculation is that Lloyd Carr will play both in the same backfield. If he does, watch out. It may be a Thunder and Lightning combination that takes over the Big 10. They will have the revenge factor on their side (which is a factor, regardless of what anyone says) against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Unfortunately, their last two games were such epic struggles and painful losses, that it may be a gargantuan effort to get back all that momentum. If they can, they may be on autopilot when the Buckeyes visit the big house in November. If that happens, they could be back in the Rose Bowl, this time for all the marbles. Instant Impact Recruits: Kevin Grady, RB |
| #10 LSU (18 Starters Return) All America Candidates: Danger Games: (Skyler Green, WR) Arizona State (LaRon Landry, FS) Tennessee Florida Auburn @Alabama The loss of Nick Saban to the Miami Dolphins could be a huge mental hurdle for the Bayou Bengals, but Les Miles is a good enough coach that he can do wonders with the talent he has in Baton Rouge. The schedule is set up for a good run, with a ton of home games, and only Alabama a real road hurdle. The problem is, they face the best two teams in the SEC East during the regular season, in addition to their SEC West foes. That could be trouble. But LSU is deep at receiver, deep at RB, and are probably the second or third most talented team in the conference. The last second collapse at the Capital One Bowl killed momentum at the end of the season, and Appalachian State could hurt their strength of schedule, but the SEC is one of the best conferences in the country, and LSU plays all the best teams in the conference, so they should turn out fine. That is, if they can win. Instant Impact Recruits: Ryan Perriloux, QB |