Over the past 4 years this guy has correctly predicted 37 out of 40 teams in the actual AP preseason top 10: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2013-02-05/associated-press-2013-preseason-top-10-phil-steele-prediction-ranking Bama looks so strong with those returning players and their manageable schedule. The only threat at all to a return to the BCS Title game will be if TexA&M can pull off another stunner and go 13-0 while say Ohio State goes 13-0 as well. Otherwise somebody's gonna have to deal with the Tide once again for the BCS Title.
Interesting that Charlie Strong has maneuvered his Cardinal team in to the AP Top 10....but who am I to argue?? :wink:
That Qb was indeed pretty damned special against a good Florida defense. He could push JFF for the Heisman with the right breaks and I'll predict right now a top 3 in NY of him, Manziel and Clowney.
people keep talking about returning players, but Alabama did lose most all of their OL which was their strength. Speaking of returners, in the SEC West, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas and Alabama are not returning the most starters. Ole Miss has 17 returning and Auburn has 16. Bama has 13, LSU 12, Arkansas and A&M 11. http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2013/sec-west-returning-starters-2013/ Florida returns the least in the East but they are still looking at 12. http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2013/sec-east-returning-starters-2013/
We're too high....offense will be explosive, but we lost virtually our entire front seven on defense and are very, very thin at LB. There is some fine young talent looking to step in, but they are still babies.... I'm confident that if we hold the opposition under 40, we can win, but I'm not confident that we can hold the opposition under 40......top 10 maybe, top 2????? Talk to me in November after we see what these kids can do.....
BT... Steele explained that this list is where he thinks the actual AP poll will have these teams in preseason.....not where he personally thinks they will wind up. Last year I thought he was nuts for having the Gators #2 in his preseason magazine.....but before the bowl bomb vs. Louisville.. UF was positioned to wind up #2 if they had just beaten the Cardinals in New Orleans so Phil Steele somewhat made a believer out of me with that out-on-a-limb UF prognostication and he is 37 out of 40 with the preseason AP poll. So..based on the Buckeyes record last year....he has them where he thinks the AP will have them in the preseason....not necessarily where he thinks they will wind up. Heck if UF would have beat Louisville in the Sugar the Gators would almost certainly have been a top 3 or 4 preseason team....but those bowl performances greatly influence a preseason poll as he says. I think based on what you are saying the the pressure will be more severe on the Buckeyes next season to live up to the preseason hype in Columbus and with a relatively new defense it's not a slam dunk by any means that OSU will follow up with another 12-0 mark.