The USA Today Coaches Poll was released yesterday, and the rankings mean about as much as a People’s National Championship rings. That said, the rankings make for good discussion in the month before the season starts. We’ve decided to assign Cheers to the good selections, and Jeers to some of the more questionable ones.
Cheers: The top three teams. They’re almost 1A, 1B & 1C, and the fourth place team is way behind. Clearly the coaches believe what most around the country believe. LSU, Alabama & USC are a cut above every other team. Are these teams going to run the table and win the BCSCG? Not necessarily, but two of the three are definitely favorites.
Jeers: The Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hawgs would have easily had the worst offseason if not for Penn State being bombed back into the college football Stone Age. They lose their head coach in a scandal, hire a placeholder, and suspend three skill position players for the season that would have contributed. Sure, Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis are back, but they can’t play defense, where the Razorbacks lost significant experience and leadership to graduation. Through all of this adversity, the coaches feel Arkansas is a top 10 team. With Petrino? Sure. Otherwise? No.
Cheers: The big dog. The SEC was clearly recognized as the alpha football conference. There are seven teams in the top 25, including half of the top 10. Three other SEC teams received votes, but did not make the final tally.
Jeers: If Colt hadn’t been hurt… Now as absurd as Arkansas is, the Texas Longhorns may be even more ridiculous. The Horns check in at 15 in the poll, and it has to be some form of Bevo mojo that earned them the spot. The past two years Mack Brown and crew have the dubious distinction of doing the least with the most. On paper, Texas should be in an all-out brawl with the SEC to break its stranglehold on the BCS championship. Instead, they’ve sputtered to an awful season and followed up with a mediocre season since losing to Alabama in the 2009 national title game. The dual-quarterback system is still in full swing, and there is a big brouhaha about becoming more physical, but words are cheap and I have an expensive ear. Until Texas can get all of that talent to gel, which may never happen, they certainly aren’t the No. 15 team in the country.
Cheers: Can’t believe I’m saying this. For every team overvalued, there is at least one that suffers the reverse fate. The Auburn Tigers are tremendously undervalued in the preseason rankings. Before the Crimson Tide Nation burns down BamaHammer, or at least my house, take a deep breath. Auburn was the youngest team in the FBS last year. The Tigers brought in a new, far better defensive coordinator in Brian VanGorder and got rid of the Gus Malzahn spread in favor of a pro-style attack. This offense can slow the game down and allow the Tigers to lean on an improved defense. Ideally, the Tigers and the Longhorns should switch spots. Now, if I may be excused, I have to dip myself in bleach after writing nice things about Auburn.
Your thoughts on who is overrated and underrated are, as always, welcome.
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