For What It's Worth: You Know It's Almost Time for College Football When. . . . .

. . . .College Football teams name their starting QBs.

It has been happening this week. Several teams have named their starting QB for the first game. Each team, I'm sure, reserves the right to make a change. Maybe the biggest announcement is at Oklahoma. OU named redshirt Freshman Sam Bradford its starting QB. OU is one of many teams who have to replace a QB. Another team is TCU. The Frogs announced this week that redshirt Freshman Andy Dalton would get the start against Baylor.
Dalton beat out Sophomore Marcus Jackson who helped TCU beat Baylor last year after Jeff Ballard was unable to finish the game. Jackson has playing experience and some success. TCU coach Gary Patterson feels real good about both QBs. Patterson told Dale Hanson of WFAA TV that when the Frogs have won 10 games recently, that they have needed two QBs. Jackson should be ready. Tyler Donovan will start for Wisconsin. Donovan played when then Senior QB John Stocco was injured last year leading to the Badgers to two wins. His experience will be helpful at the beginning of the season.

Other new starters include Sam Keller at Nebraska and, maybe, Cody Hawkins at Colorado.

Well, if you are 59 years old, you have a shot. Have you seen the story about 59 year old Mike Flynt who made the football team at NAIA Sul Ross State? I guess you never know what might happen.

Preseason College Football Top Ten: Part 3

continued. . . . . .

4. Texas-- The Longhorns are poised for another Big 12 Title. QB Colt McCoy will be a Sophomore, and it looks like he will be great for Texas. He had a sensational Freshman season, and he looks to not only be a year wiser, but bigger as well. Reports from Austin are that he bulked up. This is necessary if Texas is going to keep him healthy all year. They also return a good assortment on defense including 4 of 7 up front. That helps give the secondary time to jell before September 29 against Kansas State. The OL also has to get better, but that has never been a problem for any Texas team. Watch out for the November 3 game at Oklahoma State. Texas always struggles to win in Stillwater.


3. West Virginia-- Well, I see so much returning for this West Virginia team, including their head coach. Same system, same coaches. Same destruction of opponents. West Virginia graded second on my scale with Wisconsin, but I put them ahead of Louisiville because they return their system, and their coaches. WVU returns what they need to remain a contender until the new starters begin to jell. Their pass defense needs to be better if they are going to win the Big East outright and make it to the BCS Title game. They return most of their secondary, and maybe they will be better than 109th in the nation. If the defense is better against the pass, this might make for a great WVU team. The Mountaineers play 4 of their first 6 on the road, and then, if they win those, they will at Rutgers on October 27 and at home against Louisville November 8 to play for the Big East Title. Then, if they want to compete for the National Title, Pat White needs to be a lot better at passing the ball.


2. Michigan-- Rarely have I seen a team return so much fire power on offense. Michigan has an All-American RB, a rocket-armed QB, and two big, fast, Junior WRs. They return most of their OL too. They don't return as much on defense, but they have someone back in each of the key areas: DT, LB, CB, and FS. And, Michigan never lacks the talent to fill in those other spots. Two of the projected starters at LB are Seniors. The point is, they will have what they need to put a good defense on the field. This reminds me of Ohio State's defense last year which was suppose to be in a rebuilding year. They did pretty well. Of course, the Michigan offense can control the game with RB Michael Hart. This Michigan team is poised to make another run at the Big Ten Title and a National Championship.


1. USC-- The Trojans are number one hands down. They return an incredible 10 players on defense! In the first couple of games, their defense may score as much as their offense. Also, they graded out highest in my, ahem, scientific grading system. They were tied with Louisiville, but I think USC is the tops because they have so much defense returning and no coaching change. When USC goes to Nebraska, that's the game to watch on September 15. This is the game when those that will step it up on offense will emerge as go-to players. This is what USC needs too. They return 6 on offense including QB John David Booty, but they lack a proven running game and Dwayne Jarrett is gone to the NFL.. That makes for a tough stretch early until they figure those things out. Look for freshman Joe McKnight to help at RB, and maybe another freshmen to emerge at WR. If they can get those things solved, then USC will be playing for the National Title in January. But, who knew?

Preseason College Football Top Ten: Part 2

continued. . . . . .

8. Virginia Tech-- Tech returns 16 starters which is a good start to the 2007 season. RB Brandon Ore was really coming into his own last year and QB Sean Glennon is back with another year under his belt. The offense needs to improve their rankings, but the defense returns 8 starters from its number 1 ranked defense. The Hokies will also be playing with emotion and focus, for something other than themselves. It was last Spring when a student entered a dorm and several classrooms shooting and killing 32 people. The extra emotion and incentive to play for a community who is still trying to heal might be the momentum they need to shock LSU on September 8, win the ACC, and play for a National Title.

7. LSU-- If Matt Flynn plays like he did in the Peach Bowl two seasons ago, LSU may be dancing into the Sugar Bowl for a shot at the National Title. LSU was cursed with a tough schedule last year, but have Florida, South Carolina, Aburn and Arkansas all at home. The most dangerous game for them will be at Kentucky on October 13. Their biggest game of the year will come in week two when they host Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech should be really good, and they could shock everyone if Flynn isn't on his game. Playing the game at Baton Rouge should help. This is the most important game for the Tigers because it is so early (September 8), and they have to win it keep their hope of a National Title game alive. LSU also needs to solve its running game to take pressure off of Flynn.

6. Wisconsin--The Badgers return 16 starters including the bulk of that outstanding running game. They have to replace the QB, but they seem to have capable replacements who will have a couple of Senior WR's work with. They return a nice balance on defense along with both CB's which is significant early in the year. They should everything going by the time they roll in to Happy Valley October 13. This Wisconsin team could make a run at the Big 12 Title.

5. Louisville-- As I said earlier, the Cardinals graded out tied with USC in my (ahem) "Scientific" grading. But, they have a new coach. If Coach Kragthorpe is smart, he will tweak the offense and let his stars do the rest. Brian Brohm may be the best QB in next year's NFL draft. Then, he should go to work on improving the defense, especially the pass defense. They return enough on defense, including the LBs, to keep shootouts from happening with most opponents. If I were Bobby Petrino, I would want a do-over.

Preseason College Football Top Ten: Part 1

Let me explain my process. First I graded about 21 teams on my CFTT "Scientific" (ahem, cough, cough) scale. I used gradings in five areas: returners on the depth chart, QB, Skill players (offense/defense), trenches (offense/defense) and special teams. Each area had a possible 5. I tried to grade based on what each team had returning and how good they were last year. At that point I totaled the points to come up with a total score. The best was Louisville and USC with an 18. I then listed the teams from top to bottom, giving nods to teams who had the same points based on who I thought was a better pick. Next, I used that list to put together my "Durty Dozen" Finally, I started ranking my top ten using the teams in the "Durty Dozen."

Total score did not necesarily matter at this point because I used certain indicators to move teams up or down. For instance, I gave weight to teams who returned good QBs such as USC with John David Booty. I also looked at balance in what a team returns and if the new starters be upper classmen. Michigan only returned 4 on defense, but they were spread out to the point that each area of the defense had returning players and two of the new linebackers are Seniors. Hence, Michigan got more weight because they have a history of putting talented players in the remaining spots. That caused their stock to rise. Therefore, tradition and history are important. Texas was weak in the Offensive line and in the secondary, but they also have a history of having All-Americans and future Pros at those positions. Therefore, their stock rises overall. If the weakness is in Special Teams, the team may not lose points if they have a history of having talented players at those spots. Those weaknesses are not held against them as much as other teams whose programs do not have that history. Next, a coach could be the difference between two teams. A new coach has a new system, and that will cost a team a few points when compared to an existing coach or a coach with a national title. Finally, I ask myself, who do I think would win a game between these two teams right now. I am interested in ranking teams as I think they are now, not how I think they will finish.

Without further ado, here is the CollegeFootballTopTen.com Top Ten.

10. Florida-- Florida was National Champions last year for a reason last year. They were loaded. However, they only return 2 to their defense. The Gators, however, usually have some of the best atheletes in the country, and they will reload. But, they have to improve against Western Kentucky and Troy before they try to stop Erik Ainge and Tennessee on September 15. The offense, however, returns some key players. Percy Harvin was electrifying late last year after returning from injury. Andre Caldwell returns as the other WR, and he's good too. Florida has struggled to find a RB using Harvin for those yards. With Tebow at QB, the Gators will get more rushing yards from him, but, they still need to find a go-to back. The other question is, "Can Tebow get the ball to Caldwell and Harvin?" The Gator offense showed creativity last year, and I think they will get the ball into the hands of the ones who make plays. This offense may look more like Urban Meyer's last offense at Utah.

9. Tennessee-- The Vols will be in its second year with David Cutcliffe as the Offensive Coordinator. We all saw what he did in the first year. He has made Erik Ainge into one of the best QBs in the country. Tennessee has to find someone for Ainge to throw to, but they probably will. They return their top RB, both TEs and most of their OL. The defense is their biggest challenge. Tennessee has to find a way to stop the run. Might they use a different scheme? It helps to return two of their LBs. The Vols could lose their spot with early date at California (September 1).

Durty Dozen

O.k., I use my Durty Dozen to narrow down my Preseason top ten. I started this last year in my top ten, I think it is a fun way to start the process. This year, I created a banner and everything. Check it out here.

Durty Dozen Honorable Mentions are:
Nebraska
Rutgers
Oklahoma
Arkansas
TCU