The Sporting News Top 10 -
- Florida
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- USC
- Ole Miss
- Virginia Tech
- Oregon
- LSU
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State ... you can find the Top 25 on page 8.
Is Ron Dayne's picture on page 7 a suggestion that the 2009 season lacks a quality running back, since the Top 3 "knocking on the door" running backs in total yards rushing are from Southern Miss, Kent State and Arkansas State? It's been 10 years, since Ron Dayne ran at Wisconsin. Then again, it's been 10 years, since the Badgers won a Big Ten title. Like Wisconsin; Michigan State, Minnesota and Indiana are the only other schools in the Big Ten without at share of a Big Ten title in this decade.
Seeing Ole Miss and Oklahoma State in the Top 10 is interesting. Ole Miss is coming off a nice 47-34 win over Texas Tech in last year's Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma State is projected a little like last year's Texas Tech in the Big 12, but Oregon had the upper hand in the Holiday Bowl 42-31 over the Cowboys.
The Sporting News likes four non-BCS teams in the Top 25 ...
- Boise State, #14
- Utah, #19
- BYU, #22
- TCU, #24 ...
- Heck, three of those four teams come from the MWC, more teams than the Big Ten in the Top 25 (OSU, PSU).
Page 10-11 has a nice article on two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin. Could Tim Tebow or Sean Bradford join the list in '09, or could Colt McCoy or someone else emerge? To add a little excitement in College Football, hopefully someone else emerges.
Iowa's OT Brian Bulaga is listed a First Team all-American on page 13.
Will a ACC team finish better than 6-2 in Conference Play? - TSN says no!
In the ACC (page 18), The Sporting News likes #6 Virginia Tech in the Coastal, while # 17 Florida State is the team in the Atlantic. Four teams are ranked in the Top 25: VT, FSU, with two more Coastal teams with #11 Georgia Tech and #23 North Carolina. The ascending and decending programs are both found in the Atlantic, with N.C. State picked #2, while Boston College is expected to slide into #6 (cellar) with Frank Spaziani "the Eagles' third head coach in four years." Clemson is another program on the decline per TSN. Picked fourth in the Atlantic, behind Wake Forest. It looks like more work is needed to move Miami-FL upward.
Should the Big East be replaced by the MWC as a BCS conference? No Top 25 teams for Big East per TSN ...
TSN likes Pittsburgh in the Big East (page 36) and suggests they will ascend in '09. Kind of odd to see them mentioned as ascending, but not in the Top 25, since the Panthers finished two spots outside the final 2008 AP Poll at #27. The top ascending program in the Big East per TSN is Syracuse, though they are picked dead last in the conference for '09. The top team descending is West Virginia, but still picked #2 in the Big East by TSN in '09. The absence of a QB is the main reason, with Pat White headed to the NFL. Other teams decending in the Big East are Rutgers, Cincinnati and Louisville. The Bearcats return an established QB, but only one starter for their new 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator and former Iowa LB Bobby Diaco.
The TSN's headline for the Big Ten: Look for a tight race, but there won't be any national championship rings
The Sporting News (page 48) picks #9 Ohio State to win their fifth straight Big Ten title (share or outright) in '09. Can't argue with the selection. TSN likes #12 Penn State #2 in the Big Ten, though, they see the Nittany Lions descending a bit. Again, can't argue with their choice. They like Michigan State ascending in '09, despite the loss at starting QB and RB from '08. TSN Forecast: "Even though Michigan State and Iowa both lost feature backs, each will develop a strong running game that keeps them near the top of the conference."
TSN likes Minnesota #8 as the top ascending program in the Big Ten in '09, while Wisconsin is the top team decending. "Quarterback problems are the beginning of the worries in Madison, as the talent level appears to have dropped." Purdue joins PSU and UW as teams descending in '09. The Big Ten Conference will likely get another team in the Top 25 in '09, but overall the TSN is reading the conference right.
TSN headline: Big 12 should keep college football fans across the nation well entertained
The Big 12 South (page 66) has three Top 10 teams and a fourth, #20 Texas Tech, in the Top 25. At least for now, the Big 12 North holds up a little with #25 Kansas leading the charge. TSN sees both Kansas and #2 Nebraska in the North as teams ascending, but has the Jayhawks jumping up ahead of the Cornhuskers in the North pecking order in '09, which is interesting since the Cornhusker finished ahead of KU in '08. The likely tiebreaker is a home win for KU head to head with UNL in '09?
The top ascending and descending teams come from the Big 12 South, respectively. #5 Baylor is the top ascending team and TSN projects the Bears to play in their first bowl game as a Big 12 team. The only Big 12 team who has never played in a bowl as a member of the Big 12. Texas Tech is the top descending program in '09. TSN said it was a "close vote" with Missouri, who along with Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are all on a descending track too per TSN. It's little odd to think the #3 team in the country would be on a descending track, after finishing #5 in '08. One would guess there is a big difference between #2 and #3 in the country for '09?
TSN's take on C-USA: In a conference full of offnesive gems, defense still reigns supreme
Nice headline on page 84 for the C-USA preview by TSN, but let's be realistic... defense in the C-USA is the reason the conference is a non-BCS. Defense wins championships and the non-BCS conferences typically lack the defenses of the top programs and conferences in FBS, though the MWC is beginning to turn some heads.
TSN like ECU to repeat in the East and make the C-USA title game in '09. In the West, Houston jumps Tulsa as the top team per TSN in '09. The top ascending program in the C-USA is Southern Miss and is #2 in the East per TSN. The Golden Eagles may be the program to derail ECU, if there is one. The top desecending program in C-USA is Rice due to a "depleted roster" in '09. Rice is "rebuilding", while TSN has Tulane moving into the East cellar just behind the Owls. TSN doesn't have any Top 25 teams from C-USA this year, but will East Carolina sneak into the picture? Tulsa was considered the strongest program in '08.
TSN on the '09 Pac Ten: League race will be determined by a number of untested quarterbacks
Like the Oklahoma Sooners at #3 in the land, TSN see the #4 USC Trojans descending in '09 too. There must be a real difference between the Top 2: Florida and Texas, from the rest of the field in '09? Four Pac Ten programs made TSN's Top 25: USC, Oregon, followed by #16 Oregon State, #21 California. If Oregon is considered on even par at #7, maybe USC should be at #4.
The top ascending program in the Pac Ten (page 94) is UCLA, while #16 Oregon State is considered the top descending program in the Pac Ten for '09 by TSN, since it lost "too much on defense to compete for the title." One half of the Pac Ten is considered in a descending mode, with USC, Oregon State, Arizona State, Arizona and Washington State all mentioned. Washington moving out of the cellar will be welcome news to Husky fans.
TSN's SEC headline: Conference's BCS future is so bright, it's going to need a pair of shades
Like the Big 12, TSN has three SEC programs in the Top 10, with #1 Florida, #5 Ole Miss and #8 LSU. Unlike any other conference, with #13 Alabama and #15 Georgia... five teams in the Top 15, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to clearly know who the nation's top conference is in '09.
The top ascending program in the SEC (page 110) according to TSN is Tennessee, while the top descending program in the conference is South Carolina. If Georgia and South Carolina finish #2 and #3 behind Florida in the East as TSN projects, is the word "descending" the right term for either program? Both look like programs that descended more in '08, than '09. If Alabama allows Ole Miss and LSU to leap frog them in the SEC West standings as TSN suggests, wouldn't that by defintion be descending? Food for thought that The Sporting News should have considered. Bama finishing #3 in the West is descending, especially when you consider the conference.
TSN: If conference king Boise State stumbles, WAC title race will ignite
#14 Boise State is picked #1 in the WAC (page 129) by TSN. The ascending program per TSN is Louisiana Tech, who are picked #3 in the WAC, while San Jose State is projected as the top descending program, despite the stay even logo in the predictions at #6. TSN shouldn't degrade the San Jose State program for playing a solid OOC schedule in '09. The headline is very interesting, when the first fearless forecast is for Boise State to go undefeated. It appears TSN wants it cake and eat it too when discussing WAC football in '09.
TSN: Utes primed for another BCS run but will face challanges from BYU, TCU
The MWC is listed on page 137. What logic does TSN use in indexing? They start out alphabetically, with ACC, Big East, Big Ten, etc., but they don't continue after C-USA. Odd.
The MWC has three programs in the TSN Top 25. TSN really should rethink the ascending and descending logic, if they don't use descending for Utah, after USC and OU were listed as descending. Further, since TSN projects Boise State as the top non-BCS and look at TSN's Top 25 projection vs. last year's finish for Utah.
Top ascending MWC program per TSN is #6 UNLV, while #7 New Mexico is ranked as the top descending program ahead of San Diego State and Wyoming. All three descending schools have new coaches... not sure "descending" is appropriate TSN.
TSN: Coaching staffs finding MAC to be gian revolving door
The top ascending program per TSN for the MAC (page 145) is Buffalo, while the top descending program is Miami-OH. Okay, Miami-OH finished in the cellar in the East in '08, but is projected #5 among 7 teams in '09, but it's suggested they are descending for '09. While Buffalo may finish #1 again in the East, the ascending TSN seems to suggest happened last year, not in '09. "The team has a good chance to repeat that success this year." A little weak on the ascending scale. Does Western Michigan get it done in the West as TSN suggests? Wouldn't that be a better program to suggest for the top ascending program? Ball State and Akron are descending per TSN. Ball State is the right team for that mention, after going 8-0 in the West regular season last year.
TSN on the Sun Belt Conference: Belt not rolling over for BCS schools
No Final Top 25 votes within the conference last year. The Sun Belt is the only conference with no team receiving at least one vote.
TSN picks Troy to repeat in the Sun Belt (page 152) in '09 as conference champions. The top ascending program in the Sun Belt per TSN is Florida International, who are picked #7 in the conference. The Sun Belt is on the rise according to TSN on the path of "trying to become a solid mid-major." No program is really in a descending role per TSN, but Louisiana-Monroe is listed, since the Warhawks have "two new coordinators" and TSN suggests they could have a "new coach" in 2010. Of course, they didn't get a change to knock off Alabama in '08, after beating the Crimson Tide 21-14 in '07. ULM opens '09 at #2 Texas. An upset is not expected.
Three pages (pages 157-159) are dedicated to Independents: Notre Dame, Navy and Army.
The FCS Overview (page 160) and other college football divisons is what makes The Sporting News preview a good read each year.
Top 5 in FCS
- Appalachian State ***
- Villanova
- Northern Iowa
- Montana
- Southern Illinois
*** Defending FCS national champion
The Sporting News scores well with 240 FBS and FCS team previews, but it always seems to miss as the best of college football previews. I enjoy picking it up, but it leaves one questioning the magazine's logic from time to time.
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