Preseason College Football Predictions: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

The 2013 College Football season will kick off on Thursday, August 29th, with the 5 p.m. CT kick off on ESPN of North Carolina @ South Carolina.  Plenty of good games in Week 1 to look forward to, including a top FCS vs. FBS matchup on Saturday night, when defending FCS #1 North Dakota State @ Kansas State, with a 7:30 p.m. CT on the new Fox Sports 1 channel.

Many will suggest that Phil Steele has the best publication for preseason previews, but Stassen suggests otherwise lately, when it comes to Phil Steele's predictions.  However, for overall information, Phil Steele is among the best.  A must buy for the College Football junkie!  Lindy's has been #1 the past three seasons with preseason prediction accruacy from 2010-2013, followed by Athlon Sports, then Phil Steele.

The #1 publication for 2012 for accuracy was new publication Compu-picks.  However, we may have to disagree with them on at least one of the preseason headlines for 2013:

Why Alabama is the national title favorite yet again;

Why Texas Christian will be the surprise team of 2012;

Why Florida will be the disappointment of 2013;

Why you’d have to be insane to put Louisville in your top 10;

Why you’d have to be insane to keep Oklahoma State out of your top 20;

Why Stanford will be worse than you think;

Why Ole Miss will be better than you think;

Why West Virginia will be a surprise cellar dweller;

Why Indiana will surprisingly escape the cellar;

Why Kansas State is in for a big decline;

Why Colorado will be a lot better (but still lousy)

Both Compu-picks and Phil Steele (#11) are downgrading Stanford, but if defense wins championships, Stanford may be a team to keep high entering into 2013, not moving down the Top 25.  Stanford is strong in the defensive line, linebacker and secondary corps entering into 2013.  Also, Stanford is solid in the offensive line heading into 2013, as well.  Look for coach David Shaw to have Stanford in the hunt in 2013.

Alabama has certainly shown how importance championship caliber defense is in the pursuit of a BCS Title Game Championship.  The Crimson Tide remain the team to beat in 2013, but Stanford is a good candidate for #2 this season.  A look at Cidsports Preseason Top 5 compared to Early Picks:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide are winner of 3 out of 4 BCS title games!
2. Stanford Cardinal seeking 4th BCS bowl game in past 4 years!
3. Oregon Ducks have played in 4 straight BCS bowls and '10 BCS title game!
4. Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off probation and 12-0 record in '12!
5. Georgia Bulldogs last BCS bowl was during '07 in Sugar!

After the Top 5, the 6-10, 11-20 and final 5 in the Top 25 will be very interesting in 2013.

Phil Steele still loving Florida State with a #3 preseason rating, after preseason #1 last year;

Phil Steele says Texas #4, after 9-4 record and #19 AP last year;

TSN like Florida at #4 over Georgia #12, don't see it;

Is Southern Cal worth of #6 Phil Steele, coming off 7-6 record in '12, earn it;

USA Today likes Boise State #6 this preseason, after 11-2 record, #18 in AP;

Only Phil Steele likes #7 Louisville with a single digit ranking, see above;

USA Today likes #9 Nebraska, despite 5 straight 4-loss seasons under Bo Pelini;

#12 Virginia Tech per Phil Steele, but no others early agree;

USA Today giving Bill Snyder and Kansas State a little love at #24, see above;

TSN is the only one suggest Ole Miss #25 is ready for Top 25 statis, see above;

Any of the early preseason magazines missed on Notre Dame (QB Everett Golson's suspension)

If you like FCS vs. FBS college football match ups in 2013, there will be 110 games for the 2013 season.  With 12 regular season games generally in 2013 for each FBS program, here are the Top 15 games for the season between FCS vs. FBS programs, using 2012 Sagarin Ratings:

1. Kansas State vs. North Dakota State (35)
2. Texas A&M vs. Sam Houston State (63)
3. Florida vs. Georgia Southern (72)
4. Nebraska vs. South Dakota State (79)
5. Oregon State, Toledo vs. Eastern Washington (88)
6. SMU vs. Montana State (90)
7. Iowa State vs. Northern Iowa (92)
8. Colorado vs. Central Arkansas (94)
9. Indiana, Purdue vs. Indiana State (95)
10. Baylor vs. Wofford (96)
11. Michigan State vs. Youngstown State (97)
12. Colorado State, Fresno State vs. Cal Poly (99)

The Iowa Hawkeyes are under the radar, after an awful 4-8 season in '12.  Could Iowa be prime for a rebound and surprise in the Big Ten in '13?  The Hawkeyes don't play Indiana, Illinois or Penn State in conference play.  USA Today #23 Northern Illinois is the season opener for the Hawkeyes on August 31. 

Seniors are expected to be the backbone of the University of Iowa football team each fall. In 2013, the Hawkeyes' senior linebacking corps of James Morris, Christian Kirksey (#20 pictured) and Anthony Hitchens is ready to do its part.
 

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Who Should Be #1 in College Football this Preseason?

The USA Today Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll was released last week, with LSU #1.  Phil Steele has Florida State #1 in Phil Steele's 2012 College Football Preview, while Athlon Sports Top has USC #1.  Ever since the end of the 2011 season, when Alabama beat LSU in the BCS title game, the early Top 25 polls/ratings for 2012 have been available.

Who should be #1?  The team that is best right now or the team that is projected to win the BCS title in 2012? 

Should any conference team other than from the SEC be given a #1 ranking, based on the past six years?  No non-SEC has won the BCS title, since the 2005 season, when Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl.  Since the BCS title game became its own final game, only the SEC have won.

• 2011 season - Alabama
• 2010 season - Auburn
• 2009 season - Alabama
• 2008 season - Florida
• 2007 season - LSU
• 2006 season - Florida

Should it be last year's winner, until someone knocks them off?  At the beginning of the 2011 season, no one would place Auburn #1.  Heck, they were a reach for making them a Top 25 program, heading into the preseason season following their first BCS title, due to the loss of QB Cam Newton to the NFL.

Is Alabama worthy of #1?  Well, Alabama has won two of the last three titles in FBS College Footbal1, so if any program is worthy of #1, it may be Bama?  Head coach Nick Saban has three BCS titles, including the 2003 season, when he coached at LSU.

The LSU Tigers have two previous BCS titles, one under current coach Les Miles and the one under former coach Saban.  The Tigers finished #2 last year, losing 0-21 to Alabama, after beating the Crimson Tide 9-6 in OT on the road in the regular season.  Both teams will face each other on November 3Rd in Baton Rouge in what will be an important SEC West showdown again.  Popular pick, since they are a SEC team, but after last year's performance... earn it!

The Florida State Seminoles haven't won the BCS title, since the 1999 season, when they won the 2000 Sugar Bowl 46-29 over Virginia Tech.  Now, both schools are in the ACC and the ACC hasn't been relevant in the BCS title hunt for some time.  Florida State may have a very favorable schedule, but are they really worthy of a #1 ranking at this time?  Third year head coach Jimbo Fisher was LSU's offensive coordinator during the 2007 season, so he has been a part of a BCS title team, but not on his own.

USC was a dominate program in the early part of the last decade under head coach Pete Carroll.  The Trojans won the 2004 season, with a 55-19 blowout in the Orange Bowl over Oklahoma.  Carroll bolted back to the NFL in 2010, while the Trojans have enjoyed NCAA sanctions the past two seasons under new head coach Lane Kiffin.  Will USC find the right mojo in 2012, coming off NCAA probation?  Kiffin was a part of the Trojans success, under Carroll, as an assistant.  However, coming off NCAA probation and the recent success of both Oregon and Stanford in the Pac 12... earn it is applicable for the Trojans, dispite the 10-2 record last year, with losses at Arizona State and in 3OT vs. Stanford.

The Oklahoma Sooners are always worthy of some talk under head coach Bob Stoops, now in his 14Th season in Norman.  But, the Sooners haven't won the BCS title, since the 2000 season, a 13-2 win over the defending BCS champs, Florida State in the Orange Bowl.  The Sooners have played for the title game multiple times, but clearly 2000 was Stoops' year.

The Texas Longhorns are the last program outside the SEC to win a BCS title, when they defeated USC 41-38 in the Rose Bowl during the 2005 season.  However, the past two seasons, the Longhorns have not finished in the Top 25, after finishing #2 during the 2009 season in a 21-37 loss to Alabama.

So, who should be #1 in College Football this Preseason?  The right choice appears to be the defending champion: the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Yes, they have lost talent, as have others.  But they are a clear cut Top 5 program, who open the 2012 season in Arlington, Texas vs. the Michigan Wolverines, who are coming off a Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas.

LSU opens with North Texas at home in 2012.  After home games in September vs. Washington and Idaho, a September 22Nd road trip to open the SEC at Auburn should determine, whether LSU is a solid contender or not.  The QB position for the Tigers held them back in 2011.  Has anything changed in 2012?  The Tigers are hoping a JUCO transfer pays dividends, like Auburn in 2010?  Also, Penn State QB junior Rob Bolden has transferred to Baton Rouge, as well.  The QB position holds a lot of the keys to LSU's success in 2012.

USC opens 2012 hosting Hawaii in Los Angeles, then hits the road out East, for a non-conference game vs. Syracuse in East Rutherford, NJ.  Then the real season begins, as the Trojans open Pac 12 play at Stanford on September 15Th.  The Trojans are very much in the hunt in 2012, but will they get it done?  Senior QB Matt Barkley returned for his final season for a better bowl/final game win than the 2009 Emerald Bowl, during his freshman season?

Florida State finished #23 in both major polls last year.  They open with two back to back FCS programs in 2012: vs. Murray State and vs. Savannah State.  Next!  The Seminoles haven't earned anything yet!

The Big 12 welcomes TCU and West Virginia as members, as Missouri and Texas A&M join the SEC.  Oklahoma State was the top dog in 2011.  Can Oklahoma and Texas get back to battling for 1-2 again?  Or, will

The Big Ten takes a huge hit with two programs with NCAA sanctions for 2012.  Ohio State is on probation for one year and they may be the Big Ten's best program, but they will not be able to play in the Big Ten title game or go to a bowl game?  Penn State is now on a five year probation, with four seasons without bowl participation. Tough penalties from the NCAA, as PSU joins IU and MSU, as programs hit with heavy sanctions from the Big Ten.

Opportunity knocks for Wisconsin, who are 0-2 in the Rose Bowl under coach Bret Bielema the past two seasons.  The Badgers kick off the 2012 season with a FCS top 25 program, the UNI Panthers, but only compete with Illinois, Indiana and Purdue for the Leaders division title in 2012.  The Legends division race should be interesting, with Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern all eligible for the title game.

Is Oregon the other team to watch in the Pac 12, as the season moves forward?  The defending Rose Bowl champ is now two years removed from the BCS title game during the 2010 season, which resulted in a 19-22 loss to Auburn?  The Ducks return 61 letter winners for fourth year coach Chip Kelly.  A light non-conference schedule of Arkansas State, Fresno State and FCS, Tennessee Tech, then a Pac 12 opener at home with Arizona kicks off the Ducks 2012 campaign.

A good look at some of the Top Teams in College Football heading into 2012.  Our #1 is Alabama, since the defending champions don't lack much more than what other programs do at this time?  Sure, it is business as usual in Tuscaloosa, as Crimson Tide reload from losses to the NFL...

Memorial Day weekend opens the official preseason of College Football as the magazines soon hit the newstand for the 2011 College Football Season

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone. It's Iowa, cool and wet, another tradition this time of year, along with the arrival of Summer and preseason college football magazines in June!

The first magazine out for the 2011 Preseason is AthlonSports, as Pat Harty's article highlights. Don't look for Iowa to a be a preseason darling in the Top 25 or in the Big Ten for 2011.

• Oklahoma will be a team getting a lot of attention this preseason nationally and in the new Big 12


• Despite the off the field distractions, suspensions; Ohio State is the team to beat in Big Ten, again


• The Big Ten will kick off a Big Ten title game in '11 between the winners of the Leaders and Legends divisions


• The Big Ten grows to 12 teams in '11 - Nebraska may be team to be in new Legends division?


• AthlonSports appears to like four Big Ten teams in Preseason Top 25


• Iowa's final opponent for 2010 - Insight Bowl: Missouri is in at #25, coming off loss to Iowa in the bowl game and absent QB Blaine Gabbert

As always, Athlon's 2011 annual provides in-depth team-by-team previews, along with our preseason Top 25, All-America teams, the first annual Big Ten Championship Game pick, All-Big Ten teams and everything else you need to know about the upcoming season of Big Ten football. - AthlonSports

Iowa's Marcus Coker is #26 in Athlon's College Fantasy Mock Draft, but surprising that Iowa WR Marvin McNutt is not listed among the 240 drafted. Major -FAIL - alert anyone?

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Athlon's Sports likes Iowa #12 in 2010 in College Football

College Football will not kick off until Thursday, September 2, 2010, but Top 25 and College Sports magazines will soon become available at local stores that sell magazines ...

No. 12: Iowa Hawkeyes - Athlon's Sports
No. 12 Iowa Hawkeyes. Editor's Note: We're counting the days until the Athlon Sports 2010 College Football Annuals hit newsstands by releasing one spot in ...

Will the fall out of Arizona's immigration law become part of the back drop for the September 18, 2010 game in Tucson between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Arizona Wildcats?

There will likely be some around the University of Iowa campus that will want to make politics an issue with the upcoming football game approaching this fall.

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What college football magazines have you purchased or looked at for 2009?

The flow of college football magazines seems a little out of sync this off-season. For starters, seeing Phil Steele's 2009 College Football Preview so early in Barnes & Noble this off-season was a surprise.

The other early purchase was Athlon® Sports College Football National Edition, which like Phil Steele 2009 preview, spotlights all 120 FBS teams.

On Father's Day, I headed into Barnes & Noble again and purchased two Big Ten 2009 preview magazines.

• Athlon's with Iowa's returning quarterback Ricky Stanzi on the cover


• Lindy's with Iowa's returning linebacker Pat Angerer on the cover

In the coming weeks, we will breakdown the 2009 College Football season in many of our posts. We will poke into some of the commentary, opinions and spotlights these magazines take season in and season out.

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Kickoff to College Football 2009 is nearly 4 months away...

But, Athlon Sports is providing a sneak preview of their 2009 Big Ten Preview and their National Rankings for the 2009 College Football season.

No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes

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Athlon Sports Annual: College Football National Edition

Well, with the canceled church softball game tonight... I decided
to take one of my children to the store to pick up some assessors for bike riding. We included a pit stop at Barnes & Noble for a CD and of course, a sports magazine. This time I purchased the National Edition of Athlon Sports College Football 2008.



Athlon Sports Top Ten in 2008 consists of: 1. Florida, 2. Ohio State, 3. Oklahoma, 4. USC, 5. Georgia, 6. Missouri, 7. West Virginia, 8. Auburn, 9. LSU and 10. Clemson.



In contrast, my Top 25 launched on 5/31 has: 1. Georgia, 2. USC, 3. Ohio State, 4. Texas (as OU fans have reminded me... too high), 5. Ohio State, 6. LSU, 7. West Virginia, 8. Oklahoma, 9. Virginia Tech, and 10. BYU.

Looking over my own Top 25 and Athlon Sports... I think one or both of us have a couple of teams too high (certainly, a couple of Tiger teams):

• 6. Missouri (I have them #17, better spot, but still maybe high) - Clearly a breakout year in '07 for the Tigers, but most years under Coach Gary Pinkel (42-37, 7 years), this is a program that underachieves. Five starters have departed on Offense and the Defense in '07 only ranked 59th nationally. They do have a favorable schedule.
• 9. LSU (my #6, ouch) - Some reason, the defending champ should be ranked #1, until someone on the field beats them, but Coach Les Miles has lost a lot of leadership from the 2007 BCS Title winners. 6 Offensive, 7 defensive starters and their DC have departed. Why did I move them back into the Top 10? They will likely finish #16 in 2008.

Some highlights from this year's National Edition: Iowa's Mitch King 6'3" 264 Sr. defensive tackle is listed as 2nd team all-American (page 25). Like many magazines, the Coaching Carousel is highlighted with pages 26-30 giving insight on the 18 new Division I-A football coaches; from Rich Rodriquez to Michigan, Bo Pelini to Nebraska and former Green Bay Packer head coach Mike Sherman to Texas A&M.

All 119 Teams are ranked from 1-110 (page 32): Iowa 38th and Iowa State 81st. First and second teams for each conference, in addition to conference position ratings. Followed by a page of information for all 119 Division I-A teams from Florida to Florida International.

Throw in the soon to be the 120th Division I-A team: the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who will be playing a Division I-A schedule (only 2 teams not among the 119). Of course, looking at the Division I-A schedules (FBS), as the NCAA wants it called now, so do some full members (play 2 outside the 119), see pages 181-183:

• Clemson plays The Citadel and South Carolina State (covers just about all in SC)
• Florida State opens with Western Carolina and Chattanooga
• Georgia Tech has Jacksonville State and Gardner-Webb
• Virginia Tech hosts Furman and Western Kentucky (they are not a full FBS yet)
• Indiana opens with Western Kentucky and Murray State
• Texas Tech faces Eastern Washington and Massachusetts
• Ball State tackles Northeastern and Western Kentucky (not listed as 120th yet)
• Kentucky invites Norfolk State, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky as OOC home opponents (they travel to in-state rival Louisville to open season)
• Troy welcomes Alcorn State and Western Kentucky (soon to be a full FBS member)
• Western Kentucky visits Eastern Kentucky and hosts Murray State

Athlon Sports throws in some Sideline Spirit (pages 184-188) for good measure. Recruiting news (pages 190-192) and of course this year's top rising high school seniors (page 195), which includes our own Top 20 WR Keenan Davis 6'3" 195 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Washington High School).

Like the Big Ten edition of Athon Sports for 2008, the same College Football Fantasy information (pages 196-198)

In closing on the back page (page 200), What the ?... We all remember last year's shocking upset on opening weekend... Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32. The page highlights ten other shocking scores involving UCLA (twice), Louisville, Oklahoma, USC, Nebraska Miami-FL, Kansas State, Alabama and finally special mention, Navy 48, Notre Dame 44 (OT).

By the way, August 30, 2008: defending Division I-A champ (FBS) LSU hosts defending Division I-AA (FCS) champ Appalachian State to open the season. Will we be in for another What the ?

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Athlon Sports: Release 2008 Big Ten Magazine

Since 1974, I have been collecting College Football Magazines. After taking in a couple of YMCA soccer matches (Hawks won 11-0, 7-2) and catching lunch at Tommy's in Cedar Rapids on Saturday morning, I hit Barnes & Noble to pick up my first pre-season college football magazines.

Athlon® Sports: Big Ten Annual with Iowa's QB Jake Christensen and Minnesota's QB Adam Weber on the cover. Will it be Turnaround Time for Iowa as Athlon's cover asks? "Hawks Seek Title Run" is mentioned... not bad for the team pegged 6th in the Big Ten in '08. After 3 off seasons, Iowa hopes to get back to '02-'04 ways.

By the way, I guess I could have saved a little buying on-line. Of course, delivery wasn't until June 15th, and of course, Memorial Day weekend wouldn't be the same without an early football magazine.

Further, I do take advantage of my 10% off at Barnes & Noble, even with magazines.

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