BSU Releases Portion of Scheduled Game Times

Ball State has announced its football game times for the 2009 season, and the Cardinals will have six games televised on the ESPN family of networks. Below is the complete 2009 football schedule with game times which have been announced.

Sept.
3 (Thurs.) NORTH TEXAS (7:30) - ESPNU
CARDINAL VARSITY CLUB DAY Presented by ProLiance Energy

12 (Sat.) NEW HAMPSHIRE (7:00)
Presented by Central Indiana Orthopedics

19 (Sat.) at Army (Noon) - ESPN Classic or ESPNU

26 (Sat.) at Auburn (TBA)


Oct.
3 (Sat.) TOLEDO * (Noon) - ESPN Plus/GamePlan
HOMECOMING Presented by Ball State Federal Credit Union

10 (Sat.) at Temple * (1:00)

17 (Sat.) BOWLING GREEN * (Noon)
FAMILY WEEKEND Presented by Marsh Supermarkets

24 (Sat.) at Eastern Michigan * (1:00)

31 (Sat.) OHIO * (Noon)
YOUTH DAY Presented by Mutual Bank


Nov.
12 (Thurs.)at Northern Illinois * (6 p.m.) - ESPNU

18 (Wed.) CENTRAL MICHIGAN * (6 or 8 p.m.) - ESPN2 or ESPNU
SENIOR DAY Presented by Lifetouch National School Studios

24 (Tues.)at Western Michigan * (7 p.m.) - ESPN2


Dec.
4 (Fri.) Marathon Mid-American Conference Championship Game
(MAC East Division Winner vs. MAC West Division Winner)(8 p.m.) ESPN

OTP Back to Normal...

Like in the old grade school days, eventually the actual teacher had to return to reality and the classroom, and the fun style and change of pace brought about by the substitute went the way of the dodo. Today at OTP marks another moment sort of like that as Edge is relieved of his Yankee hating and management duties here to retreat once again to the Statcave. Big thanks to the resident rocker of OTP for his leadership and witty writing while I ventured back to the Hoosier state for a week of needed R-and-R.

As we begin the backslide out of June, another record setting month for OTP, it's time to transition the site from offseason mode to preseason mode. Shortly you'll be seeing us releasing our preseason Top 25 picks, our predictions for the order of finish for the random conferences, and who we're looking to for success, failure, and everything in between as 2009 begins to get closer. We'll be comparing our picks (Alan, Edge, and RV) to the national pundits and such to prove at the close of the year that they, along with us, don't really have a crystal ball. However, our mythical non-existant fortune predictor is just as accurate as they are.

In the coming weeks you'll see RV setting up a new NCAA Online Dynasty and Edge rocking out even more stat work. The recruit pieces will continue and we're hoping to unveil something exceptionally special over the next couple weeks, but details and that sort of thing is exceptionally secretive until we get the go ahead and the green light. Homer Previews will be back in the fall after we unveil our preseason Top 25, and we're already nearly triple what we had for last year, this year ranging from the Big 10 to an FCS school. It's going to be awesome. If you have suggestions for the coming preseason festivities, or an idea for something, drop us a line. Get ready all... this season, and OTP, are ready to rock.

ESPN Takes a Potshot at Kentucky, Ball State

You know, this time of the summer is usually reserved for media coverage of the major programs. Most all of your ESPN headlines will be about the Notre Dames, the Floridas, the Texases of the college football world, with an occasional Lane Kiffin violation sprinkled in for good measure and a routine breaker. So imagine my surprise when I opened Mark Schlabach's newest column on ESPN and both Kentucky and Ball State were actually mentioned.

Schlabach's piece chooses to highlight the best and worst non-conference schedules in FBS for the 09 season, and while neither BSU or UK will set the world on fire or the pundits aflutter with their scheduling, I find it challenging to believe that either team would be in their bottom 10. Au contraire, mon frère. What is most disappointing is not that Kentucky is ranked 9th worst in the country and BSU 10th, it is the sort of catch-22 hypocrisy that the WorldWideLeader perpetuates with this sort of drivel. Says Schlabach...

9. Kentucky Wildcats
I'm guessing new Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari can't wait to watch the Wildcats play football this season. UK's football schedule looks a lot like the ones Calipari's basketball teams played at Memphis every season. The Wildcats open the season Sept. 5 at Miami (Ohio) and then play rival Louisville at home two weeks later. After opening SEC play, Kentucky plays Louisiana-Monroe at home on Oct. 24 and FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky at home Nov. 7.

10. Ball State Cardinals
Want to finish the regular season with an unblemished record? Call Ball State. The Cardinals have the scheduling formula down to an exact science. A year after the Cardinals rode a soft schedule to a 12-0 record during the regular season, they'll once again play one of the country's weaker nonconference slates. Give Ball State credit for playing at Auburn on Sept. 26. But they could have done a little better than North Texas (home), FCS opponent New Hampshire (home) and Army (road).

As the SNL Church Lady says, "Isn't that special!" Schlabach makes some good points, and I would argue that Kentucky and Ball State's schedules aren't exceptionally strong, but for an accurate picture to be given, one has to look at the context. The why's behind the schedule. And you, or Schlabach, or whomever else chooses to look past the "truth" of ESPN, will find some context.

For Kentucky, it's a simple explanation really. Not only do the Wildcats play in the toughest conference in football in the SEC, they play in the toughest division of the toughest conference. Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Vandy, and Kentucky. That's tough stuff, brother. Also in conference the Cats get Mississippi State, Alabama, and Auburn. Show me a non-SEC team with a schedule like that from top to bottom. As for their out of conference opponents, the Cats have two pillow fights with Eastern Kentucky and Louisiana Monroe. Miami of Ohio is a game specifically designed for the Cats to make the trip to the Bengals stadium, and will be a good series. As for the Louisville Cardinals, don't blame Kentucky for their recent struggles. The fact that Steve Kragthorpe has driven the Cardinals into the dark abyss faster than if Ted Kennedy was behind the wheel shouldn't reflect poorly on Kentucky.

For the Ball State Cardinals, it's much more infuriating. This is the same ESPN that used to bag on Ball State left and right and go so far as to making them a punchline in their bottom 10 when the Cardinals scheduled their rear ends off in the late 90's and early 00's. So if you schedule hard and lose, you're a joke. If you schedule easy and win, you're a coward. What exactly is the middle ground? And more importantly, that's even under the assumption that there is anyone who would voluntarily play the Cardinals. Last I checked, finding games for mid-majors who were 12-2 the previous year and ranked in the Top 15 were fairly hard to find.

To be completely truthful, I'm not sure how to take this. Is this Schlabach simply looking for some commentary amidst the summer doldrums? Is this Schlabach not doing his homework? Is this Schlabach simply taking a few swipes at programs who in recent memory has seen their share of jokes? It's hard to say, really, but Schlabach is quickly putting himself in the OTP doghouse, and should definitely be a Take-With-A-Grain-Of-Salt columnists for Cardinals and Cats fans.

What the "Experts" Say About the Wildcats

Most fans of major college football programs wait with bated breath as the supposed gurus and preseason publications prognosticate their lot in the college football universe for the coming season. Prognosticating in early summer for the season about to unfold is wildly speculative and usually wrong, but we, as fans, continue to support these endeavors with flashy covers, pages of stats, and usually a page or two of cheerleaders thrown in to make sure the blood doesn't all pool in our brains.

This year's crop of preseason magazines found their way into my hot little hands over the weekend, and OTP is proud to share what these augurs of the college football world had to say about our beloved Kentucky Wildcats.


The Sporting News College Football 09 Preview Magazine
The Sporting News has put out preview magazines for years, but for whatever reason is not considered to be one of the premier publications of the season. The information contained within is good enough, and it makes for at least something to fill the days before August, but for the most part, as one would expect with such a large national following like SN, the focus is on the top-tier teams and not on the ins and outs of the lower-tier BCS schools, the midmajors, or really any school that is not competing to win a national title or a BCS conference crown.

For Kentucky, they don't get near the sort of evaluation or examination that a team like Oklahoma or Florida receives, but the Cats do get a write up that is borderline infuriating. Despite picking the Cats as potential participants in the Papajohns.com Bowl, SN makes it a point to really pick apart the Cats potential offensively, lack of what they believe to be impact players, and relying instead on the approach that Kentucky must simply avoid mistakes and not beat themselves.

SN takes special care with Trevard Lindley, certainly making no hidden evaluations of his talent. They even suggest that Lindley should get the ball on offense since they believe he is the only true special playmaker on the roster. Overall, the future looks borderline mediocre to grim for the Wildcats if you believe what SN has to say.

Predicted UK Final Standing: 5th in SEC East
Predicted SEC East Champion: Florida
Predicted SEC West Champion: Mississipppi
UK Players on SN All-SEC Team: Trevard Lindley
UK Players on SN All-American 2nd Team: Trevard Lindley
Of note: Given a grade of "C"... Kentucky rated 11th in SEC for recruiting... Uga named conference's best mascot, Alabama the best fans, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the best stadium, and LSU the best home-field advantage... Kentucky projected to go to Papajohns.com Bowl... Lists the "Game to Watch" as Alabama, saying that confidence gained by competing admirably will translate well for road games at SC and Auburn... names Alfonso Smith "The Next Big Thing"... only Mississippi State and Vanderbilt not projected to be Bowling in the conference.


Lindy's Football 2009 College Preview
Lindy's is actually a decent option for anyone looking for a national publication with adequate coverage of the midmajor programs throughout the land in addition to the national power BCS conferences. Unlike the Sporting News, Lindy's prides itself on being insightful and detailed, while still prognosticating and opining page after page.

Being a member of the SEC is advantageous for UK in this publication, as the lower tier conferences and midmajor schools don't get nearly the same sort of coverage.

For the Wildcats, Lindy's dedicates an entire paragraph in the conference overview regarding the Wildcats. They admit that this may be Rich Brooks' most talented team from top to bottom since his arrival in Lexington, but point to the lack of talent surrounding an "average quarterback" to make their 4th consecutive Bowl appearance a probability. Additionally, Lindy's points to Kentucky's early schedule as potential disaster for Bowl eligibility.

Overall, Lindy's points to the obvious, focusing on Kentucky's defense over their offense, and recognizing the need for the Wildcats to find some sort of identity on offense to match their stout defense. According to Lindy's they have evaluated UK's defense as capable of playing with any team in the SEC, but for the defense to be consistent and game changing, the offense must keep them off the field to avoid tired stretches at the conclusions of games.

UK National Ranking: 50
Predicted UK Final Standing: 5th in SEC East
Predicted SEC East Champion: Florida
Predicted SEC West Champion: LSU
UK Players on Lindy's All-SEC 1st Team: Trevard Lindley
UK Players on Lindy's All-SEC 2nd Team: Ineligible Jeremy Jarmon, Michah Johnson
UK Players on Lindy's All-American 1st Team: Trevard Lindley
Of note: Trevard Lindley named the conference's best cover corner and best corner in nation... Michah Johnson named 7th best inside linebacker in country... Kentucky ranked #6 in the country for their QB unit recruiting... Trevard Lindley named #4 in the conference for NFL talent... Kentucky ranks 11th for recruiting in the SEC.


Athlon Sports College Football Preview
Athlon Sports is consistently one of the well-written, well-researched, and well-thought out preview publications in all of college football. They provide fantastic coverage of national, regional, and local storylines, and do so without the glaring oversights and mistakes of other national publications.

Athlon, much like the two other aforementioned preview magazines focuses on Kentucky's defense as the stand out unit and the offense as the proverbial question mark for the coming season. Athlon makes the point of Ryan Mossakowski and Morgan Newton able to challenge Mike Hartline for the starting QB job come fall.

Special attention is paid by Athlon to the Randall Cobb situation and making him a full-time receiver. There is an anonymous quote from an SEC assistant coach that says, "Randall Cobb is not a bad passer, but if you want a guy who makes his living passing the football, you would probably put Cobb somewhere else."

Attention is also paid to the special teams of the Wildcats, where they make mention of the need for a reliable punter to replace Tim Masthay and a kicker who can deliver consistently. Also getting a mention is the "atrocious" protection schemes in the Florida game last year where two punts and a field goal was blocked.

The unit rankings for the Wildcats in relation to the conference: QB-8, RB-10, WR/TE-12, OL-9, DL-8, LB-11, DB-8

UK National Ranking: 56
Predicted UK Final Standing: 6th in SEC East
Predicted SEC East Champion: Florida
Predicted SEC West Champion: Alabama
UK Players on Athlon All-SEC 1st Team: Trevard Lindley
UK Players on Athlon All-SEC 2nd Team: Ineligible Jeremy Jarmon, Micah Johnson
UK Players on Athlon All-American 1st Team: Trevard Lindley
Of note: Kentucky ranked 11th in the SEC and 44th nationally for recruiting... Kentucky cheerleader Randi Bishop gets a page dedicated to her in the Spirit section.


Phil Steele's College Football Preview 2009
By and large, there is no better preview magazine available than Phil Steele's Football Preview. Most who cover college ball in some capacity call it simply "The Bible" and truthfully, even that is putting it mildly. Steele focuses on statistical analysis and simply loading the most information possible in a preview magazine. If you're a casual fan or just looking for college football reading material, this is the ONE magazine to purchase.

Steele takes special care and time to point out just how overwhelmingly unbelievable the SEC will be this year. Steele believes teams like Florida and Ole Miss will compete for the SEC Title, and with that, a shot at the National Title.

For Kentucky, Steele takes the standard stance of an offense that needs improvement if the Cats are to be successful, and a defense that may be the best under the Brooks regime at Kentucky, most notably led by two players on Steele's 1st and 3rd team All-American selections (Trevard Lindley and Micah Johnson).

Overall, the tone of the article is positive while tempered with the sheer talent that will line up against Kentucky in their conference. Steele does make note that it is not out of the question that Kentucky will be Bowling again, this time, he predicts, in the Liberty Bowl against UNC. The number of other SEC teams going Bowling according to Steele? 10. Impressive if true.

UK National Ranking: 58
Predicted UK Final Standing: Tied for 5th in SEC East
Predicted SEC East Champion: Florida
Predicted SEC West Champion: Mississippi
UK Players on Steele All-SEC 1st Team: Trevard Lindley
UK Players on Steele All-SEC 2nd Team: Micah Johnson, and the now ineligible Jeremy Jarmon
UK Players on Steele All-SEC 3rd Team: Zipp Duncan
UK Players on Steele All-SEC 4th Team: Corey Peters
UK Players on Steele All-American 1st Team: Trevard Lindley
UK Players on Steele All-American 3rd Team: Micah Johnson
Of Note: Kentucky predicted to be Bowling against UNC in the Liberty Bowl... Derrick Locke #38 draft eligible Running Back nationally... TC Drake #28 draft eligible Tight End nationally... Kentucky has 30th best defensive back unit in the country... SEC rated #1 toughest conference... Kentucky the 23rd highest average attendance last season... Kentucky's Unit Rankings for 09 (out of 12) QB-5, RB-10, REC-9, OL-7 , DL-10, LB-12, DB-8, ST-7, Coach-6


So what does all this tell us about the upcoming year for the Wildcats? If the preseason magazines tell an accurate story of the Wildcats, the offense simply needs to play well enough to not cost their team games and allow the defense enough time to remain rested and well-performing. With the assumption, and it is a sizable one, that Kentucky wins its out of conference games and the offense matures and finds itself, then Kentucky is poised to go to its 4th consecutive Bowl game, a feat that is impressive considering the way the Brooks tenure at UK began.

What the "Experts" Say About the Cardinals

Most fans of major college football programs wait with bated breath as the supposed gurus and preseason publications prognosticate their lot in the college football universe for the coming season. Prognosticating in early summer for the season about to unfold is wildly speculative and usually wrong, but we, as fans, continue to support these endeavors with flashy covers, pages of stats, and usually a page or two of cheerleaders thrown in to make sure the blood doesn't all pool in our brains.

This year's crop of preseason magazines found their way into my hot little hands over the weekend, and OTP is proud to share what these augurs of the college football world had to say about our beloved Ball State Cardinals.


The Sporting News College Football 09 Preview Magazine
The Sporting News has put out preview magazines for years, but for whatever reason is not considered to be one of the premier previews of the season. The information contained within is good enough, and it makes for at least something to fill the days before August, but for the most part, as one would expect with such a large national following like SN, the focus is on the top-tier teams and not on the ins and outs of the MAC and the teams within it.

An example of this sort of "non-factor" status in the college football universe is the fact that SN loads one page with 3 different MAC teams. One column a piece isn't much to get across any insightful commentary or in-depth analysis. Instead, the BSU column space is reserved for commentary on what we've lost (11 starters on offense and defense, 7 of them All-MAC selections), and commenting on the fact that while last year's 12-2 campaign was good, it was nowhere near as good as it should have been.

SN pegs the November 24th contest at Western Michigan as the "Game to Watch" for the Cardinals, as they opine that this is the closer of a 3-game stretch that BSU must go at least 2-1 through to have any shot at a Bowl Game.

Overall, it's an accurate but fairly rudimentary preview of BSU. In fact, it sort of feels like this entire piece was sort of rushed through and simply to fill column space for the MAC, as nothing really worthwhile comes across or through other than Nate Davis left and Brady Hoke did too.

Predicted BSU Final Standing: 4th in MAC West
Predicted MAC West Champion: Western Michigan
Predicted MAC East Champion: Buffalo
BSU Players on SN All-MAC Team: MiQuale Lewis, Brandon Crawford
BSU Players on SN All-American Team: None
Of note: SN ranks BSU 10th in the MAC in terms of recruiting because "a coaching change lost Ball State its mojo late in the recruiting process"... Charlie Cardinal ranked best mascot in the MAC... The best fans were given to Central Michigan, best stadium to Toledo, and best home-field advantage to NIU... Buffalo, Bowling Green, Western Michigan all projected to go Bowling.


Lindy's Football 2009 College Preview
Lindy's is actually a decent option for anyone looking for a national publication with adequate coverage of the midmajor programs throughout the land. Unlike the Sporting News, Lindy's prides itself on being insightful and detailed, while still prognosticating and opining page after page. Lindy's, for the most part, handles the MAC with at least some semblance of dignity and respect, and donates more than three or four pages to the entire conference.

For Ball State, they were the focus of the MAC lead in, as Lindy's mentions how the Cardinals went from "heavyweight to lightweight contender in a matter of months." The overarching theme of the conference coverage as an entire entity revolves around transition and change, and special attention is given to the new faces on MAC sidelines.

As it stands with Lindy's, BSU is the 5th-best team in the conference, according to ranking, clocking in at #94 nationally. The team-specific write up focuses of course on the loss of Davis and Hoke, as well as the offensive line. Lindy's lists the change in atmosphere around the program as a result of the recent success as a strength, and lists the new responsibilities of Faulkner and Parrish as potential problems.

BSU National Ranking: 94
Predicted BSU Final Standing: 3rd in MAC West
Predicted MAC West Champion: Central Michigan
Predicted MAC East Champion: Buffalo
BSU Players on Lindy's All-MAC 1st Team: MiQuale Lewis, Madaris Grant, Brandon Crawford, Sean Baker
BSU Players on Lindy's All-American Team: None
Of note: Lindy's says BSU should still be "one of the best in the league" despite the losses... Lists MiQuale Lewis as the #12 RB in the country... Lists MiQuale Lewis as #3 in the league on the Top 10 NFL Talent list... Lists the BSU-CMU game as one of "The Big Ones", or the most important games in the league. CMU appears on the list 8 times... Lists MiQuale Lewis as the 6th most valuable running back in Fantasy College Football


Athlon Sports College Football Preview
Athlon Sports is consistently one of the well-written, well-researched, and well-thought out preview publications in all of college football. However, the write up on the Cardinals in this year's publication had best be slanted incorrectly if Cardinals fans want any semblance of success come fall. The overarching theme is that the Cardinals lost simply too much talent and coaching off last year's dream season to have any shot at success. When coupled with the apparent love affair with Central Michigan and Buffalo, that doesn't spell good things for Ball State in terms of prognostication.

Athlon's magazine is chock full of unit rankings, national coverage, etc. and it is clear that the MAC doesn't generate a lot of interest on the national scene, nor does it demand respect from those that cover college football for magazines like Athlon. Out of 120 FBS teams, BSU is ranked 109. However, 4 MAC teams and one BSU non-conference opponent (North Texas) is ranked below the Cardinals. So that's good news.

The unit rankings by Athlon show either a blatant disrespect for the Cardinals or a major overvaluing by Cardinals fans. Out of 12, BSU ranks the following in terms of units, according to Athlon: QB-11, RB-2, WR/TE-10, OL-11, DL-3, LB-9, DB-3.

As for the final jab at the Cardinals, Athlon says BSU would be competitive in the MAC East, but it will be difficult "to be much of a factor in the MAC West".

BSU National Ranking: 109
Predicted BSU Final Standing: 5th in MAC West
Predicted MAC West Champion: Central Michigan
Predicted MAC East Champion: Buffalo
BSU Players on Athlon All-MAC 2nd Team: MiQuale Lewis, Madaris Grant, Sean Baker, Brandon Crawford, Davyd Jones
BSU Players on Athlon All-American Team: None
Of note: MiQuale Lewis ranked as the 11th best RB and 22nd best overall for Fantasy College Football... BSU ranked 4th in MAC for recruiting this offseason... Central Michigan the top-ranked MAC team at #69... Large piece on new coaches in the FBS. Lists Parrish's pros as his experience as a QB coach, and his cons as a lack of success as a head coach and his age. Calls his hire "strange."


Phil Steele's College Football Preview 2009
By and large, there is no better preview magazine available than Phil Steele's Football Preview. Most who cover college ball in some capacity call it simply "The Bible" and truthfully, even that is putting it mildly. Steele focuses on statistical analysis and simply loading the most information possible in a preview magazine. If you're a casual fan or just looking for college football reading material, this is the ONE magazine to purchase.

Steele dedicates pages and pages to the MAC and its members, and even goes so far as to break down the MAC stats from last year, filtered down to only taking into account statistics accrued against other MAC teams. It's impressive, it's fair, and it's packed.

As for the MAC in general, Steele falls in line with most other major publications by picking Central Michigan to win the West, but shocks many by picking Ohio to win the East, and Buffalo finishing 4th in the East. Buffalo seems to be the belle of the ball on the national scene, probably more so because of their coach than their potential, but Steele bucks the national trend and goes with the Bobcats over the Bulls.

As for Ball State, Steele touches on the losses of personnel and coaching (following the obvious) and indicates that he expects the Cards to take a few steps back from last year's dream season. Steele gives a shout to Kelly Page, and says he expects him to be "solid", but states that Page has nowhere near the supporting cast that Davis did and teams will now be gunning for the Cardinals. According to Steele, a simple winning season would be an accomplishment for this Ball State team.

BSU National Ranking: 108
Predicted BSU Final Standing: 5th in MAC West
Predicted MAC West Champion: Central Michigan
Predicted MAC East Champion: Ohio
BSU Players on Steele All-MAC 1st Team: MiQuale Lewis, Madaris Grant
BSU Players on Steele All-MAC 2nd Team: Brandon Crawford
BSU Players on Steele All-MAC 3rd Team: Michael Switzer, Davyd Jones
BSU Players on Steele All-MAC 4th Team: Sean Baker, Ian McGarvey
BSU Players on Steele All-MAC Honorable Mention: Briggs Orsbon
BSU Players on Steele All-American 4th Team: MiQuale Lewis
Of Note: BSU ranked 25th in the country for their RB unit... Ohio, CMU, Akron the MAC members going Bowling... MAC ranked 11th out of 12 for toughest conference of 2009... Ohio, Toledo, Temple, Akron all in the Most Improved Teams for 2009... Ball State's unit rankings for 09: QB-11, RB-1, REC-9, OL-11, DL-5 , LB-9 , DB-6 , ST-7 , COACH-9


So what does all this tell us about the upcoming year for the Cardinals? That no one expects much of anything from these men. And truthfully, that's when a team is the absolute most dangerous, pundits, critics, and prognosticators be damned.

Homer Preview: The Fighting Irish Edition

In an effort to provide coverage of teams outside of the OTP Preseason Top 25, we've asked some of our friends and fellow college football aficionados to follow our preview format for their own team. This edition of The Homer Preview is courtesy of site co-founder RV. Whose knowledge of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is extensive and quite frankly, a little scary.

Homer Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

I’ll go ahead and put my hat in this ring. I’m sure no one is surprised that someone of my stature would choose to write a post on Notre Dame, but frankly, there aren’t enough posts about ND’s season on the web. I’ll do my best to stray from the blatant homerism that I normally put forth, so bare with me.

What You Need To Know: If you didn’t hear about the Irish’s woes last year, you’re on the wrong site. Go back to TMZ or whatever rock you normally hide under. Last year was a combination of bad coaching decisions and ridiculously pathetic recruiting. Tyrone Willingham was not responsible for what happened, but he certainly helped. I find it hard to believe that Charlie Weis was not expecting a dismal season. The writing was on the walls to anyone who saw the inexperience of the offensive line. Granted, teams have success without experience on the line, but more often than not you can’t match up with any team when there is zero continuity between the offensive line and the skill players.

The good news, 2008 is a season where it’s easy to be optimistic. On the offensive side of the ball, almost everyone comes back. The o-line is extremely beefy compared to last year, plus the departure of Bob ‘Snaps-A-Lot’ Morton at center will hopefully result in a few less jump balls for Jimmy Clausen. There is a ton of talent at the skill positions and there will be some great battles all year long for playing time. Aldridge, Allen and Hughes will all get multiple touches, and all bring something unique to the table. Should Charlie choose to lean on the run this year, I’m confident that teams will fear that tandem in the backfield. The receivers are young and chock full of talent. Duval Kamara and David Grimes return, along with Michael Floyd and Deion Walker, all who will make an impact this year. Unfortunately there is no sugar coating it, the offense sucked last year. But, there’s only room for improvement. Right?

The defense has a whole different list of reasons to be optimistic. Adding Jon Tenuta to Corwin Brown’s staff will be an instant improvement. The man did so much with what was widely-regarded as a talent barren defense at Georgia Tech, that he has to be salivating at the prospect of working with the young linebackers at ND. The defensive backfield is the most talented and deep squad on either side of the ball. The departure of last year’s best DB, Darrin Walls, will be felt, but only by allowing Gary Gray – who sat out last year with a broken arm – and Raeshon McNeil to compete for the starting spot. The future is VERY bright for this defense, especially on the defensive line. But, once again…let’s be cautious.

Who You Need To Know & Their 07 Stats:
DT Ian Williams, Sophomore - Freshman All-American, 45 tkls, 19 solo, 1.5 sacks
WR Duval Kamara, Sophomore – 32 rec., 357 yds, 4 TDs
FS and Gunner David Bruton, Senior– 85tkls, 5.5 tfl, 3 INT, 3 PBU, 1 FF/FR
RBs James Aldridge/ Armando Allen/Robert Hughes – 260 att., 1163yds, 4tds

Game To Watch: Michigan – Second game of the year, with both teams trying to answer major questions. Both teams will have nothing to lose, and it’ll be entertaining for anyone interested in college football. We’ll see two completely different programs from the year before, and it’ll be an entertaining game to watch just to see whoever lines up behind center for Michigan as they try and figure out how to run the spread offense.

USC – It’s the last game of the year, in LA (Jimmy Clausen has never lost a football game he started in California, that’s just science) and both teams will be extremely different from their first game of the season. USC can reload at any point at any position, and Pete Carroll loves everything about you. He’s jacked just because you’ll be watching. As much as I hate the man, he’s an unbelievable icon in the college football world, and if the Irish mature as the season progresses it can end up a great game.

They'll Do Well If....: They win 8 games. It isn’t the murder’s row of a schedule that last year’s slate started off with, but almost every game is a game that they could lose. At the same time, no team but USC looks better on paper. Charlie needs to win a bowl game to shut up the crappy fans and the media, but it’s not required. Just as long as the Irish get there and play well.

Season Outlook: This season is a tough one to give an outlook that isn’t ridiculous. The easiest way to look at it is if you can pretend that 2007 never happened. If ND had gone 6-6 last year, with wins over Navy, BC and Purdue, it’d be conceivable to think that they’re on track for a 10-2 season. But you have to put the brakes on when a team has its worst in their storied history, so let’s just say 8-4 is doable, 7-5 likely, 6-6 a must. It’s going to be a fun rollercoaster, and everyone is going to be watching.

Homer Preview: The Huskies Edition

In an effort to provide coverage of teams outside of the OTP Preseason Top 25, we've asked some of our friends and fellow college football aficionados to follow our preview format for their own team. This edition of The Homer Preview, featuring the Northern Illinois Huskies is courtesy of an unnamed yet awesome NIU supporter, and while an International Man of Mystery, he's never too big to write for a website about a sub-standard football team. Huzzah!

Homer Preview: Northern Illinois Huskies

What You Need to Know: In year one of the Coach Kill regime, you can expect growing pains. However, those who follow the program do expect improvement over last years shocking two win season. Coach Jerry Kill has turned around every program he has ever lead, expect a similar result in DeKalb. Kill was the 1-AA (I refuse to call it whatever it is supposed to be called now), National Coach of the Year last year at Southern Illinois University and has kept virtually his entire staff in tact, which should help in a transition year.

Now, to the bare essentials. The previous coaching staff and administration didn’t do Coach Kill any favors in scheduling. The Huskies will face six bowl teams from last year including road dates at Minnesota and Tennessee. With a new coach, a transitional recruiting class and a team who won two games, this schedule may prove too much to handle. (In defense of the two wins last year, the Huskies did lose six games last year by a touchdown or less).

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats
RB Justin Anderson: 1245 yds, 8 TD
DE Larry English: 67 tkls, 10.5 sacks
WR Matt Simon: 52 rec., 965 yds, 5 TD

Game To Watch: There are about five games on their schedule that will be notable and very interesting. Aside from their kickoff game at Minnesota, their week two game at Western Michigan will be critical. Assuming the prognosticators are right and the Huskies stumble at their big ten opponent week one, they will need to show well in Kalamazoo to regain momentum and avoid an 0-2 start. Also, circle 11/5 on your calendar when the Huskies visit the Cardinals of Ball State. This nationally televised Wednesday night game will feature the best defensive player in the league, NIU’s Larry English (that’s right, take that in for a moment. The MVP of the MAC was not only a defensive player, but a defensive player off of a team that finished in last place with two wins. ) trying to slow debatably the best offensive player in the league (Ball State’s Junior QB, Nate Davis).

They'll Do Well If...: Whomever they name starter at QB proves he can be a stabling presence and can handle a new, spread-style offense. Also if Justin Anderson can rush for at least 1000 yards to take pressure off of the QB. (In doing so, it would be the 10^th consecutive year NIU has a 1,000 yard rusher).

Season Outlook: Coach Kill is the real deal and will succeed at delivering NIU its first MAC Championship…….just not this year. Between 4-6 wins should be expected, but don’t sleep on this program on the rise.

Homer Preview: The Terrapin Edition

In an effort to provide coverage of teams outside of the OTP Preseason Top 25, we've asked some of our friends and fellow college football aficionados to follow our preview format for their own team. This edition of The Homer Preview, featuring the Maryland Terps is courtesy of James Bond (yes, his real name), a proud Maryland alum, attorney extraordinaire, and the "lawya" we refer to when we refer to "lawya".

Homer Preview: Maryland Terrapins

What You Need to Know:The Terps are returning 46 players who saw action on the field last season, where they finished 6-6, which includes a loss in the Emerald Bowl to the Oregon State Beavers. Maryland made a Terrapin out of one of those Beavers, new Wide Receivers Coach Lee Hull. Another new old face on the Maryland sideline is Offensive Coordinator James Franklin, who coached with the Ralph “The Fridge” Friedgen during his first 4 years at Maryland. They also added a new special teams coach in Danny Pearman, making this the third team he’s coached with in the ACC, including perennial ACC powerhouse VTU.

Returning players on offense include 4 out of 5 starting linemen, Chris Turner at starting QB who was third best in passing efficiency last year, and All-American Darrius Heyward-Bey at WR. Another threat the Fridge is excited about is senior TE Dan Gronkowski, having both blocking and catching abilities.

Defensive veterans Jeremy Navarre and Trey Covington have each played at least 30 games. The LB corps has proven to be an NFL factory of late, and this year should prove no different with Dave Philistin and Adrian Moten. Philistin was the fourth leading tackler in the ACC, and Moten was the jack-of-all trades last year at linebacker.

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats:
QB Chris Turner: 1958 yds, 7 TD
WR Darius Heyward-Bey: 51 rec., 786 yds, 3 TD
LB Dave Philistin: 124 tkls, 6.5 TFL

Game To Watch: Biggest game for the Terps will be against Clemson on the road. The Terps open up against Delaware, MTSU, California and EMU, so if they start strong, they’ll go strong into the Tiger cage, where they won two years ago. If they do poorly, then more losses will follow, not because of skill, but because of confidence. They could rebound against UVA the following week, beating Clemson and starting 5-0 will be a motivational boost as the ACC just might start to Fear the Turtle.

They'll Do Well If...: Chris Turner has time to throw the ball! The O-line has the experience of playing together, and Turner has proven effective in passing the rock, defeating two top-ten teams last season (Rutgers and BCU). There is no doubt the passing game is the primary weapon for this team, especially since the running back tandem of Da’Rell Scott and Morgan Green saw little time on the field last year. Luckily junior stud FB Cory Johnson will be blocking for them. The Terps have an experienced back up in Jordan Steffy, who has started a number of games for the Terps, but went down early last year, giving Chris “Sunshine” Turner an opportunity to display his skills. There has been stiff competition between these two, but Turner will start.

The secondary is also young, returning only one starter in Kevin Barnes, so the veterans in the front seven will have to pressure the quarterback and stuff the run. Staying healthy is key for this team, as there is little depth in the o-line, d-line, and defensive secondary.

Finally, if the Terps protect their house, then that will be 7 wins and they’ll be bowl bound for the second year in a row. The toughest game at home will be FSU, although, MD gave up a heart breaker to Wake Forest last year.

Season Outlook: The Terps will have to win tough games on the road: Boston College, Clemson (#9), Virginia and Virginia Tech (#15). These four teams finished in the top of their respective divisions last year. Maryland could start the season 4-0 before they go to Clemson and Charlottesville. Even if they lose those four road games, they could still end up with 8 wins but in the bottom half of the division.

Homer Preview: The Orangemen Edition

In an effort to provide coverage of teams outside of the OTP Preseason Top 25, we've asked some of our friends and fellow college football aficionados to follow our preview format for their own team. This edition of The Homer Preview is courtesy of Matt Tobia, a proud Syracuse alum and resident who calls them Orangemen rather than Orange, which we firmly support.

Homer Preview: Syracuse Orangemen

What You Need to Know: Syracuse head coach, Greg Robinson, sits squarely on the hot seat after a 7-28 record over the past three years. That stretch, including the only two ten-loss seasons for the 14th Winning-est Program of All-Time, mark some dark times for a once proud program and the outlook to turn things around remains rather dim. Syracuse ranked last in the Big East in most offensive categories last season and to try and correct the offensive ineptitude they brought in former Minnesota Offensive Coordinator, Mitch Browning.

Fortunately for Browning, running backs Delone Carter (hip) and Curtis Brinkley (leg) are back from injuries. Freshman Averin Collier (foot) should recover from injury and Doug Hogue returns from last season. While the backfield could prove to be the strong point of the Offense this year, the team will continue to struggle. Sophomore Quarterback Andrew Robinson showed grit, determination, and a strong sense for ball placement while taking an absolute beating each game. Unfortunately for Andrew Robinson, sophomore wideout Mike Williams, the team's leading receiver, was suspended for academic problems and junior wideout Taj Smith left early for the NFL. These two defections leave the Orangemen looking to Lavar Lobdell, who had 8 catches for 86 yards last season, to become their top offensive threat. On the other side of the ball, starting defensive end Brandon Gilbeaux was also suspended for academic issues.

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats:
QB Andrew Robinson: 2192 pass yds, 13 pass TD
DT Arthur Jones: 51 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss
S Max Suter: 1229 kick off return yards, 1 ko ret. TD

Game to Watch: Syracuse did themselves no favors with their 2008 schedule. The Orangemen have one of the most difficult schedules in the country. Their non-conference slate includes trips to Northwestern and Notre Dame as well as a home date with Penn State. Their season opening trip to Northwestern is going to be make-or-break for the 12 point underdog
Orangemen.

They'll Do Well If...: The Offensive Line learns how to play football. For a unit that gave up 54 sacks, there isn't anywhere to go but up. Combine that with a dismal 62.75 rushing yards per game (good for second to worst in the nation) and the line has to perform better. Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning has made it a requirement that his linemen slim down which should help them be more agile up front.

Season Outlook: Las Vegas has Syracuse pegged for 2.5 wins and it is hard to imagine taking the over. Syracuse has a winnable game at home against Akron following the opener at Northwestern. If they go 0-2 to start the season things will not get any better with Penn State coming the following week. Following Penn State, they should get a win against I-AA Northeastern before heading into the Big East Season where there is always a possibility for an upset, but it is hard to see that coming against anyone other than Louisville. Syracuse could very well end up 2-10 (with one of those wins against a I-AA opponent) and Greg Robinson should be looking for a new job. A best case scenario would see the Orangemen win 4 or 5 games but that is highly unlikely. Look for Robinson to be out, the only question is if it will be during or after the season.

Homer Preview: The Wildcats Edition

In an effort to provide coverage of teams outside of the OTP Preseason Top 25, we've asked some of our friends and fellow college football aficionados to follow our preview format for their own team. This edition of The Homer Preview is courtesy of Ryan Ebalhar, UK supporter, student, legend.

Homer Preview: Kentucky Wildcats

What you need to know: The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off of arguably their most successful season since 1977, and their best 2 seasons in a row since the 1951-52 seasons where a Bear Bryant coached team beat the #1 ranked and undefeated Oklahoma Sooners in the 1951 Sugar Bowl and TCU in the 1952 Cotton Bowl. Last year Kentucky beat a top 10 team (Louisville) for the first time since 1977, and a #1 team (LSU) for the first time since 1964, in addition to beating Florida State in the Music City Bowl to win 2 consecutive bowl games since 1952.

Unfortunately, a lot of that success came from a strong senior class. Absent this season will be QB Andre Woodson, RB Rafael Little, TE Jacob Tamme, WRs Keenan Burton and Stevie Johnson, andLB Wesley Woodyard. Woodson set the SEC record for most TDs in a season last year, Johnson and Burton were 1 and 2 for touchdowns in the SEC last year, and Woodyard led the SEC in tackles.

Kentucky will be going with a largely untested quarterback in Mike Hartline. His college career isn't exactly impressive to this point, he has thrown a total of 6 passes in college, with 4 completions and 1 interception. He'll be passing to senior Dicky Lyons Jr., who has shown spurts of greatness and should have a breakout year, and senior Demoreo Ford. The running game should be strong, with Senior Tony Dixon, Junior Alfonso Smith, and sophomores Moncell Allen and Derrick Locke

However, the normally weak Kentucky defense should be abnormally strong. Senior Braxton Kelley and Junior Micah Johnson are expected to fill Woodyard's shoes very nicely in the linebacker spot, withFS Marcus McClinton and CB Trevard Lindley expected to improve the 24th ranked passing defense.

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats:
RB Derrick Locke: 521 yds, 5 TD
WR Dicky Lyons: 56 rec., 655 yds, 7 TD
CB Trevard Lindley: 3 INT, 66 tkls, 3 TFL, 11 pass break ups

Game to Watch: The game against South Carolina at Commonwealth Stadium is the one to watch. Coach Steve Spurrier is 15-0 against the Wildcats, but this season may finally be the one where Kentucky gets the best of him. While UK may be on a downswing after last season, the Gamecocks appeared to get worse and worse as the season progressed last season.

They'll Do Well If: Mike Hartline can pass as accurately as Andre Woodson. Woodson threw 40 TDs and had a QB rating of 144.5 last year. If Hartline can come close to that than the Cats will be quite successful. If Hartline turns out like Shane Boyd, well than lets hope Ryan Mossawski is as good as the scouts say he is next year.

Season Outlook: Look for another bowl game this year, with a 6-6 record most likely. UK will not beat Georgia, Florida, or Tennessee, but the other 9 games are either locks or toss ups. If UK plays their best, 8 wins isn't out of the realm of possibility, if they revert to their normal ways, look for a 3-4 win season.

Blog Poll: Preaseason

OverThePylon is not a registered voting member in the official College Football BlogPoll hosted at MGoBlog. If we were, this would be our poll.

Rank	Team	Delta
1.	Florida	25
2.	USC	24
3.	Georgia	23
4.	Oklahoma	22
5.	Ohio State	21
6.	Missouri	20
7.	LSU	19
8.	West Virginia	18
9.	Clemson	17
10.	Auburn	16
11.	Texas	15
12.	Arizona State	14
13.	Wisconsin	13
14.	Tennessee	12
15.	Virginia Tech	11
16.	Texas Tech	10
17.	Kansas	9
18.	BYU	8
19.	Illinois	7
20.	Penn State	6
21.	Oregon	5
22.	South Florida	4
23.	Wake Forest	3
24.	Rutgers	2
25.	Ball State	1

Dropped Out:
N/A

Waiting in the Wings:

• Pittsburgh: The Wannstache is loaded with talent, the Big East is down, and the natives in the Steel City are growing restless. It's time for him to step up, his team to compete, and justify the gigantic contract they're paying for bargain basement results so far.
• California: If First Half of 2007 Season Cal shows up, the rest of the Pac 10 could be in serious trouble, and USC could have a potential spoiler on their schedule. If Second Half of 2007 Season Cal shows up, Cal fans might put a run on pitchforks and torches.
  
• South Carolina: Brutal road conference schedule, reworked defense. Spurrier steadily improving in Columbia.
  
• Fresno State: Lock for the WAC title, and marquee games to give exposure and quality wins should they take advantage.
  
• Alabama: We'll find out in Week 1 what sort of team the Crimson Tide are working with when Clemson comes to Atlanta.
  

Explanations/Odds/Ends/What Have You's:

• Rutgers? Yes... Rutgers. Ray Rice or not, the Scarlet Knights play in a depleted Big East with no clear cut favorite.
• Breakdown by Conference:
  
• ACC- 3
• Big 10- 4
• Big 12- 5
• Big East- 3
• MAC- 1
• MWC- 1
• Pac 10- 3
• SEC- 5

Prelude to a Season... #1

#1.) Florida

What You Need to Know: Florida. Oh, Florida. Florida isn't sneaky. They aren't tricky. There are no hidden questions that will crop up as the year progresses. Florida is simply Florida. And the questions that are there, those that bring pause to folks wanting to declare them the favorite to lift a BCS Title come January, are well known. They aren't secretive. They will demand answers for the Gators to win Urban Meyer's second BCS crown at the school.

The question is one letter. D. If the Gators' defense performs even moderately well, the Gators will win the national championship. Take a moment... let that sink in. Not Ohio State. Not Georgia. Not USC, Oklahoma, BYU, Ball State, or anyone else. The only team that will prevent Florida from winning the championship will be Florida.

Anyone remotely knowledgeable about college football will tell you that last year's 9-4 team was significantly better than 9-4 on the offensive side of the ball. Undefeated? A National Title? Probably not. But certainly better than the 9-4 record indicates. Most of those same people will tell you that the defense, and specifically the secondary, were responsible for an overwhelming majority of the reasons for the "4" and truthfully, played a whole lot worse than 9-4.

Florida, usually known for a bruising high-speed defense, forced only 11 INTs and 20 total turnovers on their way to being ranked 98th out of 119 in pass defense and 6th in the nation in penalties. The line gave no pressure, the secondary didn't cover, and the tackles weren't hard enough to force drops or fumbles. What made the matter worse was that opponents converted nearly 42% of their third downs. That means by the end of the game, you have a defense that is overworked, winded, and tired... that was mediocre to begin with. Another defensive performance like that and the Gators will be fighting for 3rd in the SEC East.

But it's not all Hemlock Tea with a side of anti-freeze in Gainesville. The Gators return 16 starters, including Heisman Trophy winner and circumcisor extraordinaire, Tim Tebow. That's right... Tebow spent his time away from football cutting off Thai foreskins. Jesus. F'ing. Christ. Verne Lunquist's head just exploded.

Tebow. Tebow! TEBOW! AIGIGHHGG

Anyone who has seen Tebow play knows he completely changes the defensive gameplan and is a threat unlike any other in college football. Hard throwing, hard running, hard hitting, and built like a baby gorilla, Tebow provides consistent leadership and performance to an offense in need of firepower to overcome their defensive counterparts. Tebow doesn't do it alone, though, as a slew of talented backs and receivers pace Meyer's spread attack. All are Florida fast, and all have the potential to outrun nearly any coverage in the country. The offensive line returns three starters who drove the Gators to the third-best rushing attack in the conference at nearly 200 ypg.

On the aforementioned defensive side, nothing is set. Even junior MLB Brandon Spikes has to come into his own and improve his level of play. And this was a young man who earned All-SEC honors last year as the league's second-leading tackler. Spikes needs to find his leadership role on this defense, and along with coordinator Charlie Strong, perform like the talent on the two-deep indicates. The secondary, the unit most gashed last season, is a year older, and hopefully for Florida, a year better. They've had 6 months to smart after a solid ass kicking at the hands of Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, where the Gators gave up 524 yards of offense. This defense has to prove itself, and assuming they do, watch out.

The schedule for Florida is tough but manageable. Unlike their SEC East and Top 5 brethren Georgia, the Gators do not have an out of conference game against a tough opponent. Their 4 OOC games (Hawaii, Miami, Citadel, @Florida State) are all winnable. Critical SEC opponent LSU comes to the Swamp, but most troubling are road games (if you count Jacksonville as a road game) against Tennessee and Georgia. Huge games. Must wins.

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats:
QB Tim Tebow: 3286 pass yds, 32 pass TD, 895 rush yds, 23 rush TD
RB Percy Harvin: 764 rush yds, 6 rush TD, 59 rec, 858 yds, 4 rec TD
MLB Brandon Spikes: 131 tkls, 16 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 3 FR, 1 FF

Game To Watch: While Florida hopes to win the National Championship they must first win the SEC Championship. And before doing that, they must win the SEC East. Two games are must win for the Gators... September 20th at Tennessee and November 1st against Georgia in Jacksonville.

They'll Do Well If...: Like several other teams in this Top 25, defense is the key for the Gators this year. A performance like last year will have them out of the title hunt before the season really kicks into high gear. If the defense can step up, force turnovers, hold teams on 3rd downs, and provide even moderately decent pass coverage, this team will be a special one.

Season Outlook: The Gators begin this season as the team to beat in this blog's poll. The UT game on 9/20 will tell the world all they need to know about this Florida team. A win means it's a very real possibility that when the Gators and Georgia meet it could be #1 vs. #2, with the winner in the driver's seat for the national championship. Look for Florida to drop a game in conference in the regular season, but rebound to take the SEC Title, and defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes in the BCS Title Game. Final Record: 13-1

Prelude to a Season... #2

#2.) USC

What You Need to Know: USC is still USC. That should be enough to justify a #2 ranking and being a contender for the BCS title. In case you've been asleep for the past 6 years, let's recap shall we?

6 straight conference titles. 6 straight BCS Bowls. 6 straight seasons of 11 or more wins. 6 straight years being ranked Top 4 to close the season. A final tally of 70 wins, 8 losses, and 2 National Titles. Oh yeah... those came back-to-back. Suffice to say, USC has been the belle of this ball for going on the last decade.

What's changed in South Central? Quite a bit actually. The Trojans lose 11 starters, and they weren't the starters who didn't really matter (like their whole wideout corp). They were impact players and defensive standouts. How impactful were they? 7 of them were taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.

Questions abound around USC. In such a strange offseason, highlighted by a pesky outbreak of jock itch, many wonder if USC's stranglehold on good fortune, positive karma, or what have you has come to an end. Stud RB Joe McKnight injured his hand in a freak accident when his dorm door was closed on it. He then hyperextended his elbow in a scrimmage. Newly minted QB Mark Sanchez suffered a dislocated kneecap in practice. This is not the way USC wanted to begin its bid for a title.

The questions reside exclusively on offense, as the Trojans have an untested QB, untested RB, an under performing class of wideouts, and an offensive line that is big, fast, strong, and completely unknown. They replace 4 of 5 starters on the O-line, and if this team doesn't gel quick and effectively, it could be a long season for Trojan faithful.

What is giving folks optimism and hope is the defense. You will not find a better defensive 11 anywhere in the country. Top to bottom, and all over the two-deep depth chart are players that are extremely athletic, extremely talented, and extremely good. Offensive woes or not, this defense will keep the Trojans in any game and allow for mistakes and miscues from a green offensive unit, something that will benefit USC greatly as this season advances.

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats:
DT Fili Moala: 32 tkls, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks
LB Rey Maualuga: 79 tkls, 10.5 TFL, 6 sacks, INT
SS Kevin Ellison: 57 tkls, 8 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF

Game To Watch: The game that everyone has had circled in red on their calendar since schedules were announced has been September 13th. However, with the hype, the quality of the opponents, even a loss will not destroy USC's chance to make it to the BCS title game. Any other loss would be devastating. Outside the OSU game, the Trojans' toughest tests are back to back on October 4 and October 11 against Oregon and Arizona State. Both those games are in the Coliseum, and both should be wins for the Trojans. Every other game will have USC a heavy favorite. Their most challenging road game comes at the conclusion of the season when they travel to UCLA.

They'll Do Well If...: The Trojans will do well if the offensive line comes together and allows Sanchez and a bevy of running backs to make plays. The Trojans will do great if they win the games they should.

Season Outlook: While it's true that USC could rebound from a loss against the Buckeyes, a win would mean USC could be staring an undefeated season square in the face. Despite the game being at home for the Trojans, it's a loss, though much closer than many expect. They'll run the table the rest of the way, though there will be scares. The Notre Dame and UCLA games will be much closer than many expect, and the Arizona State and Oregon games will be shootouts that come down to the wire. In the end, USC is USC, and they'll pick up their seventh straight Pac 10 championship and seventh straight BCS appearance. They'll finish the year 11-1 and will wait for the computers to spit out the participants of the BCS title game.

Prelude to a Season... #3

#3.) Georgia

What You Need to Know: It stands to reason that a preseason poll can take one of two forms. The first is a ranking of teams based on talent. Clearly as you move up the poll, each position gained means more talent on the field. The second approach is trying to predict where these teams will finish at the conclusion of the year. This poll is more so a hybrid of the two. Georgia is without question the most talented team in the country. Pair them against any team in a best-of-five, and Georgia walks away with the series win, bar none. Do I think Georgia will be bringing hardware back to Athens, though? I do not. And I do not believe that Georgia will even be playing for the chance to engrave their name on another trophy.

Much has been made about Georgia's schedule and the brutality of it. The six-game stretch in conference play that features Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, and Florida. An unusual out-of-conference game against a Top 15 opponent on the road against Arizona State. They have trap games at South Carolina and at Kentucky, and quite frankly, I don't think there is any chance of this team running the table. In fact, to be so bold, it's a good bet Georgia won't be in the SEC title game and may finish tied for second in their division.

The Dawgs have all the pieces, though. One of the best head coaches in the business, Mark Richt, enters his 8th season as Georgia head coach. He's 72-19 during his tenure, including three SEC East titles and two SEC conference titles. They also have the talent, 17 starters returning, and a two-deep depth chart that rivals any in the country. They have experienced leadership in Matthew Stafford, a distinct homefield advantage in Sanford Stadium, and a fanbase that expects excellence and demands a title. And that's what scares me. The road is littered with potential potholes, the expectations are suffocating, and Georgia's season may be "over" before they even hit conference play.

Who You Need to Know and Their 07 Stats:
QB Matthew Stafford: 2523 yds, 19 TD
RB Knowshon Moreno: 1334 yds, 14 TD
DT Geno Atkins: 14.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks

Game To Watch: There are four games which will decide Georgia's fate this season. Two on the road, two at home. The Florida and Tennessee games are must wins. Both are at home, and both are divisional opponents. Arizona State and Auburn are both on the road, and will provide the Bulldogs an opportunity to make their claim at a national title. Win them both, along with UF and UT, and the Bulldogs will be celebrating their school's 4th national title.

They'll Do Well If...: The offensive line gains experience and confidence early. The Bulldogs can cope with the extreme amount of expectations, pressure, and scrutiny. Stafford makes plays throughout the game, not simply when his team is down and needing a miracle.

Season Outlook: This season is eerily reminiscent of 2004. Loaded Georgia team, expected to contend for the national title, and all that slipped away when they lost to Tennessee between the hedges. Expect Georgia to win a close game against Arizona State, but they'll finish the year 9-3 with all three losses coming in conference (Florida, Auburn, Tennessee). Georgia is still one of the most talented teams in the country, but this schedule and this conference is simply too tough for the Bulldogs to manage.