*Welcome back sports fans
*I know you've been losing sleep so here is the rest of my top 25!
16. Florida-Head
coach Will Muschamp is coming off his best season at Florida. The Gators saw only one loss in the
regular season and could have easily been playing for the Natty title. The loss
to Louisville
in the Sugar Bowl put a sour taste in the Gators mouth heading into this year.
The team returns quarterback Jeff Driskel and a great wide receiving corps. The
biggest questions we find, are on the defensive side of the ball. Only a
handful of starters return on that side of the ball, a defense that was lit up
by Teddy Bridgewater. Not a huge concern as Bridgewater lights up a lot of defenses. The
schedule is challenging. Very challenging. At Miami,
at LSU, at Missouri, at South Carolina. Home against Tennessee and Florida
State. If Florida splits there, I
would call it a win.
Regular season
record: 9-3
15. Michigan State-I’ve been sold on this team all
off-season. Mark Dantonio is coming off a tough 7-6 season last fall but
returns a lot of talent that could take the Spartans to new heights. The talk
around Big Ten Country has been the qb spot. It was just assumed by the general
public that senior Andrew Maxwell would get the job. Maxwell started all 13
games last year but didn’t put up the numbers Spartan Nation wanted to see.
Enter sophomore Connor Cook. Cook has put the pressure on Maxwell all summer
but it was announced recently that Maxwell will get the start in game one
against Western Michigan. Whoever is at qb,
they will have a great offensive line in front of them. That’s the key this
year for Sparty, the lines. Both the lines are in position to have great years.
The Michigan State defense should be salty and the
green and white should be undefeated going into a late September game at Notre
Dame. If they can get past the Irish and a trip to Iowa
City, that should set up a great matchup with rival Michigan in early
November. That is followed by trips to Nebraska
and then Northwestern, a possible split.
Regular season
record: 10-2
14. Virginia Tech-We
will find out what the Hokies are about right away in the season opener in Atlanta against Alabama.
Do I see them winning this game? No. But I do see them coming back from it and
reeling off 8-10 straight wins. Frank
Beamer will rely heavily on his senior quarterback Logan Thomas. The duel-threat
qb helped Va. Tech put up great numbers offensively last fall, but saw his
defense get gashed through the air a few games. That must improve if the Hokies
want to return to the Big Boy Bowls.
Regular season
record: 10-2
13. Nebraska-Well,
this is the season that Huskers fans hope it comes together for sixth year head
coach Bo Pelini. The schedule is favorable as Nebraska has their best skill players since
2001. UCLA presents a threat early in Lincoln,
but if the Huskers can win against the Bruins, they should be 8-0 heading into Ann Arbor. That’s where
the schedule gets salty for senior quarterback Taylor Martinez and the crew. Michigan, Michigan State,
Penn State,
and Iowa all
follow a home contest with Northwestern. That’s five pretty tough opponents. By
then, the Nebraska
faithful is hopeful that the young defense has grown up.
Regular season
record: 10-2
12. Florida State-Head
coach Jimbo Fisher recently named Jameis Winston their starting quarterback..as
if it was ever a question. Seminole fans are banking on the athletic abilities
of Winston to take that next step and play for a national title. Many thought
it would come last year but a one point loss and a late season loss to rival Florida put them in the Orange
Bowl..where they stomped Northern Illinois.
The offense will be good..real good. The defense will need to find some fillers
up front, but if they can do so, this season could see the same success as last
season. At Pitt to open up this Monday, and trips to Clemson and The Swamp..two
very tough road trips for a freshman quarterback.
Regular season
record: 10-2
11. South
Carolina-The ‘Ol Ball Coach and the gang opened up the season
last night in a 27-10 win over North
Carolina. We expected a win like that. What we didn’t
expect was Jadeveon Clowney sucking air while it seemed that the Heisman
candidate was out of shape. He says it will come with time. It better come
quickly, the Gamecocks play at Georgia
two Saturdays from now. Shaw seemed to play well and they will need a
performance like that when they face Georgia. I see this as a loss for South Carolina and
another one late in the season.
Regular season
record: 10-2
10. Louisville-It’s
no secret for the Cardinals. They must run the table to be in the national
title hunt. The regular season slate ends with a trip to Cincy on a Thursday.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a Heisman candidate but this team reminds me
of Boise State and the position that they were in
for so many years. You need to destroy your opponent every week and even if you
do, for 12 straight games, you still might not play for a national title. This
team could easily go undefeated but I see them losing at least one game.
Regular season
record: 11-1
9. LSU-The Tigers
open up another season with a bang as they face TCU in Arlington Saturday. LSU also goes to Georgia
and Bama but if there is any coach that can pull off wins such as, it would be
Les Miles. You have to figure at this point that the LSU defense will always be
solid..you also have to figure that there will always be a question mark at the
quarterback spot no matter who is under center. This year, the plan is that
senior Zach Mettenberger will be the one to get the job done.
Regular season
record: 10-2
8. Boise State-The
era is over where the Broncos come in and surprise people. Now, they’re just a
top-10 contender every year. This year the blue will rely on quarterback Joe
Southwick. Last year, Boise
had some ugly loses..and some ugly wins. Although Washington isn’t expected to do to much, the
Boise-U-Dub game is one to keep an eye on this Saturday. After that, a trip to Fresno might be the only
game that presents the Broncos with much trouble.
Regular season
record: 11-1
7. Oregon-The Chip Kelly era is over and
Mark Helfrich might have walked in at the perfect time. The schedule is
easy…really easy except for one game..you guessed it, Stanford. They go to the
Cardinal on a Thursday night in what will be one of the best games of the year
in college foortball. If they can beat Stanford, they very well could run the
table. Like LSU, you come to expect certain things from certain teams. With Oregon, it’s you know
that their uniforms are going to be ridiculous…and that they will have a
dynamic backfield.
Regular season
record: 11-1
6. Clemson-They
start the season with a tough game..they end the season with a tough game. In
between, is Florida
State. Those three games
will define the Clemson season led by Tajh Boyd. Boyd could win the Heisman,
especially if he leads the Tigers to a national title. I have Clemson up there
as I think it all comes together for them this year. Out of those three I just
mentioned, I see them going 2-1.
Regular season
record: 11-1
5. Stanford-I
find it impossible to hate Stanford. The defense should be locked and loaded
this year to go along with a pretty good offense. The team proved last season
that when the defense gives up a lot of points, they can overcome it by scoring
more than the other team. I have the Cardinal beating Oregon, but have them getting tripped up
along the way. At USC, Notre Dam might present a headache for head coach David
Shaw.
Regular season
record: 11-1
4. Ohio State-After coming off an
undefeated season, many are predicting the Buckeyes to go to the Natty
championship…and rightfully so. With Braxton Miller back, Carlos Hyde
back(eventually) and a lot of returners coming back. Somewhere along the way..I
see a loss. Would I be surprised if they go 12-0 again? Absolutely not. If
there is one quarterback that could handle the pressure that that would bring,
it’s Miller. Whether it’s at Northwestern, Wiscy, or at Michigan, I see a loss for OSU.
Regular season
record: 11-1
3. Alabama-Here
we go again. Another great season for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Can they
win four in five? They have the talent to do so, and possibly the schedule. I
think they beat Texas A&M, maybe handily. You know Georgia is
gunning for them after the SEC Championship. Alabama will end up in a BCS bowl. But will
it be for the National Title?
Regular season record:
12-0
2. Georgia-It’s
the reason why Aaron Murray is back. To beat Alabama. I think he and Georgia will get
their shot in the SEC Championship. LSU, USC, and Clemson are the only ones who
will present a threat to the Dogs but I believe number 11 is on a mission after
that 32-28 loss in Atlanta.
Georgia
had their title hopes dashed in a matter of seconds and I think they play for
it this year.
Regular season
record: 12-0
Regular season record: 12-0
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