• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

EspIn next years Top 12 with comments (merged)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
TallIndian

TallIndian

Senior
<object id=\"espnHeadline\" codebase=\"http://active.macromedia.com/flash2/cabs/swflash.cab#version=5,0,0,0\" classid=\"clsid<img\" src="http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Big Grin" smilieid="4" class="inlineimg" border="0" height="45" width="430">
<embed src="http://static.espn.go.com/swf/storypageheadline.swf?h=Three%2dpeat%20for%20USC%3F" swliveconnect="FALSE" quality="best" scale="exactfit" wmode="opaque" id="espnHeadline" name="flash2" menu="false" devicefont="false" flashvars="null" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="45" width="430"></object><noscript>Three-peat for USC?

</noscript> By Pat Forde
ESPN.com

<!-- template inline -->The Gatorade isn't even dry on Re-Pete Carroll's back, and already the talk is turning toward next season. Predicting the 2005 Top 25 in January might be the dumbest thing this side of Mark Bradley picking up that bouncing punt -- but it hasn't stopped us.



What follows is the first word on next season:



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]1. USC Trojans[/font]
Why: The answer is as obvious as a Reggie Bush cutback or a LenDale White power run. If even they lose their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to the NFL draft, the Trojans could be the unanimous preseason No. 1.



Why not: The only reason to bet against USC is the fact that nobody has won three straight AP national titles.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]2. Texas Longhorns[/font]
Why: Vince Young will be back behind a veteran offensive line, and the recruits keep flooding into Austin.



Why not: Losing star linebacker Derrick Johnson and running back Cedric Benson will hurt, and Oklahoma is still on the schedule.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]3. Michigan Wolverines[/font]
Why: Chad Henne, Michael Hart and Steve Breaston make a pretty awesome skill-position trio to build around.



Why not: Wide receiver Braylon Edwards made Henne look good on many occasions. The Wolverines face a major rebuilding job in the secondary.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]4. Miami Hurricanes[/font]
Why: Something tells us the Hurricanes will be better without Brock Berlin. And the defense should be nasty.



Why not: Larry Coker needs to rekindle a Miami offense that seemed short on playmakers at times this year.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]5. Oklahoma Sooners[/font]
Why: No team in America has a better building block than Adrian Peterson, and recruiting never slows down in Norman.



Why not: New quarterback. Rebuilt offensive line. Key losses on defense. And did the Sooners lose some of their aura during that mugging in Miami?



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]6. Tennessee Volunteers[/font]
Why: Three proven quarterbacks return, plus plenty of additional experience. And for once, the Volunteers have post-bowl momentum.



Why not: Vols will face significant losses to deal with at running back, offensive line and receiver, and might lose a couple other players to early entry.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]7. Iowa Hawkeyes[/font]
Why: Almost the entire offense is back, and Kirk Ferentz has firmly established himself as one of the nation's elite coaches.



Why not: The Hawkeyes must do some rebuilding on the defensive front seven.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]8. Florida Gators[/font]
Why: Take Chris Leak, Andre Caldwell and the rest of that gang, give them some improved coaching from Urban Meyer, and look out.



Why not: Well, losing Channing Crowder and Ciatrick Fason doesn't help. Plus, these guys don't know what it takes to win at the highest level. How quickly can they learn that?



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]9. Louisville Cardinals[/font]
Why: Bobby Petrino stuck around to play mad scientist with dazzling talents like quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush.



Why not: Even with all the players coming back, it's never easy to replace a great quarterback (Stefan LeFors), your top rusher (Eric Shelton) and top receiver (J.R. Russell).



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]10. LSU Tigers[/font]
Why: This team is littered with prep All-Americans, many of whom got valuable experience in a "rebuilding" 9-3 season.



Why not: After losing Nick Saban, it's hard not to think LSU settled for Les with Miles.



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]11. Virginia Tech Hokies[/font]
Why: Because Frank Beamer really doesn't have bad years, and because this year's 9-3 team was built around its junior class.



Why not: Losing quarterback Brian Randall could prove a bigger blow than anyone could have imagined at this time last year. Is Marcus Vick still in the picture?



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]12. Ohio State Buckeyes[/font]
Why: Ted Ginn seems like a wonderful place to start.



Why not: An NCAA investigation could turn into a mushroom cloud over Columbus.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
We did a pretty good job of coralling Michigan even with Edwards...Michigan's offense won't be near as good without Braylon. While they still should be a contender for the conference title, there's no way they're the #3 team in the country.
 
Upvote 0
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/stewart_mandel/01/06/mandel.mailbag.010505/index.html

Stewart Mandel at CNN/SI did a ranking in his latest mailbag that seems to make more sense to me...

Early Power Rankings for 2005
Rank Team
1 USC Trojans
Duh.
2 LSU Tigers
Nick Saban left behind an absolutely loaded cupboard. It's up to Les Miles not to screw it up and to help foster QB JaMarcus Russell's development.
3 Virginia Tech Hokies
This year's young team showed flashes of dominance by the end of the year. Marcus Vick better have his head on straight because he'll be the key.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes
The makings of a potential title run began taking shape the final two games with the blossoming of Ted Ginn Jr. and several young defenders.
5 Tennessee Volunteers
On paper, the Vols will have all the ingredients. Only problem: They seem to do better when the expectations are lower.
6 Texas Longhorns
Speaking of expectations, Vince Young will be carrying about 20 tons worth. But replacing Derrick Johnson and Cedric Benson will be no small chore.
7 Michigan Wolverines
The offense will be loaded with Chad Henne, Michael Hart and Steve Breaston, but the defense left a lot to be desired down the stretch.
8 Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners lose a lot, but may look a lot like Texas' team this season -- a mobile QB (Paul Thompson) and a workhorse RB (Adrian Peterson).
9 Iowa Hawkeyes
Kirk Ferentz has produced double-digit victories three straight years, and there's no reason that can't continue with QB Drew Tate only getting better.
10 Florida Gators
The Gators should improve drastically if Chris Leak takes to Urban Meyer's offense and the defense continues to improve like it did late in the year.
 
Upvote 0
why are the hurricanes number 4? as long as the COMPLETELY clueless larry coker is in charge they will continuously underacheive. On defense they are undisciplined and shoddy at tackling, and coker has no idea how to develop a QB on offense. plus their offensive line sucks, and their best guy (winston) is leaving early for the nfl draft.

people like to use brock berlin as the scapegoat (just as people blamed chris simms for texas's problems); but while berlin does suck, people need to wake up and realize that it is the COACHING that is at fault, not one individual player. Miami will be dominant again if they can get a good coach, but as long as Coker is in charge, I will eagerly watch them struggle each year.
 
Upvote 0
BuckeyeTrail said:
why are the hurricanes number 4? as long as the COMPLETELY clueless larry coker is in charge they will continuously underacheive. On defense they are undisciplined and shoddy at tackling, and coker has no idea how to develop a QB on offense. plus their offensive line sucks, and their best guy (winston) is leaving early for the nfl draft.

people like to use brock berlin as the scapegoat (just as people blamed chris simms for texas's problems); but while berlin does suck, people need to wake up and realize that it is the COACHING that is at fault, not one individual player. Miami will be dominant again if they can get a good coach, but as long as Coker is in charge, I will eagerly watch them struggle each year.
Click to expand...
Wow. Amazing similarities to many posts this season concerning tOSU and JT.

Change some names and you have a typical kneejerk, sky is falling, melodrama prevalent during 3 game slides
 
Upvote 0
osugrad21 said:
Wow. Amazing similarities to many posts this season concerning tOSU and JT.

Change some names and you have a typical kneejerk, sky is falling, melodrama prevalent during 3 game slides
Click to expand...
But they got worse as the year went on, with a veteran QB, no less. Big time difference from the Bucks. I keep seeing the little flaws from Coker that separate the Soliches from the Osborns and/or the Coopers from the Tressels. Even with all that Fla. talent, I'm willing to go out on the limb and say 3 losses are going to to be the norm and not the anomaly at Miami.
 
Upvote 0
Beenthere77 said:
But they got worse as the year went on, with a veteran QB, no less. Big time difference from the Bucks. I keep seeing the little flaws from Coker that separate the Soliches from the Osborns and/or the Coopers from the Tressels. Even with all that Fla. talent, I'm willing to go out on the limb and say 3 losses are going to to be the norm and not the anomaly at Miami.
Click to expand...
I'm not disputing the assessment at all...Miami received a definite "tradition" ranking there. Just noting how silly some of our fans seem when they make such emotional outbursts
 
Upvote 0
I think the race to win the opportunity to get blown out by USC is between OSU and Tennessee. :tongue2:

Some 7-5 team has to be the dark horse favorite, and Tennessee is as good a choice as any. Consider:

2003, Auburn 7-5
2002, LSU 7-5
2001, OSU 7-5
 
Upvote 0
silly, am i????? hahahhah. well i am pretty durnk right onw. but i stand by what i said. and for the record, i have NEVER questioned tressel. you can look at all my posts. i have always believed in him.


it's just that, in my opinion, larry coker is totally clueless. i've watched miami play lots of times over the last 2 years, and it's only reaffirmed my notion.

can you dispute any of what i said?

miami is shoddy at tackling.
miami's problems are not solely related to brock berlin, although he certainly didn't help matters.
miami has a pretty poor offensive line.
miami has pretty weak coaching.

conclusion = miami does not deserve to be anywhere NEAR the top five. if you were to take every team in the country, and have every player run the 40, and then average the times...i'm sure miami would be in the top 5 in that category. hell, they might even win! but i am tired of hearing about how they have SO MUCH MORE talent than everyone else. that might have been true in the past...but the well is drying out. their list of 1st rounders is very impressive, but i believe that they will only have one this year (rolle).

larry coker is an idiot. even miami fans realize this.
 
Upvote 0
BuckeyeTrail said:
silly, am i????? hahahhah. well i am pretty durnk right onw. but i stand by what i said. and for the record, i have NEVER questioned tressel. you can look at all my posts. i have always believed in him.
Click to expand...
Read later on in the post bro...

I'm not disputing the assessment at all...Miami received a definite "tradition" ranking there. Just noting how silly some of our fans seem when they make such emotional outbursts
Click to expand...
The post was never directed at you...

BuckeyeTrail said:
can you dispute any of what i said?
Click to expand...
Nope...you are correct. You are pretty drunk right now:biggrin:
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top