1. Oklahoma Sooners
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Texas Christian Horned Frogs
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
6. Boise State Broncos
7. Florida Gators
8. USC Trojans
9. Miami (FL) Hurricanes
10. Oregon Ducks
11. Texas Longhorns
12. North Carolina Tar Heels
13. Virginia Tech Hokies
14. Iowa Hawkeyes
15. Auburn Tigers
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
17. Arkansas Razorbacks
18. Penn State Nittany Lions
19. Georgia Bulldogs
20. Florida State Seminoles
21. South Carolina Gamecocks
22. West Virginia Mountaineers
23. Wisconsin Badgers
24. Houston Cougars
25. Arizona Wildcats
Steele's rankings are just odd in places. Starting with the Big 12, he has both OU and Nebraska ranked ahead of Texas. Texas will have one of the best defenses in the country. While I expect both Nebraska and OU to be good defensively, Nebraska just doesn't have the necessary offensive weapons to warrant a ranking ahead of Texas or OU. Pelini has yet to announce who his starting quarterback will be, and to be honest, Husker fans really shouldn't be excited about either. Remove the 7 TDs and 1 interception Zach Lee had against the powerhouse non-conference home games Nebraska played against Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana-Laf and he sports a 7-9 TD-INT ratio in conference games and against Virginia Tech. His competition is young and inexperienced, and the adjustment period could be rough. While OU has a QB with experience (Landry Jones) and arguably the best overall skills guy (looking at you Broyles), I think the O-line will be a big weakness for this team no matter what Big Game Bob says. Texas has the defense, and the best overall offense of the group. Nebraska QB's will turn the ball over enough to spite Helu and the Blackshirts, while Landry will have trouble staying comfortable in the pocket. Two years ago the Sooners had two 1000 yard rushers. An impressive feat. Last year neither reached 800. The Sooners are a top 7 team in my opinion but they still fall short of Bevo's crew.
ReplyDeleteIn the SEC, Steele has been served a glass of Spurrier koolaid and it has clouded his judgement. Every year people around the SEC ask "is this the year the 'Ole Ball Coach puts it all together?" Garcia performed much better than people believe last year. For evidence check out Chris Low's comparison here: http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/12560/stephen-garcia-vs-the-pac-10-headliners Suspensions and investigations aside, the Gamecocks won't be making their run this year. Do they pass Tennessee in the SEC East pecking order? Sure, but they lose to all 5 currently ranked SEC teams they play. 7 wins doesn't get you #17 in the nation. The tide are ranked third overall, but its difficult to see how a team coming off an undefeated season and returning a heisman winner, an undefeated QB, and Julio Jones being ranked anything but 1. Yes they lost guys on defense, but have you seen the depth Saban has acquired on that side of the ball? Les Miles won a national championship with Saban's LSU recruits, years after his departure. The guy is a winner.
In the Big 10 he seems rather down on a Wisconsin team that finally has the pieces to contend for the Big 10 title. They get OSU at home and have a very good running game. Other than Mr. Pryor, the QB crop from the Big 10 is uninspiring. Offensive efficiency with a grind-it-out running game will yield dividends for the badgers, who I see in the top-15 all year.
In the Big East, Steele omits Pitt, generally considered a top-15 team. Unfortunately, this comment is already getting way too long and no one cares about the Big East.
USC in the top 10? This is the one ranking I disagree with but could actually see happening. They could also be an 8-4 team.
He gives Georgia Tech no love, and that he might regret by week 4, and Notre Dame hasn't been relevant at the seasons end in far too long to even care where they rank before week one.