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wilson
08-10-2015, 10:31 AM
ESPN has its first edition of the ACC football power rankings up, and our Devils are at #7. VA Tech at #4 is a head-scratcher to me...they've been trending downward for several seasons now, and that seems to be based on some expectation that they'll somehow revert to their previous mean of above-average performance. I'm not sure Beamer has that in him anymore. NC State right ahead of us at #6 is also a little weird; even the ESPN writer admits that that ranking is based entirely on potential, rather than proven performance. As for Duke, the blurb says pretty much what everyone's been saying...lots of promise on O, with some questions up front on D.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/83965/acc-fall-camp-power-rankings

Bob Green
08-10-2015, 11:43 AM
Two of the eight opponents on the schedule are ranked higher than Duke and six are ranked lower. I'll take 6-2.

Higher: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
Lower: Miami, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia, Wake Forest

Olympic Fan
08-10-2015, 12:25 PM
ESPN has its first edition of the ACC football power rankings up, and our Devils are at #7. VA Tech at #4 is a head-scratcher to me...they've been trending downward for several seasons now, and that seems to be based on some expectation that they'll somehow revert to their previous mean of above-average performance. I'm not sure Beamer has that in him anymore. NC State right ahead of us at #6 is also a little weird; even the ESPN writer admits that that ranking is based entirely on potential, rather than proven performance. As for Duke, the blurb says pretty much what everyone's been saying...lots of promise on O, with some questions up front on D.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/83965/acc-fall-camp-power-rankings

You are not wrong about the Virginia Tech trend lines.

After going 11-3 (7-1 ACC) in 2011 -- Tech's eighth straight season with at least 10 wins -- they've gone 7-6 (4-4), 8-5 (5-3) and 7-6 (3-5). It's worth noting that if Ross Martin had hit his field goal to beat the Hokies in Wade Stadium last season, they would have finished the regular season at 5-7 (2-6).

But ... remember, this is a team that beat Ohio State in Columbus last year before the Hokies were devastated by injuries. They have eight starters back off last season's great defense (14th nationally in scoring defense). That doesn't count potential All-American DT Luther Maddy, hurt last year, or potential All-ACC CB Brandon Facyson, who missed the entire season with an injury.

I think they have the potential for a GREAT defense.

Offense is another question ... But they have eight starters back and remember that almost all their best skill players last year were freshmen -- TE Bucky Hodges, WR Isaiah Ford, WR Cam Phillips and TB Marshawn Williams. They'll be better as sophs. JC Coleman, who emerged late at TB and 2014 preseason starter Trey Edmonds is also in the TB mix.

Obviously the key is QB Michael Brewer, a transfer from Texas Tech. He had his ups and downs last season, but it's fair to think he's going to be better this season.

I actually like Virginia Tech to win the Coastal Division -- unlike Georgia Tech, which gets FSU and Clemson from the Atlantic, the Hokies get Boston College and NC State.

I can justify NC State ahead of us too -- they finished strong last year (remember, the week after we lost to UNC at home, the Pack hammered the Heels, 35-7), have a great QB returning in Brissett and added two of the nation's best skill guys in TB Frazier and Slot Hines (two guys we tried very hard to recruit).

sagegrouse
08-10-2015, 12:29 PM
I can justify NC State ahead of us too -- they finished strong last year (remember, the week after we lost to UNC at home, the Pack hammered the Heels, 35-7), have a great QB returning in Brissett and added two of the nation's best skill guys in TB Frazier and Slot Hines (two guys we tried very hard to recruit).

Hey, OF, have you had your coffee? NC State is not in the Coastal Division. or maybe you were making a more existential point?

Olympic Fan
08-10-2015, 12:47 PM
Hey, OF, have you had your coffee? NC State is not in the Coastal Division. or maybe you were making a more existential point?

Sage,

Read the original post -- the linked espn article ranks the ACC 1-through-14 without regard to divisions. Wilson (the original poster) expressed surprise that No. 6 NC State would be ranked one spot higher in the ACC pecking order than No. 7 Duke.

That's what I was responding to. I like Bob's point that Duke ranked higher than six of the eight ACC teams on our schedule. I'd take 6-2 in the ACC today.

wilson
08-10-2015, 03:17 PM
And now, the Worldwide Leader follows up with a nice in-depth team preview:

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/83868/acc-team-preview-duke-blue-devils

My favorite part comes from the "Worst-case scenario" section, where the article says, "Six wins and a fourth straight bowl game are probably the low-end estimate for this team." That a minor bowl game is now considered the worst-case scenario for this program still really boggles my mind.

Bob Green
08-10-2015, 05:42 PM
With all the hype surrounding T.J. Rahming, it is interesting ESPN picked Aaron Young as the freshman to keep an eye on:


Class of 2015 signee to watch: The wide receiver position is one to watch, and Aaron Young is the pick. Not only does Young have college-ready size, but he comes from a passing offense in high school out of California with an advanced understanding of route running and how to use his body as an advantage.

Young is listed as 6'2" 200 on the roster at GoDuke.com.

sagegrouse
08-10-2015, 06:42 PM
Hey, OF, have you had your coffee? NC State is not in the Coastal Division. or maybe you were making a more existential point?


Sage,

Read the original post -- the linked espn article ranks the ACC 1-through-14 without regard to divisions. Wilson (the original poster) expressed surprise that No. 6 NC State would be ranked one spot higher in the ACC pecking order than No. 7 Duke.

That's what I was responding to. I like Bob's point that Duke ranked higher than six of the eight ACC teams on our schedule. I'd take 6-2 in the ACC today.

You mean, I am supposed to do the required reading? Why should I make an exception for DBR?

Kindly,
Sage

budwom
08-11-2015, 08:02 AM
Four star freshman LB Ben Humphreys is turning heads in camp....looks like we're likely to see him on the field this year as a true frosh.

duke blue brewcrew
08-11-2015, 09:15 AM
Four star freshman LB Ben Humphreys is turning heads in camp....looks like we're likely to see him on the field this year as a true frosh.

I'm assuming he's practicing exclusively at LB for this year?

budwom
08-11-2015, 09:20 AM
I'm assuming he's practicing exclusively at LB for this year?

I guess so given Cash's presence. I still see Cash's spot, FWIW, as pretty much a quasi linebacker position regardless of what they call it anyway...

duke blue brewcrew
08-11-2015, 09:52 AM
I guess so given Cash's presence. I still see Cash's spot, FWIW, as pretty much a quasi linebacker position regardless of what they call it anyway...

I tend to agree with you. He may have a little more LB in him than Cash, but I view Cash as a 3rd LB with unique pass/run coverage responsibilities.

devildeac
08-11-2015, 09:56 AM
I'm assuming he's practicing exclusively at LB for this year?

From this morning's Raleigh News and Observer:

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/duke-now/article30633633.html


Braxton Deaver's quote:

“Benjamin Humphreys has shined like I’ve never seen a freshman linebacker shine,” he said. “He has a lot of natural instincts. He reminds a lot of Kelby Brown. It’s interesting to watch a freshman come in and not shy away from contact the way he has. Usually a lot of kids do. He plays low, and the more experience that kid gets, the better he will be. You’re probably going to see him on the field.”

I like his mention of Kelby Brown. Can't wait to see this young'un play.

devildeac
08-11-2015, 09:59 AM
Another quote from Deaver about the Tennessee TE transfer Daniel Helm who we won't see playing this year:

“He is maybe the nicest kid you will ever meet off the field, but that kid puts a helmet on and he will power bomb your mother,” Deaver said. “He is a nasty player. In the spring, he jumped 36 inches with his vertical. The sky is the limit. He is an unbelievable athlete.”

"Power bomb you mother?" Maybe we need to make him a DE next year;).

duke blue brewcrew
08-11-2015, 10:25 AM
Another quote from Deaver about the Tennessee TE transfer Daniel Helm who we won't see playing this year:

“He is maybe the nicest kid you will ever meet off the field, but that kid puts a helmet on and he will power bomb your mother,” Deaver said. “He is a nasty player. In the spring, he jumped 36 inches with his vertical. The sky is the limit. He is an unbelievable athlete.”

"Power bomb you mother?" Maybe we need to make him a DE next year;).

Thanks for that, I'm cleaning the coffee off of my monitor after reading that one...HILARIOUS quote! Maybe it should come with a warning next time? :)

Olympic Fan
08-11-2015, 01:50 PM
Another quote from Deaver about the Tennessee TE transfer Daniel Helm who we won't see playing this year:

“He is maybe the nicest kid you will ever meet off the field, but that kid puts a helmet on and he will power bomb your mother,” Deaver said. “He is a nasty player. In the spring, he jumped 36 inches with his vertical. The sky is the limit. He is an unbelievable athlete.”

"Power bomb you mother?" Maybe we need to make him a DE next year;).

The quote jibes with Jeremy Cash's earlier quote that Helm is "by far" the best TE on the roster.

I wouldn't move him -- next year when Deaver and Reeves are gone, we'll need a player like him at TE. We do add four-star TE Mark Birmingham, but I'd hate to ask a true freshman to be our best TE.

devildeac
08-11-2015, 02:08 PM
The quote jibes with Jeremy Cash's earlier quote that Helm is "by far" the best TE on the roster.

I wouldn't move him -- next year when Deaver and Reeves are gone, we'll need a player like him at TE. We do add four-star TE Mark Birmingham, but I'd hate to ask a true freshman to be our best TE.

Oh, I wouldn't move him either, that's why I added the winky guy. After all our discussions here about the DL being a "weakness" and the "power bombing his/your mother" comment, I thought (not seriously) what a MOFO he might be and where (else) we could use a monster on the squad.

Olympic Fan
08-15-2015, 01:24 PM
ESPN just posted an article with two of its writers arguing about the best special teams units in the ACC:

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/84085/take-2-who-has-the-best-special-teams-in-the-acc

One guy argues that it's Duke, the other suggests FSU.

Dukehky
08-15-2015, 01:40 PM
I guess so given Cash's presence. I still see Cash's spot, FWIW, as pretty much a quasi linebacker position regardless of what they call it anyway...

I always took Strike Safety to mean Linebacker, without sacrificing draft stock stuff. People go crazy over positions. Apparently Duke doesn't succumb to that in either of the big 2 sports. Hey K!

Bob Green
08-15-2015, 02:29 PM
ESPN just posted an article with two of its writers arguing about the best special teams units in the ACC:

One guy argues that it's Duke, the other suggests FSU.

Duke is a punt returner away from being special on special teams. Will Monday, Ross Martin, Thomas Hennessy and DeVon Edwards are all very talented and experienced. Who replaces Jamison Crowder is the lone question.

BobBender
08-18-2015, 10:15 AM
ESPN has its first edition of the ACC football power rankings up, and our Devils are at #7. VA Tech at #4 is a head-scratcher to me...they've been trending downward for several seasons now, and that seems to be based on some expectation that they'll somehow revert to their previous mean of above-average performance. I'm not sure Beamer has that in him anymore. NC State right ahead of us at #6 is also a little weird; even the ESPN writer admits that that ranking is based entirely on potential, rather than proven performance. As for Duke, the blurb says pretty much what everyone's been saying...lots of promise on O, with some questions up front on D.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/83965/acc-fall-camp-power-rankings

I just heard a guy on Sirius College Sports Radio give his ACC Coastal predictions. I didn't even catch his name but he picked VT to win the Coastal, GT 2nd, UNC 4th, UVa 5th, Miami 6th and the Blue Devils 7th. Thought it was more than a little disrespectful to what Cutcliffe has accomplished. I'm not wired into football, but is it just the QB situation the reason for such skepticism?

TruBlu
08-18-2015, 01:33 PM
I just heard a guy on Sirius College Sports Radio give his ACC Coastal predictions. I didn't even catch his name but he picked VT to win the Coastal, GT 2nd, UNC 4th, UVa 5th, Miami 6th and the Blue Devils 7th. Thought it was more than a little disrespectful to what Cutcliffe has accomplished. I'm not wired into football, but is it just the QB situation the reason for such skepticism?

Surely, he can't be Sirius!


(with apologies)

rasputin
08-18-2015, 01:41 PM
You mean, I am supposed to do the required reading? Why should I make an exception for DBR?

Kindly,
Sage

Well, this isn't Carolina.

duke blue brewcrew
08-19-2015, 10:03 AM
I just heard a guy on Sirius College Sports Radio give his ACC Coastal predictions. I didn't even catch his name but he picked VT to win the Coastal, GT 2nd, UNC 4th, UVa 5th, Miami 6th and the Blue Devils 7th. Thought it was more than a little disrespectful to what Cutcliffe has accomplished. I'm not wired into football, but is it just the QB situation the reason for such skepticism?

That's easily the worst and IMO, the most inaccurate prediction I've heard so far. Most predictions have Duke finishing in the middle or just inside the top-half of the ACC, with a winning record and probable bowl birth. Duke is replacing key personnel at QB, WR, OL, DL and LB. Most, if not all of the talent stepping in to fill those roles is largely inexperienced, and very talented. Hence the doubt by some, and optimism by others. My prediction earlier in the off-season was no worse than 8-4.

Bob Green
08-19-2015, 07:25 PM
SB Nation ranks the teams from #1 (Ohio State) to #128 (Charlotte). They rank Duke at #60:

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/8/19/9173169/ncaa-football-2015-power-rankings

This is way low in my humble opinion. If our wins/losses track exactly with these rankings, we will end the regular season at 6-6. I'm sticking with my 8-4 prediction.

duke blue brewcrew
08-20-2015, 09:50 AM
SB Nation ranks the teams from #1 (Ohio State) to #128 (Charlotte). They rank Duke at #60:

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/8/19/9173169/ncaa-football-2015-power-rankings

This is way low in my humble opinion. If our wins/losses track exactly with these rankings, we will end the regular season at 6-6. I'm sticking with my 8-4 prediction.

That's not just way low, that's a slap in the face! #60?! REALLY?! I've seen Duke just outside of the Top 25...roughly 33ish in some preseason polls. WTH?!

Sir Stealth
08-20-2015, 12:02 PM
I would read the author's full preview of Duke before calling it a slap in the face. It's worth noting that the writer takes a heavily stats-based approach to evaluating teams, so this isn't based on some sort of historical disrespect for Duke's football name. Even with the 9 wins Duke did not have a very good statistical profile last year, unfortunately, and there is genuine cause for pessimism there when combined with losing key players. Also note that the author's national ranking does not take schedule into account. Chances are we will look a lot better than 60 by benefit of our schedule alone, and the author does predict us to go bowling and to improve in 2016 even with the relatively pessimistic outlook.

Personally, I think that Sirk will be an upgrade from 2014 Boone and that our better talent stepping in to play in the Front 7 will actually mean improvement. So I agree that this ranking undervalues Duke and that we will be much better than the 60th best team in the country. But it's worth noting that the SBNation opinion here is very, very informed and based on more than just "Duke is losing key players and is due to fall back to its losing ways."

Bob Green
08-20-2015, 12:34 PM
...and that our better talent stepping in to play in the Front 7 will actually mean improvement.

We play a 4-2-5 defense so it is the Front 6. I agree with you better talent has been recruited and those more talented players will be stepping in this season; however, the second element in the equation - experience - is lacking. The Front 6 two deep rotation will include a lot of inexperienced players, especially at linebacker and defensive end. I'm extremely optimistic heading into the season, but the Front 6 on defense remains a major concern. I'm particularly concerned about our ability to stop teams which run the ball straight at the center of the defense. Teams such as Pitt, BC and perhaps North Carolina if there is any truth to recent articles I've seen claiming the Tar Heels intend to feature the running game and their four talented Tailbacks this season.

I'm ready for them to Tee-up the ball and kick it off!

nyesq83
08-20-2015, 12:58 PM
Looking forward to seeing our guys in action in two weeks.

We had lots of experience up front and still had a hard time truly stopping the run last year, bending but not breaking in many games.

Let's hope our young players are wise and energized as well as faster and stronger.

We have faith in the coaches and the team. Let's see some early all-around game execution in Louisiana!

Send a message!

CameronBornAndBred
08-23-2015, 03:20 PM
Duke with 6 votes in the coaches poll.


http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

duke blue brewcrew
08-24-2015, 11:58 AM
Not sure where this belongs, now that the 2015 Football thread has been closed. Jeremy Cash has been named to ESPN's 1st Pre-Season All American Team. This is his 2nd 1st Team honor of the Pre-Season, with Phil Steele being the other, and his 6th overall. Congrats Jeremy!

http://duke.247sports.com/Bolt/Duke-S-Jeremy-Cash-named-ESPN-Preseason-All-American-38916561

Olympic Fan
08-24-2015, 01:55 PM
Duke with 6 votes in the coaches poll.


http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

Interesting ... but the coaches poll was released July 30 -- almost a month ago. The AP preseason top 25 was released Sunday ... if you go to Cameron's link you can see both polls now.

Duke didn't get any votes in the AP poll.

Interesting to me that both the national coaches and the AP voters ranked FSU higher than Clemson in the ACC ... last month, the ACC area voters at Pinehurst for the ACC Football Kickoff picked Clemson ahead of FSU by a fairly comfortable margin.

wilson
08-24-2015, 01:59 PM
Interesting to me that both the national coaches and the AP voters ranked FSU higher than Clemson in the ACC ... last month, the ACC area voters at Pinehurst for the ACC Football Kickoff picked Clemson ahead of FSU by a fairly comfortable margin.Reminiscent of the 2008 season, when Georgia was preseason #1 in both national polls, but picked 3rd in their own conference by the SEC media. Turned out the conference beat writers knew better than the national hivemind, as UGA finished out of the top 10 nationally and second in the SEC East. Seems that the Clemson-FSU race will put national vs. conference writers to a similarly interesting test this year.

AustinDevil
08-24-2015, 02:29 PM
Interesting ... but the coaches poll was released July 30 -- almost a month ago. The AP preseason top 25 was released Sunday ... if you go to Cameron's link you can see both polls now.

Duke didn't get any votes in the AP poll.

Am I the only one annoyed to see that Duke got zero votes, while more than one or two lazy (or homerish) sportswriters voted for "name" schools that have no business being on a Top 25 ballot (Texas comes to mind).

I see Laura Keeley posted her ballot along with commentary, including thoughts on why she voted other ACC schools higher or lower. I'd like to hear her rationale for not including Duke.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/duke-now/article32087688.html

CameronBornAndBred
08-24-2015, 03:13 PM
Interesting ... but the coaches poll was released July 30 -- almost a month ago. The AP preseason top 25 was released Sunday ... if you go to Cameron's link you can see both polls now.

Duke didn't get any votes in the AP poll.

Interesting to me that both the national coaches and the AP voters ranked FSU higher than Clemson in the ACC ... last month, the ACC area voters at Pinehurst for the ACC Football Kickoff picked Clemson ahead of FSU by a fairly comfortable margin.
Didn't realize the coaches was released so long ago. Why on earth would there be a poll out before the start of practice? I don't know either Clemson's or FSU's injury situation, but if one of them is comparable to Duke's thirty days later, that could explain some reasoning. It could also explain our own absence in the AP. State is in both, but we were higher in the Coaches.

uh_no
08-24-2015, 05:53 PM
Am I the only one annoyed to see that Duke got zero votes, while more than one or two lazy (or homerish) sportswriters voted for "name" schools that have no business being on a Top 25 ballot (Texas comes to mind).

I see Laura Keeley posted her ballot along with commentary, including thoughts on why she voted other ACC schools higher or lower. I'd like to hear her rationale for not including Duke.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/duke-now/article32087688.html

Congratulations. You've now thought more about the coaches poll than the coaches who vote in it!

The coaches don't care. They have better things to do than to examine all the teams in the country to figure out who's playing well or might have a good year. Oh you lost last week? bump you down a few spots. You won? move on up in their place.

Some may pay some attention to the top couple spots...but after that...."hm....i heard bowling green on the news....might as well slot them in at 25"

Olympic Fan
08-24-2015, 06:18 PM
Congratulations. You've now thought more about the coaches poll than the coaches who vote in it!

The coaches don't care. They have better things to do than to examine all the teams in the country to figure out who's playing well or might have a good year. Oh you lost last week? bump you down a few spots. You won? move on up in their place.

Some may pay some attention to the top couple spots...but after that...."hm....i heard bowling green on the news....might as well slot them in at 25"

You are exactly right about the coaches poll. It always amazes me that people give the coaches poll more respect than the writers poll.

Well, coaches do know more football that writers, but when it comes to these polls, for the most part THEY DON'T CARE. They don't pay attention to the national situation and in many cases, they can't be bothered to vote -- SIDs notoriously cast half the coaches' votes ... administrative assistants do it in many other cases.

The writers poll contains a bunch of idiots, but at least they usually try ...

BTW: Ohio State was the unanimous preseason No. 1 pick in the AP poll ... I'd be willing to bet some serious money that the Buckeyes DON'T repeat as national champs. They again, I'd bet the field against any single contender.

brevity
08-25-2015, 01:11 AM
BTW: Ohio State was the unanimous preseason No. 1 pick in the AP poll ...

Is it unanimous support, or groupthink? Check out the AP Preseason Top 5:

1. 1525 pts for Ohio State (all 61 first place votes)
2. 1428 pts for TCU
3. 1322 pts for Alabama
4. 1263 pts for Baylor
5. 1256 pts for Michigan State

TCU was only 36 points shy of being the unanimous #2. Put another way, if a second place vote is worth 24 points per voter, TCU averaged 23.4 points. Alabama was 81 points short of the unanimous #3, averaging 21.7 points per voter.

There's less certainty about the #4 team, but I included Baylor and Michigan State for a different reason. A unanimous Top 5 (where all 61 voters picked the same 5 teams, regardless of order) would have a total of 7015 points. These 5 teams have 6794 points. You could argue that those remaining 221 points were a tiny sliver of voters having a different opinion. But how many voters, and how different an opinion? At the most, it's about 10 voters picking other teams at #4 or 5.

Now, I'm no Nate Silver, but that's a ridiculous amount of similar thinking for what should be a wide-open preseason assessment. Did the sportswriters just copy each other's homework? Is this what they learned at the UNC School of Media and Journalism? Speaking of, FiveThirtyEight (http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/dont-read-too-much-into-ohio-states-unanimous-no-1-ranking/) has an article about Ohio State's preseason ranking.

jimsumner
08-25-2015, 12:05 PM
You are exactly right about the coaches poll. It always amazes me that people give the coaches poll more respect than the writers poll.

Well, coaches do know more football that writers, but when it comes to these polls, for the most part THEY DON'T CARE. They don't pay attention to the national situation and in many cases, they can't be bothered to vote -- SIDs notoriously cast half the coaches' votes ... administrative assistants do it in many other cases.

The writers poll contains a bunch of idiots, but at least they usually try ...

BTW: Ohio State was the unanimous preseason No. 1 pick in the AP poll ... I'd be willing to bet some serious money that the Buckeyes DON'T repeat as national champs. They again, I'd bet the field against any single contender.

If I correctly remember the ESPN crawl from last night, The Ohio State University has been picked No. 1 preseason seven other times and didn't win the mythical national title any of those years.

94duke
08-25-2015, 12:54 PM
If I correctly remember the ESPN crawl from last night, The Ohio State University has been picked No. 1 preseason seven other times and didn't win the mythical national title any of those years.

Thanks, Jim.

I found an article talking about pre-season #1 vs national champion. Only twice since 1998 has the the pre-season #1 won the national championship.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2014-08-17/ap-preseason-poll-florida-state-no-1-national-champion-since-1998

1999 FSU
2004 USC* (vacated)

1998
Preseason No. 1: Ohio State (finished No. 2)
National Champion: Tennessee (preseason No. 10)

1999
Preseason No. 1/National Champion: Florida State

2000
Preseason No. 1: Nebraska (finished No. 8)
National Champion: Oklahoma (preseason No. 19)

2001
Preseason No. 1: Florida (finished No. 3)
National Champion: Miami, Fla. (preseason No. 2)

2002
Preseason No. 1: Miami, Fla. (finished No. 2)
National Champion: Ohio State (preseason No. 13)

2003
Preseason No. 1: Oklahoma (finished No. 3)
National Champion: USC (preseason No. 8)

2004
Preseason No. 1/National Champion: USC

2005
Preseason No. 1: USC (finished No. 2)
National Champion: Texas (preseason No. 2)

2006
Preseason No. 1: Ohio State (finished No. 2)
|National Champion: Florida (preseason No. 7)

2007
Preseason No. 1: USC (finished No. 3)
National Champion: LSU (preseason No. 2)

2008
Preseason No. 1: Georgia (finished No. 13)
National Champion: Florida (preseason No. 5)

2009
Preseason No. 1: Florida (finished No. 3)
National Champion: Alabama (preseason No. 5)

2010
Preseason No. 1: Alabama (finished No. 10)
National Champion: Auburn (preseason No. 22)

2011
Preseason No. 1: Oklahoma (finished No. 16)
National Champion: Alabama (preseason No. 2)

2012
Preseason No. 1: USC (finished unranked)
National Champion: Alabama (preseason No. 2)

2013
Preseason No. 1: Alabama (finished No. 7)
National Champion: Florida State (preseason No. 11)

CameronBornAndBred
08-25-2015, 01:08 PM
2012
Preseason No. 1: USC (finished unranked)



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