Opening Rankings

[billybud]

I expect FSU to start out in the rankings....

But...I wonder what folks will be seeing? And where the ranking will fall?

On the one hand...

....FSU lost six assistant coaches between seasons...breaking in all new coaches.
....the loss of as many as seven former players as 1st and 2nd round draftees..and as many as an additional six in subsequent rounds..key losses at DE, DB, LB, QB
....starting a freshman QB taking his first snaps. The 2nd QB (with game experience) is transferring.

On the other hand...

....the kids seem to be learning the new defensive scheming brought in by the new DC
....the reload talent is still pretty formidable
....the freshman QB seems to be a phenomenal talent, just inexperienced.

[Spence]

Ohio State will probably start in the top 10. Whether they rise or fall will depend on how Braxton Miller has improved from last year. His footwork still has a long way to go if the spring game is an indication.

[Eric]

I think FSU will have a nice year, but the thing that might keep them from having a great year is the QB experience as you alluded to. If Winston overcomes that, I think FSU can compete for at least an ACC title. We've seen freshman turn in surprisingly good seasons before.

Ohio State still may have some problems, but it will more than likely be masked by the schedule. The slate is pretty soft as it looks like a three-game schedule (vs. Wisky, @ Northwestern, @ Michigan). Any time those are your three toughest games, you should be feeling pretty good about the upcoming year. Personally, I think Braxton Miller will turn in a Heisman-candidate season even if he stalls as a passer. He'll certainly look good against the competition (and I'm not super-down on the B1G this year, even though it won't be anything special; it's just that they miss out on Michigan State and Nebraska while getting Wisconsin at home).

[Eric]

I haven't paid as much attention to college football this offseason as I probably am used to and/or want to, but Michigan will probably be in the low 20's to start in the rankings. Some of the polls that know what they're talking about that I've seen have Michigan outside of the top 25, but I think their prestige as a football program will get them in the lower-tier of the polls as a preseason courtesy/bias thing.

I think the people who will rank Michigan will wind up being right. I think the Wolverines are due for a breakout year, and I'm almost always pessimistic about our odds to accomplish anything. But on the other hand, I have a gut feeling that Devin Gardner could be a disaster this year as a full-time starter even though he had succeeded in that role last year. We'll just have to wait and see how the season plays out.

[Swamp Daddy]

Here's an avant garde prediction from Tim Brando (at CBS as I recall) for the"ending" of the 2013-14 football season:

http://www.cardchronicle.com/2013/6/14/ ... n-football

Quite interesting though I did not read the original article.

Swamp Daddy