SlowTA

the only thing i have ever really mentioned about tx football was that usc would win (more than half of the country was wrong) and everything else has been about the upcomming future so how could I be wrong...unless your MRs. Cleo?


no v young and no r taylor...yall shouldn't be touching the top 10, b/c lets face it, at the end of the season top 10 will be a distant horizon

luvmeZ28

iTrader: (3)

miami may lack class but they have the talent to be in the top 25.

RyanJ

Gamecocks should be in the top 25 at least. Texas is too high, ND is about right, WV too high IMO, and Gators should be top 10.

D Hurr is Like

iTrader: (1)

South Carolina got snubbed

i'd like to see Alabama in the top 25 too


Aubrun is too high

Texas is too high

Penn St. should be in the mid-teens at worst

| Powered by Satan |

god damnit, i wrote this ******* huge *** post... and the ******* site quit working GOD DAMNIITTTT


ugh... felt like a wrote a god damn novel

97blkz

iTrader: (1)

I agree that pre season rankings mean nada! But to say OSU will not have an offense, serious?? Go look at last years stats. And yes they will always have a good D.

"1. Ohio State Buckeyes
OK, so only two defensive starters return. When did Jim Tressel not have a defense? And my, oh, my, that offense."

I cant wait to see the UT game, if it's like last years it will fuggin rock!

| Powered by Satan |

^^ it will be like last years... gonna be crazy, we may have two young guns but we have the best offensive line in the league hands down.


OU is still young, they will drop alot... only threat is A.P. is returning and 100%... but w/ a freshman and soph based line, i expect to see them do mediocre.

aTm, mixed thoughts, def is still shady... off. is sharp, but they need more variation and mcgee will bring that to them

WV is wayyy over rated

I think ND will do great this year

Aubrun is overrated...

and i dont remember the rest of the list

97blkz

iTrader: (1)

I'm an osu fan but loved last years game, when UT game in to the shoe and beat us I knew they could win a NC. No vince should make it easier on OSU.

| Powered by Satan |

now lets talk tOSU ... no carpenter, hawk, who is supposed to step up and play the role on D? Are they replaced by two young guns? or a couple vets?


I dont keep up w/ tOSU, just typically big XII :o

D Hurr is Like

iTrader: (1)

West Virginia is NOT overrated


they're probably odds-on favorite to win the national championship

MrBill97396

iTrader: (10)

Not trying to hijack your thread but here is the poll from rivals.com. I personally like to compare two or three preseason polls just to get a broader range of what the so called "experts" think.



1. Ohio State 10-2
Yes, we got the e-mails and read the message boards bemoaning the fact the Buckeyes lost virtually their entire defense. But you'd be foolish not to realize there are some very good players waiting in the wings. The recruiting class has four four-star linebackers and a five-star defensive end, so there could be some immediate impact. And even if the defense is slow to develop, what team in the Big Ten is going to be able to score with the Buckeyes? Not only does the offense return quarterback Troy Smith, who won over a lot of experts with his Fiesta Bowl performance, but all-around threat Ted Ginn Jr. is back. And don't forget five-star running back Chris Wells will add to the mix, too. (Previous rank: 1)


2. Notre Dame 9-3
Anyone for a Fiesta Bowl rematch? The Irish return 17 starters including Heisman Trophy candidate Brady Quinn and his favorite target, wide receiver Jeff Samardzija. The defense was hardly spectacular, but it figures to be bolstered by a recruiting effort that Rivals.com ranked eighth in the country. That after Notre Dame finished 40th in our recruiting rankings a year ago. Defensive backs Raeshon McNeil and Darrin Walls could see playing time very early. (Previous rank: 2)


3. Southern Cal 13-1
Don't worry about the Trojans. They'll be just fine. Matt Leinart is gone? Fine, plug in the next high school All-American. Reggie Bush and LenDale White opted out early for the NFL? Fine, the Trojans line will make a household name out of Stafon Johnson. At this point we're pretty convinced Pete Carroll and his staff can handle anything. (Previous rank: 4)


4. LSU 11-2
The resounding victory over Miami in the Peach Bowl and the play of quarterback Matt Flynn showed the public the Tigers have plenty of talent on the bench. Les Miles needs to replace three starters on the offensive line, but LSU has plenty of talent at the skill positions. A very deep, athletic recruiting class that Rivals.com ranked seventh will help as well. (Previous rank: 5)


5. Texas 13-0
There's little doubt the ranking of the Longhorns depended upon Vince Young's decision about the NFL. With his departure, fifth might be a lofty goal. But the cupboard is hardly bare and the recruiting class is chock full of great homegrown talent from whom much will be expected down the road. (Previous rank: 6)


6. West Virginia 11-1
West Virginia has a lot going for it offensively with head coach Rich Rodriguez having unearthed a pair of gems in last year's freshmen sensations QB Pat White and RB Steve Slaton. But they won't be sneaking up on anybody this time around. And the recruiting class doesn't appear to have anyone who will make close to the same kind of impact. (Previous rank: 3)


7. Auburn 9-3
The Tigers under Coach Tommy Tuberville and offensive coordinator Al Borges will continue to be a threat in the SEC West. There are some graduation and/or early entry losses from which the team will have to recover, but it's a deep recruiting class that includes 14 four-star prospects. (Previous rank: 7)


8. Oklahoma 8-4
Rhett Bomar has a much-needed year of experience. The key for the Sooners will be a healthy-from-start-to-finish Adrian Peterson. Anytime he's 100 percent OU is a threat to win. The offensive line lost four starters, so there is a chance for some of the freshmen in the ninth-ranked class to work their way onto the field. (Previous rank: 9)


9. Florida 9-3
At his past two posts, year two is when the Urban Meyer offense took off and put up stratospheric numbers. It doesn't hurt (does it?) that quarterback Chris Leak has returned for his senior season. Meyer also signed the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation and Rivals.com's No. 1 player in the land, WR Percy Harvin. It all points toward that aforementioned offensive explosion. (Previous rank: 8)


10. Miami 9-3
The Hurricanes will have a lot of questions to answer next season after overhauling virtually the entire of Larry Coker's staff. Kyle Wright will be expected to develop more rapidly. The recruiting haul wasn't quite up to standard as UM had a seven-year streak of top-10 finishes in our team rankings snapped.(Previous rank: 10)


11. Michigan 7-5
Offense should be fine with Michael Hart and Chad Henne, but defense must be fixed. (Previous rank: 12)


12. Penn State 11-1
Huge influx of talent from last two recruiting classes, but huge question at quarterback as well. (Previous rank: 16)


13. Georgia 10-3
Big holes to fill at quarterback and along the offensive line. (Previous rank: 11)


14. Florida State 8-5
Gave Penn State everything it could handle in Orange Bowl, but questions abound on offense. (Previous rank: 15)


15. Louisville 9-3
Brian Brohm and Michael Bush could be every bit as good as WVU's backfield tandem. (Previous rank: 14)


16. Oregon 10-2
Young quarterbacks gained experience, but Ducks will have to settle on one. (Previous rank: 13)


17. California 8-4
Another team with QB questions, but the Bears can run it with anyone. (Previous rank: 17)


18. Virginia Tech 11-2
No Marcus Vick, but Hokies always about winning with defense, special teams. (Previous rank: 19)


19. Nebraska 8-4
Big 12 North is there for the taking, Huskers could run away with it. (Previous rank: 20)


20. UCLA 10-2
Lots of production to replace as Maurice Drew and Drew Olson have moved on. (Previous rank: 21)


21. Clemson 8-4
Won six of last seven, freshman sensation James Davis can carry the load. (Previous rank: 22)


22. South Carolina 7-5
Ol' Ball Coach must find a running game to complement Sidney Rice. (Previous rank: 23)


23. Iowa 7-5
Drew Tate and Albert Young return to key offense, but big holes to fill at linebacker. (Previous rank: 18)


24. Texas Tech 9-3
The offense puts up the points, but the defense finished 30th in the country last year and is giving Mike Leach's team real credibility. (Previous rank: NR)


25. Alabama 10-2
Will be breaking in a new quarterback on an offense that struggled even with Brodie Croyle. (Previous rank: 24)

97blkz

iTrader: (1)

John Kerr (right) and the Buckeyes' D isn't loaded with experience ... but it may be good enough to justify the team's No. 1 ranking.
AP


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was a seemingly innocent question, but it managed to throw Ohio State linebacker John Kerr for a loop.
"Which of the new guys on defense have impressed you?"
Standing in the sun outside the Ohio Stadium locker room following practice on Monday, the fifth-year senior froze for a second. "Umm ... you're going to have to forgive me," he said, then turned to sophomore safety Jamario O'Neal milling nearby. "Hey ... what's number 21's name?"
You're forgiven, John. Number 21 is Anderson Russell, a redshirt freshman safety for the Buckeyes. As of now, not too many people outside of Columbus -- and only true diehards there -- would know the name Anderson Russell from Anderson Cooper.
However, Ohio State's chances of winning a national title next season depends, in large part, on Russell, Nick Patterson, Larry Grant and a whole bunch of other unknown names.
With offensive stars such as quarterback Troy Smith, running back Antonio Pittman and receiver Ted Ginn Jr. returning from last year's 10-2 team, the Buckeyes have been mentioned as a potential preseason No. 1 team from the minute they stepped off the field following January's Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. It's a hefty tag to place on a squad that lost nine starters off the nation's fifth-ranked defense, four of whom -- linebackers A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter, cornerback Ashton Youboty and safety Donte Whitner -- could be selected in the first round of the April 29 NFL draft.
Ohio State's situation, however, isn't all that different from fellow 2005 top-five teams USC (which lost offensive stars Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White), Texas (Rose Bowl MVP Vince Young) and Penn State (13 departed starters). As spring practices have progressed and the Buckeyes' rebuilt defense has started taking form, those close to the program have started to believe that the lofty expectations aren't entirely unrealistic.
Walk-on Suffers Scary Injury
Ohio State's spring camp took a somber turn last Friday when walk-on receiver Tyson Gentry suffered a debilitating, seemingly freakish spinal injury while being tackled after catching a pass over the middle.

Practice was canceled early after the third-year sophomore from Sandusky, Ohio, lay motionless on the field for nearly 20 minutes following a routine hit from behind by freshman cornerback Kurt Coleman.

Gentry was taken to Ohio State's University Medical Center, where he is currently in recovery following two surgeries. As of Tuesday, the school had declined to release the specifics of his condition, but the Columbus Dispatch reported his injury to be a shattered cervical vertebra. The player's father said in a statement that his son was "alert and in good spirits."

Head coach Jim Tressel has visited Gentry in the hospital, but others outside Gentry's family are being discouraged for now due to Gentry's risk of infection following the surgeries.

Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith said Tuesday he was shaken by the incident. "I watched him come off the ball, cut come across the middle, catch it and fall awkwardly to the turf. It seemed like a routine play," said Smith. "I want to go and visit him so badly, but I can't."


When asked to describe what they've seen of the defense so far, OSU coaches, players and practice observers mention one word: Fast.
"If we measured height, weight and speed of our defense and lined last year's up to this year's, I don't know that it would be extraordinarily different," said head coach Jim Tressel. "Now, [lack of] game experience -- that's going to be the challenge."
Of the 22 defensive players listed on OSU's pre-spring two-deep, 11 are freshmen and sophomores. Yet when the Buckeyes held their biannual jersey scrimmage -- in which the offense and defense square off for the right to wear OSU's scarlet jerseys in practice -- on April 9, the defensive youngsters forced five turnovers to stun Smith, Ginn and the rest of their star-studded offensive counterparts, 69-68, the defense's first victory in the event in three years.
Perhaps that's why Smith scoffed at the suggestion that he and the offense might have to score more points than usual early in the season while the young defenders get their feet wet. "I'm 100 percent confident [the coaches] will have those guys ready to go by Day 1," he said.
Here is a position-by-position guide to the Buckeyes' new-look defense:
Defensive line

OSU coaches and players were unanimous in their assessment of this unit: "The D-line is going to be the anchor of our defense," said Kerr.
Much of that is due to the fact the line has the most experience, led by the two returning starters, senior tackles Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson (who started at end last season), as well as fifth-year senior Jay Richardson, a likely starter at one of the end spots, and senior backup tackle Joel Penton.
The player generating the most excitement, however, is 6-foot-6 sophomore defensive end Lawrence Wilson, a former all-everything recruit out of Akron who's put on 45 pounds -- going from 225 to 270 -- since his arrival on campus just over a year ago. Those who have seen him in practice expect him to evolve into a dominating presence in the same way as recent Buckeyes standout Will Smith.

Linebackers


In the long line of greats who have played this position for the Buckeyes (Randy Gradishar, Tom Cousineau, Chris Spielman, Andy Katzenmoyer), last year's trio of Hawk, Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel was arguably the greatest collective group in school history. All three are now gone. Yet somehow OSU remains deeper at this position than any other.
The projected starters as of now are middle linebacker Kerr, a former Indiana transfer who had 114 tackles as a freshman in 2002 but has been a backup since arriving in Columbus; strong side linebacker James Laurinaitis, a sophomore who filled in for an injured Carpenter against Michigan and Notre Dame to end last season; and, at weak side, speedy redshirt sophomore Marcus Freeman, who backed up Carpenter in 2004 but missed last season with a knee injury.
Fast on the trio's heels, however, are heralded freshman Ross Homan, an early enrollee who has drawn continual praise from Tressel throughout the spring; highly athletic Larry Grant, the nation's top juco defensive recruit last winter coming out of Community College of San Francisco; hard-hitting junior Curtis Terry, who, like Whitner, Smith, Ginn and O'Neal, hails from Ted Ginn Sr.'s powerhouse Glenville High program in Cleveland; and redshirt freshman Austin Spittler. (Former starter Mike D'Andrea, a fifth-year senior, is still recuperating from a 2004 knee injury.)
"Any one of the seven guys we have right now could start," said linebackers coach Luke Fickell. "All of them are really stepping up."
Defensive backs

This is where things get a little bit dicey. Youboty and Whitner's early exits for the NFL left the Buckeyes with almost no experience in the secondary.
As of now the two cornerback spots will be manned by sophomore Malcolm Jenkins, who started four games late last season, and fifth-year senior Antonio Smith, a former walk-on and surprise performer. Freshman Kurt Coleman, another early enrollee, has turned some heads and could eventually supplant Smith.
The Buckeyes are a little deeper at safety, headlined by sophomores O'Neal, one of the top recruits in the country two years ago, and Nick Patterson, both of whom saw playing time last season. Patterson has supplanted fifth-year senior Brandon Mitchell, while the aforementioned Russell, one of the standout performers of the spring, could be pegged as the nickel back.
"Those are tough positions" for inexperienced players, said Tressel. "Hopefully our experience up front will allow those guys in the back a chance to grow."
More than 40,000 title-hungry Buckeyes fans are expected to show up at the Horseshoe for Saturday's spring game, and while they're surely hoping to see some big plays from Smith, Ginn and heralded freshman tailback Chris Wells, it might be more encouraging if they don't.
As both Tressel and the players acknowledge, however, one can only read so much from practices and scrimmages.
"I think we're going to be fine, but the only way to find out how good we really are is just to play," said Kerr. "As hard as you try, you can't simulate the emotion that goes into [a game] in practice. Do you have a bunch of guys who are gamers? When it comes down to it, are they going to beat up the guy on the other side of the ball? We'll see when we get out there."
In other words, until they strap on the chin straps Sept. 2 against Northern Illinois (and again a week later at defending national-champion Texas) the new names on the OSU defense will remain just that, names -- some of them easier to remember than others

| Powered by Satan |

better poll posted by Mr. Bill... but they are still giving USC way to much credit, w/ BOTH new qb's out... i expect them to drop sufficiently

MrBill97396

iTrader: (10)

Well you have to look back at the past two years and what SC has done, they led recruiting again this year but when your as dominant as they have been you expect it.

Sucks to hear about tOSU players injury I hope for a full recovery.

UT is in for a struggle I think this year with there offense (Vince Young) now playing in the NFL.

As for anyone calling for Fran's head in CS is ridiculous and does not realise the task he was given from "Chokem Slocum" and his past. Fran is a proven winner and he is now in a much stronger conference, TCU would not be where they are now if it was not for Fran.

OU really depends on Peterson and obviously if he is not healthy it could be another long season in Norman.

Tech will probably finish where they are at or a little lower they are an all offense team and little defense.

| Powered by Satan |

i still dont feel we are in a struggle... we have the BEST O-line, and w/in that, it gives our new guys the time to breath/play/get confidence... tOSU comes early, but i have full faith in them... they have looked great in practice(watching them practice is bad *** BTW)

and our defense, is going to be unreal once again... we only lost Huff... w/ Micheal and Marcus back there, i am very confident in our D

MrBill97396

iTrader: (10)

But the one issue UT Defense had last year is a major weakness, and that is stopping a power runner that is a North South power type. A&M exposed it and USC exploited it. UT should fair well this year, if they make it past the OU game undefeated then it is alot smoother for them.

SlowTA

i see tOSU beating yall, and having to battle to win against Tech and A&M. And of course Rice is gonna beat yall, but that goes without saying.

| Powered by Satan |

lol


we will beat tech and atm... im really saddened by tech, they dont play like the used too... home or away

Spazdout

tech's rebuilding.
A&M ??? its a good geuss, if texas really takes a dump at QB, i could see us squeezing something out. Remember rivalry games are nail bitters. This past year it was supposed to be a "routing" and we held texas to the fewest yards on offense. so its possible.

| Powered by Satan |

go away jon


you know, where are the radical aggies at... h/c, phat... yeah... haha