2006 Preseason Polls (official thread)

[Dryden]

You guys need to lay off Herbie and his ND #1 pick.

Charlie Weis will have had 34 weeks to prepare!

Face it, everyone else is just playing for #2.

 

[smith288]

You guys need to lay off Herbie and his ND #1 pick.

Charlie Weis will have had 34 weeks to prepare!

Face it, everyone else is just playing for #2.

LOL

 

[Steve19]

You guys need to lay off Herbie and his ND #1 pick.

Charlie Weis will have had 34 weeks to prepare!

Face it, everyone else is just playing for #2.

Word!

 

[buckeyefool]

I looked and couldn't find it anywhere....but Dennis Dodd's preseason #1 is........

Spring Top 25: Pass the Kool-Aid; Ohio State's tops

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</TD><TD noWrap>By Dennis Dodd
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Dennis your opinion!
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- T9326829 --><!-- Sesame Modified: 03/22/2006 11:15:30 --><!-- sversion: 5 $Updated: lylec$ -->Updated March 21
It's that annual rite of spring.
No, not Billy Packer ripping teams he has never seen play. Not Barry Bonds stiffing reporters while his stiffened muscles continue to "grow." Not mock(ed) drafts. Not Canucks-Oilers on OLN.
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</TD><TD width=15> </TD></TR><TR><TD width=175>Will Jim Tressel and Troy Smith be all smiles after the Fiesta Bowl? (Getty Images) </TD><TD width=15> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>It's the annual (more or less) CBS SportsLine.com spring Top 25. There will be more poll dancing before September, but for now our No. 1 hasn't changed. Be warned, though. College football is a moving target and, with apologies to the vice prez, we've got the shotgun.
1. Ohio State: The Kool-Aid has been distributed. Everybody ready? Drink. Troy Smith is this year's Vince Young. Ted Ginn Jr. will be better, at least more consistent. A new killer defense starts being assembled March 30 when spring practice starts. Besides, who else are you going to put up here?
It's still early but ... the Texas game (in Austin) looms large. The Bucks are aiming at this even more now that the Horns are defending national champs. Texas will be favored. Ohio State must avoid going all in emotionally. There's a long season ahead.
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[buckeyeboy]

Texas will be favored? That's a lot of love for a team w/no QB.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Texas will be favored? That's a lot of love for a team w/no QB.

Spreads are are based heavily on the home team. That is why they will be favored. It will be low like this past year tho. Like 1 or 2 points.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Texas will be favored? That's a lot of love for a team w/no QB.

Playing at home.

Here's his full list:

1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. West Virginia
4. Auburn
5. Notre Dame
6. Oklahoma
7. Texas
8. USC
9. Florida
10. Georgia
11. Oregon
12. Virginia Tech
13. Iowa
14. Boston College
15. Louisville
16. California
17. Clemson
18. TCU
19. Penn State
20. Michigan
21. Miami
22. Nebraska
23. Florida State
24. Georgia Tech
25. UCLA

Ten To Watch

Alabama
Boise State
Fresno State
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas Tech
Toledo
UCF
Wisconsin
Utah

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Wow, only 4 big ten teams in his top 35.

 

[buckeyeboy]

Playing at home.

Here's his full list:

1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. West Virginia
4. Auburn
5. Notre Dame
6. Oklahoma
7. Texas
8. USC
9. Florida
10. Georgia
11. Oregon
12. Virginia Tech
13. Iowa
14. Boston College
15. Louisville
16. California
17. Clemson
18. TCU
19. Penn State
20. Michigan
21. Miami
22. Nebraska
23. Florida State
24. Georgia Tech
25. UCLA

Ten To Watch

Alabama
Boise State
Fresno State
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas Tech
Toledo
UCF
Wisconsin
Utah

UT and USC fans are going to think they're getting screwed.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

1. Ohio State
.
.
.
20. Michigan

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I think Miami behind Michigan is even funnier.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Maybe just maybe scUM has a chance to finish higher than they were rated to start the season.

 

[Dryden]

20. Michigan

20?! How many times will these know-nothing journalists get suckered into over rating UM because of that stupid ass helmet.

100 vCash says Dodd has UM back in the Top 10 by August, because once again he'll fall for Lloyd's BS about Hart being healthy and Henne maturing into a leader.

 

[buckeyeboy]

CFN put us #1 in their early poll and I can't argue with their logic. Overall I think they did their homework better than any other early pre-season poll I've seen.

I'll agree that CFN usually is pretty good. However, I don't agree with them here to the extent that they imply that Smith can never be as good as VY. Indeed, in their respective junior seasons, Smith had as good or better (particularly from the throwing standpoint) year.

Smith in '05:

passing -- 149 Comp 237 Att 62.9 Pct 2282 Yds 16 TD 4 Int 162.7 Rat
rushing -- 136 Att 611 Yds 11 TD

Young in '04:

passing -- 148 Comp 250 Att 59.2 Pct 1849 Yds 12 TD 11 Int 128.4 Rat
rushing -- 167 Att 1079 Yds 14 TD

In short, they were similar in total yards (2893 for Smith, 2928 for VY), Touchdowns (27 for Smith, 26 for VY), but Smith turned the ball over much less often (4 Int Smith, 11 Int for VY). I'm not trying to take anything away from VY b/c he had a ridiculous year; but I think that to totally dismiss the argument that Smith can have a similar final season is not very wise.

 

[Cwood24]

20?! How many times will these know-nothing journalists get suckered into over rating UM because of that stupid ass helmet.

A #20 rating is overrating Michigan? Really? I thought the #4 rating they got prior to 2005 was being overrated, but #20? I think 20 is a fair spot to put Michigan, considering how much they return and the coaching changes that were made for the better IMO. You can move them lower I guess, but not out of the Top 25. Are there really 25 programs out there better than Michigan? I don't think so. There is just no way they go 7-5 again. Only way that'd happen is if they had an even worse injury situation in 2006. They built some quality depth in 2005 with so many young players getting experience, and they only lose 4 guys on offense (Tim Massaqoui, Adam Stenavich, Jason Avant, Matt Lentz) and 4 guys on defense (Pierre Woods, Grant Mason, Pat Massey, Gabe Watson). When you look at some of those player losses to graduation, I don't know if you can even call them losses (*cough*Pat Massey*cough*).