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2005 NCAA Football Top 25 Poll

September 02, 2005 at 07:20 AM

With the college football season finally getting underway, it's time for me to post my preaseason top 25 teams. This is just my initial gut feelings on each team based on how good I think they'll be and just as importantly on what their schedule looks like. Some of them don't match up at all with the other preseason polls, but this is where I think they're going to finish the season.

  1. Southern Cal
  2. Texas
  3. Ohio State
  4. Louisville
  5. Virginia Tech
  6. Tennesee
  7. Florida
  8. Oklahoma
  9. Michigan
  10. Miami
  11. Iowa
  12. Georgia
  13. Boise State
  14. Arizona State
  15. Texas Tech
  16. Lousiana State
  17. Florida State
  18. Purdue
  19. Boston College
  20. Missouri
  21. Penn State
  22. Bowling Green
  23. Colorado
  24. Auburn
  25. Texas A&M

I think we have a pretty clear number one and two, USC and Texas are nearly a consensus at the top. With Ohio State in week two and playing in the Big XII South, Texas will definitely have to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. I have a feeling that one of the teams that makes it there may have one loss, I don't think we see three undefeated teams like last year.

It was a tough call between Michigan and Ohio State at number 3, whoever win their head to head matchup in November will finish the year near the top of the polls. Louisville at number 4 may actually go undefeated in a BCS conference, and I still think they'd finish behind a one-loss Ohio State. That should be a fun discussion for the end of the year. There's just nobody on their schedule they should lose to.

My first SEC team doesn't show up till Tennessee checks in at number six. I just think that the conference is so strong with them, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and on down that none of them come out unscathed. Tennessee is pretty darn good though if they can find a quarterback to lead them, and Florida's transition to Urban Meyer should be one of the more interesting stories to follow this season.

Oklahoma is going through a ton of changes and lost a lot, but they return Adrian Peterson and that alone will make them the favorites in pretty much all of their games. Paul Thompson will begin the season as the starter with Rhett Bomar waiting in the wings, the quarterback position is definitely unsettled. How quickly they find a solution there will determine how successful their season is. I see them losing to Texas and being upset by Tech in Lubbock, but winning the rest of their games with relative ease.

#13 may seem too high for a school like Boise State, but they were pretty darn good last year and they'll be a good team again this year. They've got a tough opening game against SEC power Georgia that will determine whether they can be this year's Utah or if they'll just be considered a really good one loss team who plays a weak schedule.

Texas Tech is a good team with a joke of a schedule. They'll lost to Texas and probably drop a game or two they shouldn't, but I think it's possible they can finish the season with only two losses. Both OU and Texas A&M have to head to Lubbock, and I think the Red Raiders win both of those games. Tech has played very well against the Aggies the last ten years and A&M hasn't won a game in Lubbock since 1993.

I think LSU and Florida State both have pretty average years. I think LSU losing a great coach like Nick Saban and replacing him with the very average, and a little wacko, Les Miles is being overlooked. They've got a pretty decent team, but I just don't have much respect for Miles. FSU meanwhile seems to be getting a lot of hype again this season, but I'm not sure what it's based on. They should have an excellent defense as usual, but they'll also be breaking in two very young (and very talented) QB's. I think next year is the year we can start mentioning the Seminoles among the nation's elite teams again.

Auburn lost everybody, everybody. They also lost college football's top assistant coach in defensive coordinator Gene Chizik to the Longhorns, that definitely doesn't bode well for their season. I think they use this season to rebuild a little and break in young quarterback Brandon Cox.

That brings us to the final team in my top 25 and the most overrated team in America, the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies weren't a very good team last year, when they lost to every good team on their schedule and also to the Baylor Bears. The Baylor Bears! They also had to go to overtime to beat Colorado and Texas Tech at home. What about any of that tells you that they're going to be a contender for the Big XII title this year? Yes Reggie McNeal is very good and Courtney Lewis a pretty good back, but their offensive line is below average. Their wide receivers are a pretty good group, but they took a big hit when they lost L'Tydrick Riley recently to a leg injury. On the defensive side of the ball they've got a formidable front four and it goes downhill quickly from there. Their linebackers are decent but slow, and their secondary is one of the worst in the conference. I think they'll drop their last three games at OU, at Tech, and home versus Texas. I also think they lose two games against Clemson, Colorado, Oklahoma State, or Iowa State. They're just not as good as people have somehow decided they are.

What are your thoughts?

(crossposted at Bevo Sports)

Posted in Sports | 6 Comments | Add yours

Comments and TrackBacks

1 actionBERG said...

You shouldn't really be placing teams where you think they will finish, but where you think they are right now.

I think you have LSU way too low, they should be a top 10 team.

Boise State may finish up that high, but they have to earn it first, #13 seems a little high.

I think Auburn deserves a little more credit than #24. I want to seem them play first before lowering their ranking.

Posted on September 02, 2005 at 10:30 AM

2 Brian said...

In my opinion, the whole point is to put teams where they're going to finish. Because people at the end of the year will look at lists like this one and this one at the end of the year and point out all your mistakes. I think you have to come up with your best guess at what the rankings will look like at the end of the year and go with that.

I think Boise State loses this weekend to Georgia and then goes undefeated the rest of the year. Plus, they finished 12th last year, so I think they have earned it.

I don't have much respect for Les Miles as a head coach at LSU, and a ton of respect for Nick Saban. I think that's going to be a big drop off.

Auburn lost their two starting running backs, starting QB, and a corner all in the first round of the draft. They also lost their defensive coordinator. #24 might be a little low, but I see them having a pretty big slide this season.

Posted on September 02, 2005 at 11:41 AM

3 actionBERG said...

What is the point of trying to predict where they will fall? That is what playing out the regular season is for. You start a poll off by ranking teams by who is better than the other. Then you let the season play out and move teams around accordingly.

Auburn did lose a lot, but they should have been playing for a national championship last year. Starting them at #24 just ain't right. You could argue that Oklahoma lost even more, yet you still have them at #8.

Also, are you trying to say that Texas Tech would beat LSU? No way that would happen.

Posted on September 02, 2005 at 02:45 PM

4 Brian said...

Oklahoma still has Peterson, they can ride him to some wins while their young talent has a chance to mature. Plus I just think Auburn has a better chance to lose three games this year than they do. Simple as that.

And yes, if the game was in Lubbock I think Texas Tech might be LSU this year but it would be a heck of a game. That's why I have them ranked right next to each other. I think they end with the same number of losses, but I think Tech's wins (OU? A&M?) might end up being more impressive.

Posted on September 03, 2005 at 09:05 AM

5 Brian said...

Looks like I was right about the Aggies and Auburn, but way off on OU and Boise State. Even if Boise State wins the rest of their games, the voters aren't going to forget how horrible they looked against the one tough team on their schedule.

Posted on September 04, 2005 at 02:34 PM

6 Tommy Phillips said...

You have Penn State in the top 25 and Pitt not in it, and that's enough to make this a good poll.

Posted on September 07, 2005 at 06:30 PM