Athlon Top 10

[Dwight]

1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Oregon
4. Florida State
5. Boise State
6. Notre Dame
7. Virginia Tech
8. LSU
9. Ohio State
10. Nebraska

Definitely expected to see OU at #1.

[goingoneight]

True, but Alabama's not a bad choice. On paper right now, I could see us giving them a game, but they've been much more physical than we have been in recent years and better on defense. That's usually a good start for a team wanting to win a Championship.

[kbsooner]

FSU @ 4, the hype for that game will be palpable.

[JohnnyMack]

I hope Ohio State gets gang raped in one of it's first five games and never sniffs the top 10 for the rest of the season.

[VA Sooner]

I hope Ohio State gets gang raped in one of it's first five games and never sniffs the top 10 for the rest of the season.



I'm with you on that one.

[SoonerofAlabama]

1. I have alreadt spoken about Alabama's probable struggle in the passing game. Their run game and defense will most likely win them a majority of their games.

2. Oklahoma has the fewest questions so far and only a few things concern me. Running game, defensive interior, and secondary. All are important, but all have been filled, we just haven't seen the players yet.

3. Oregon's offense is similar to ours with the Hurry up. They didn't lose much in the draft offensively. (2 OTs, and 2 WRs) They did lose a chunk of their defense, most notably Casey Matthews. They have talented young players returning from last year, though.

4. Florida State may be replacing a quarterback, but they have EJ Manuel with starting experience. They have a good running back and didn't lose too much by way of the draft or graduation.

5. Boise State returns with a very good rushing attack in Doug Martin. They also have Kellen Moore who will be a Senior this year. They lost their two best receivers, but have more guys waiting to start. They have some questions defensively. Although they were second in the country defensively last year, they played low-level talent to put it nicely and against Nevada, Oregon State, and Virginia Tech, they gave up 34, 24, and 30 points respectively. They played well in their bowl game against #19 Utah and held them to 3 points.

6. Too many question marks. They lost their TE adn WR, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but they don't have many more weapons. They have a quarterback who got hurt midway through the season, their running game is mediocre to average, but their defense was pretty good last year.

7. They don't have a quarterback who has played much time. They lost Ryan Williams, but have two other good running backs to replace him. Their defense was good last year and didn't lose much.

8. They do not have a passing attack. They do not have very good receivers and they lost their leading rusher in Stevan Ridley. They are supposed to be ranked highly next season and the reason for that will be their defense.They had a good defense last year and, besides Kelvin Sheppard, haven't lost much talent.

9. I don't see how Ohio State can possibly get through the events that have unfolded this off-season and still win enough games to be ranked in the top 10. They lost a large portion of their deense and lost their leading receiver, not to mention that they lose several starters for half the season. I don't see them winning enough games to be ranked that highly no matter how talented their seconjd-string players are.

10. Nebraska has talent at the QB position with Martinez, but they lost their best running back, their best receiver, and even their kicker. They also lost a chunk of their defense, but have guys ready to start. I could see them in top 10, but they still have to answer questions offensively.

[BoomerJ]

Notre Dame at #6. Really?? REALLY?!!

[Salt City Sooner]

Notre Dame at #6. Really?? REALLY?!!
Seen their schedule? Some good names in there, but for this particular year, there's a lot of fluff in it when it comes to how good those names actually are (i.e. they're only playing 2 of CFB Live's top 25). Plus, Kelly's a darn good coach; dude's won everywhere he's been.

[Flagstaffsooner]

9. I don't see how Ohio State can possibly get through the events that have unfolded this off-season and still win enough games to be ranked in the top 10. They lost a large portion of their deense and lost their leading receiver, not to mention that they lose several starters for half the season. I don't see them winning enough games to be ranked that highly no matter how talented their seconjd-string players are.


Athlon sells alot of their rag in Columbus.

[JohnnyMack]

2. Oklahoma has the fewest questions so far and only a few things concern me. Running game, defensive interior, and secondary. All are important, but all have been filled, we just haven't seen the players yet.

Our O-line sucked last year and we don't have an established RB heading into this season. I'd say we should be very worried about our ability to maintain a lead on the road in a hostile, night time environment at Tallahassee early in the season. But that's just me.

[ashley]

I am not sure Alabama does not have a pretty good passing QB for next year.

[mightysooner]

Bama doesn't have a proven RB either. How is that different than us? Ranking a team #1 that lost all three of their skill position playmakers on offense is glaringly stupid.

[Salt City Sooner]

Trent Richardson's proven PLENTY to me. I'd take him on my team 8 days a week & twice on Saturday's.

[bixby28]

Bama doesn't have a proven RB either. How is that different than us? Ranking a team #1 that lost all three of their skill position playmakers on offense is glaringly stupid.

You failed. 'Bama has absolutely no questions with Trent Richardson in their backfield.
The last time I checked Trent Richardson was pretty freakin good. T. Richardson is going to be one of the best backs in the entire country in '11, and he's played well every year he's been at 'Bama. He has nothing left to prove. OU's backs (Clay, Finch, Williams, J. Miller) have a chance to be very good, but to say that 'Bama has no proven running back is idiotic.

[BoulderSooner79]

Our O-line sucked last year and we don't have an established RB heading into this season. I'd say we should be very worried about our ability to maintain a lead on the road in a hostile, night time environment at Tallahassee early in the season. But that's just me.

It's not just you. But I would not say our O-line sucked last year - they were pretty good at pass protection the last half of the year and LJ generally had time. IMO, our woes at running are due to the scheme as much as the players because we've had lots of OL and RB the last few years with similar results. I think we'll be better this year due to experience, but I don't expect drastic improvements. If that's the case, I'd like to see a dominant TE emerge to help get those redzone yards.

[fadada1]

In what week does Va Tech lose to someone they shouldn't, then lose the next game, only to climb back and finish around 8???

[picasso]

Where's Taylor Weeden?

[SoonerofAlabama]

I would really say that Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Ohio State don't deserve to be on that list.