Here's a top 35 list that should pi$$ you off

[milesl]

Not because of what is said about the Sooners, but who he has for #3.

http://slog.cstv.com/offprompter/2006/05/college_footballs_top_35.html#more

I'll also post his column following this, where he defends his top 35:confused:


College Football's Top 35!
By Amsinger - May 20, 2006


I'm sick of the Top 25. Let's do away with it. College football isn't JUST the same powerhouse programs competing for the title anymore. Urban Meyer proved that at Utah and with the BCS in the picture a program like Rutgers or USF could compete for big-time college football dollars.

Therefore, I'm turning it up a notch, which reminds me of 6th grade when I introduced "pegging" (also known as "tight rolling") my jeans to my classmates. Here's to being a trend-setter.

Amsinger's College Football Preseason Top 35:


1.) Ohio State: Duh! Troy Smith can do it all. But the loss of WR Santonio Holmes could effect the Buckeyes more than we know. Expect OSU to run the ball TWICE as much this season with junior tailback Antonio Pittman and fantastic freshman Chris Wells (who finished as the #1 overall high school prospect by recruiting expert Tom Lemming). Losing all three linebackers and the entire starting secondary is the reason Ohio State will lose to Notre Dame's high power offense in the national championship game.

2.) Notre Dame: Brady Quinn is not the only reason the Irish are my #2 preseason team. He's getting all the publicity right now and he deserves it. For those of you that expect Quinn to put up Peyton Manning numbers this season - simmer down. Expect Tom Brady numbers...remember, Darius Walker is a fantastic running back. Charlie Weis will expect opponents to bring out the extra defensive backs and blitz Quinn like crazy. Walker will have the enormous numbers this season.

3.) California: The Golden Bears are the best team in the Pac-Ten. Jeff Tedford will showcase three future first-round NFL Draft picks this season. RB Marshawn Lynch has top-shelf talent and could be invited to NYC for the Heisman Trophy presentation. WR DeSean Jackson could be a Heisman candidate in '07 and Bears' opponents better get ready for a breakout season from QB Nate Longshore. He was injured last year and never displayed his enormous talent. Expect a blowout road victory over Tennessee to open the '06 campaign.

4.) Auburn: The Tigers have so much experience back from last year's 9-3 team. RB Kenny Irons is my Heisman pick (which I'm sure you read in my previous blog) and is ready for a historic season. Irons could eclipse the 2,000 yard plateau...seriously. As long as QB Brandon Cox doesn't royally screw up in crunch time of a big-time SEC game, the Tigers will come close to running the table in the SEC! (KEY WORD: "close" - Auburn loses 1 game this season)

5.) Oklahoma: Here's another one loss team. Oklahoma's schedule favors a perfect record in Big 12 play. QB Rhett Bomar should improve and like the aforementioned Brandon Cox, as long as Bomar doesn't mess up a hand-off - OU should beat Texas in Norman. Adrian Peterson will have another productive season, but it won't be as pretty as Sooner fans hope. Oklahoma will play like champions against Washington, Texas, Colorado and Texas Tech - but will lose on the road to Oregon.

6.) Louisville: The Big Least? Hardly. The Cardinals and West Virginia Mountaineers are both top ten teams. The last time the Big East had two preseason top ten's, Miami and Virginia Tech were unwillingly calling the Big East home. QB Brian Brohm could lead the nation in passing. Brohm, fresh off a season-ending injury that forced RB Michael Bush to become the team's top offensive threat, will take advantage of defenses that will try to stop the Louisville ground game first. Brohm will play up to expectations this season and Louisville will only lose one game in the regular season. Not to Miami, Kansas State or West Virginia...the Cardinals fall on the road to Rutgers!

7.) Florida: The spring game confused a lot of Gator fans. QB Chris Leak was outplayed by freshman signal-caller Tim Tebow. Leak, a four-year starter looked like the freshman...while Tebow was the one that played as if he'd been running the spread offense for years. Despite Chris Leak's imperfections in Urban Meyer's system, the talent in Gainesville is ridiculous. Freshman wideout Percy Harvin is the next Reggie Bush according to Tom Lemming and will play right away. Fellow freshman offensive tackle Carl Johnson will also play right away and could be an All-American by next season. Wideouts Andre Caldwell and Jemalle Cornellius are both two-year starters and will fill the void left by Chad Jackson who's now a New England Patriot. The Gators will lose on the road to Auburn and Florida State. Florida finishes 10-2.

8.) Texas: Defending a national championship is never easy. Ask USC. Here's the difference. The Trojans defended their title with BOTH superstars back from the previous championship. Without Vince Young, the Longhorns are going to remind us a lot of the 2005 Oklahoma Sooners offensively. A unit without a clear identity. CSTV Football Analyst Brian Jones (and former Longhorn) will argue with me up and down over this low projection, but Texas will lose to Ohio State, Oklahoma AND either Nebraska or Texas Tech (both road games). Folks in Austin should thank me for ranking them in the top ten with three losses.

9.) West Virginia: How much confidence does Rich Rodriguez's bunch have right now? Get ready for the best ground game in 2006. The Mountaineers will get off to a 7-0 start before losing on the road to Louisville. Then, Dave Wannstedt will claim his biggest win of his Pitt tenure by knocking off the Mountaineers at Heinz Field in November. Without a passing game making up deficits will not be easy. West Virginia will get a bit of a reality check this season.

10.) USC: Whoa! The Trojans barely sneak into the top ten? Are you crazy Amsinger? Yes, yes, yes I am. I am crazy enough to think all the off-field issues will mess with the Trojans on-field chemistry. I'm also crazy enough to believe WR Dwayne Jarrett will miss a couple of games because of his living arrangement with Matt Leinart - the Pac Ten investigating. Amsinger (me) is sooo crazy he thinks John David Booty and/or Mark Sanchez will not give head coach Pete Carroll the smooth transition from Leinart's greatness. Vidal Hazelton, Taylor Mays, Antwine Perez, Allen Bradford and David Ausberry will start as true freshmen and show signs of brilliance. USC loses to Nebraska, Cal and Notre Dame.

Here's 11 - 35. My reasons for these teams will be coming soon!

11.) Georgia Tech

12.) Florida State

13.) Nebraska

14.) Michigan

15.) Penn State

16.) UTEP

17.) LSU

18.) Oregon

19.) Miami

20.) Georgia

21.) Iowa

22.) Alabama

23.) Clemson

24.) Boston College

25.) Northwestern

26.) Arizona State

27.) TCU

28.) Rutgers

29.) BYU

30.) Texas Tech

31.) Tulsa

32.) Wisconsin

33.) Virginia Tech

34.) UCF

35.) Navy

[milesl]

http://slog.cstv.com/offprompter/2006/05/the_top_20_comments_to_my_top.html#more


The Top 20 Comments to my Top 35
By Amsinger - May 28, 2006


I knew this Top 35 would get you going. The comments and opinions expressed on this blog are all appreciated. Yes, even the responses that include accusations of marijuana usage, poor journalism, lack of preparation, donkeys and Hardees or Burger King applications. My goal was to get you thinking college football in May and from the looks of this particular blog, mission accomplished.

Instead of recapping my Top 35 - line for line, I'll do it a different way. Here's a look at the top 20 comments to my Top 35 poll.


1.) Hey Jackass - did someone beat you in the head with a bookbag? Just so you know, Oklahoma and Texas always play at the Cotton Bowl. Cal at #3? Huh? Notre Dame at #2? UTEP so high? No Fresno State or Boise State in your Top 35? Dude take the pencil from out of your *** and re-write this "Top 35". On second thought, never mind. (I hear Hardees is accepting apps) - J.J.

J.J., thank you (and everyone else) for pointing out my biggest goof on this blog. I totally spaced the location of the Texas - Oklahoma game. The Red River Rivalry (before you respond - I know some call it "Shootout", but Rivalry is used because it's more P.C.) is always played in Dallas. I tried to resign from my position at CSTV for such a critical error, but for some reason my bosses wouldn't have it. I'm thankful for their forgiveness, hopefully I can earn all of yours. FYI, I don't use pencils when blogging on the internet and thanks for the heads up on opportunities at Hardees J.J. - unfortunately I don't need an application. Although it would have been fun to work with you.

2.) Worst preseason top 10 I have ever seen. Cal at #3? Auburn only losing 1 game?!?! Texas not in the top 3!! You must be drunk and working for free. Navy should be higher. They will lose no more then 2 games this year. And they just might pull off one of the biggest upsets of all time!!Paul Johnson is the most underrated coach in America! - Chris

Chris, buddy...will true freshman QB Jevan Snead rush for over 1,000 yards, average 233 yards passing per game and total 38 touchdowns? Oh, wait - will Colt McCoy pull that off? NO! Without Vince Young the Longhorns do NOT deserve to be in the top three. Navy coach Paul Johnson is underrated. He does a lot with very little. As for Navy's record, the Mids will lose three games. Stanford, Tulsa and Notre Dame.

3.) Sure, some of your top teams have easy schedules and will win a lot of games based on who they play, but when they come up against a tough opponent, maybe in a bowl game, they will be crushed. - Phil

Phil, the point of this poll was to show you where these teams will be ranked BEFORE bowl games. For instance, Notre Dame is ranked #2, but in one of my previous blogs I have the Irish winning the national title over Ohio State, who is ranked #1 in my poll. I also point out who the top ten teams will lose to, those same predictions are on the way for numbers 11- 35.

4.) WVU...9th? Louisville...6th! WVU will lose to Pitt?!? When you run the ball the way WVU does...you don't need to pass!! YOU NEED a reality check!!!and a new job!!!!!!!!!!! - wvman

Hey "wvman", my name isn't "louisman" or "pittman" - it's Greg Amsinger. But I'm sure your bias doesn't have anything to do with that statement.

5.) This is a horrible list. You obviously don't know much about football. Did you do any research? Maybe you are just trying to be different to get attention...Tennessee, Fresno State and Utah should be in the top 35 no matter what, they are quality teams. UTEP is OVERRATED!!! They suck! LSU and PENN State out of the top 10? These teams are going to very good..much better the USC or CAL lol. You must be smoking something good or mabe you are the village idiot. lol Nice try though... - Mike

The SEC schedule is simply too much for this Vols team. Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and LSU will all prove that this season. Yes, even South Carolina. As for UTEP, look at the Miners schedule. They play Texas Tech in El Paso (on CSTV by the way), other than that - the Miners have the talent to possibly run the table! Jordan Palmer could be a 1st round NFL Draft pick. As for LSU and Penn State - again, check out their schedules. Their rankings are just about right. Oh yeah Mike, since I don't smoke - I guess I'm the village idiot.

6.) comon guys why are you calling this guy a jackass and an idiot? he is writing his opinion and it is never going to be the same as ours, no reason to insult the author he is trying to provide us with some entertainment. i don't agree with some of his rankings but that is HIS OPINION. I have mine and respect his. tenn, and fresno should no doubt be somehwere in there. - Joe

Joe, I couldn't say it better myself, thank you. As for your Tennessee and Fresno State gripe, keep in mind these are rankings based on where teams will finish at the end of the regular season. In "my opinion", the Vols and Bulldogs barely miss the cut.

7.) Someone tell me why Oklahoma is ranked so high? And Alabama? No I don't think so either. - Ceasar

Here are two reasons why Ceasar...Adrian Peterson and the Big 12 schedule. As for 'Bama, 9 starters return on offense. RB Kenneth Darby and WR DJ Hall will have huge seasons. On the other side of the ball, only 4 starters return from last year's fantastic defense. Not to worry, 'Bama recruits great tacklers to fill any void. This will be a solid Tide team.

8.) Everyone is aware that this Cal team that is supposedly winning the national championship didn't beat a team with a winning record last year, right? - B-Rizzle

Good point B-Rizzle...but BYU was 6-5 before its bowl game with Cal and lost two games in overtime during the regular season. Sorry, didn't intend to cool down your sizzle Mr. B-Rizzle. My reasoning for the Cal ranking was described in my Top 35.

9.) Notre Dame has the most bandwagon *** fans in the country. Where the hell were all you palefaced bastards two years ago when Notre Dame was sucking ***. Half of the people who root for ND are also big fans of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers. - U Suck

Hey U Suck, a good Notre Dame team can only help the sport of college football. You make a good point, for some reason many Irish fans seem to root for successful teams. But is it a bad thing they gravitate towards winners? I can't believe someone named "U Suck" doesn't fit in with Notre Dame fans.

10.) Explain to me why Cal would be ranked that high...what have they done to deserve that??? They have no QB!...lost 3 out of 5 offensive linemen, no WR's...give me a break...Did tOSU go out and offer Maurice Clarett some money if he would play for them again..they will not be #1. I sincerely hope this top 25 of yours is your first try and you just didn't do your homework.....I'd hate to think you really are this dumb. Pretty pathetic. - sgt hulka's big toe

Mr. Big Toe, Cal has a talented quarterback in Nate Longshore, but he was injured last year. WR DeSean Jackson turned down USC to attend Cal and is a future NFL or MLB star. Marshawn Lynch will give us the closest resemblance of Reggie Bush in 2006 and no, Ohio State did not offer Maurice Clarett any money to play for them again. Hopefully I helped you out sgt hulka's big toe.

11.) Great list. I agree with your Top 15... - Good List

Your name is confusing me. Is it a "Great" list? Or just a "Good" one?

12.) Dude, put down the pipe. Peterson is going to have a HUGE year, win the Heisman, and showcase his talent in Tempe in January. - Sooner Man

Adrian Peterson will be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. I'm with ya' on this one Sooner Man. He will NOT win it though and a national championship appearance isn't heading down the "pipe" anytime soon for the Sooners.

13.) Best Poll I have seen so far, the top 5 could be any of those teams, its like putting ur teams name in the hat...but legit title contenders were mentioned - Anonymous

Anonymous? This was the kindest comment posted and no name!!?? Folks are going to think I wrote it! I'll just guess a name - Jeff Tedford

14.) So you are picking USC to lose THREE home games this season when they are on a 29 home game winning streak and Pete Carroll has NEVER lost in November? Good luck with that one. - Eric

Don't think it was easy for me going against the grain and predicting three home losses for USC. I took home field advantage into consideration. But with just 8 returning starters - COMBINED (assuming Rey Maualuga will start over Oscar Lua at MLB), you can't tell me Cal and Notre Dame aren't better teams. As for my Nebraska upset special, the Huskers replace RB Cory Ross with a much more dynamic tailback in Marlon Lucky - who could ignite Heisman whispers after he tears up the Trojans in his home state of California.

15.) Hmmm...I seem to remember that WVU overcame a 17 point deficit against a powerful Louisville team last year...withOUT a passing attack. And you mention sPitt as a team that will beat WVU??? LOL...this is the same team that looked like they were walking when Slaton and White sliced and diced the sPitt defense last year??Dude...find another line of work...this one isn't suiting you. You have to KNOW football to write about football. With these picks...you show me you should be working at Burger King. - Blackpowder

That Louisville game was a classic! West Virginia scored all 46 of its points after halftime of that triple overtime thriller. I never said WVU can't make up deficits. I simply stated without a proven passing attack making up ground late in games isn't easy - especially on the road. With West Virginia traveling to Louisville and Pitt this season - both of whom are vastly improved teams, I'm going against your beloved Mountaineers just two times this season. I'm sorry Blackpowder. How about an order of fries on the side for free? Would that make you smile?

16.) Tulsa sucks! big time! not even woth having on this list. Colorado sucks too (Gary Barnett should burry his head in a dirt hole for his last games, as does Oklahoma, who failed to even return to the championship game this year! - dgd1234

Tulsa is losing just two games this season dgd1234...BYU and UTEP - that's it. Check out QB Paul Smith's stats from last season...pretty impressive. Sophomore RB Tarrion Adams averaged 6.4 yards per carry and will get twice as many touches this season - he's a gamebreaker. TE Garrett Mills and WR Ashlan Davis will be key losses, but head coach Steve Kragthorpe knows how to reload. Linebackers Nelson Coleman (117 tackles), Nick Bunting (85 tackles, 9.5 sacks) and CB Nick Graham (72 tackles and 6 picks) anchor an improving Tulsa defense.

17.) Keep this list handy...Check it at the end of the season. He may not be right on now, but this will prove to be the rankings that count! - Rios

I don't know Rios personally, but I can tell he is wise beyond his years.

18.) thank you for completely ignoring the Vols. They will no doubt end up on your "surprise teams" list. - givehim6

I sure hope so givehim6. Times are tough for Tennessee right now. But I have to ask, if Fullmer's players "givehim6" wins - will that be enough to keep his job?

19.) I think this is the best poll out there, although I think BYU should be higher, they have a very experienced offense returning, and switching to a better 3-4 defense. - Daniel

Daniel, I have to admit ranking BYU #29 could be a bit low. The Cougars could easily swap places with Northwestern at #25. Looking at their schedule, I can only see two losses (Boston College and TCU) and QB John Beck could play his way into the NFL this season. Kudos Daniel, you've got me second-guessing.

20.) Colorado? Hah, after they got rid of Barnett for those embarassing losses you think they deserve to be ranked? LOL! - Wes

This is to Wes, dgd1234 and the countless others that are questioning my ranking of Colorado - I NEVER RANKED COLORADO IN MY TOP 35 POLL!!!!!!! Go ahead, LOOK! I have UCF at #34 - which stands for University of Central Florida. George O'Leary coaches there.

You can teach people something new everyday I guess.

[TheLadiesMike]

5.) Oklahoma: Here's another one loss team. Oklahoma's schedule favors a perfect record in Big 12 play. QB Rhett Bomar should improve and like the aforementioned Brandon Cox, as long as Bomar doesn't mess up a hand-off - OU should beat Texas in Norman. Adrian Peterson will have another productive season, but it won't be as pretty as Sooner fans hope. Oklahoma will play like champions against Washington, Texas, Colorado and Texas Tech - but will lose on the road to Oregon.

Bolded line tells you all you need to know about this writer. :rolleyes:

[josh09]

"OU should beat Texas in Norman"

wtf does that mean

[josh09]

AND he says were losing to Oregon?

bs dude

[josh09]

OMFG look at #12

what an idiot

[King Crimson]

"OU should beat Texas in Norman"

wtf does that mean

there is NO WAY we lose to Texas in Norman this year.

what a moron, i should have followed my better judgement and stopped reading when i saw "Tom Lemming".

[Octavian]

3.) Sure, some of your top teams have easy schedules and will win a lot of games based on who they play, but when they come up against a tough opponent, maybe in a bowl game, they will be crushed. - Phil

:hmfic: ??


No big deal...its a preseason poll...but even if he turns out to be completely correct on all acounts, its hard to be ****ed about an 11-1 season, a BigXII title, a BCS bowl, and a Heisman trip for AD.

I want more, but still...

[GrapevineSooner]

I won't rest until we actually beat Texas.

In Norman.

In football.

[Snrfn4ever08]

i think the whole texas in norman thing smashed this guy's credibility. that gives me all the reason i need to disregard anything he says. what an idiot

[King Crimson]

i think the whole texas in norman thing smashed this guy's credibility. that gives me all the reason i need to disregard anything he says. what an idiot

if you are writing about college football for a living (i presume, or at least for money)......how can you "forget" that Oklahoma and Texas play in Dallas on the second weekend in October at the Texas State Fairgrounds in the Cotton Bowl.

that's like saying "i forgot" that Michigan was in the Big 10, or the Rose Bowl is in Pasadena, or Alabama and Auburn are in the same state, or Barry Switzer ran the wishbone......

[Texas Golfer]

Whereas I won't call him an idiot (he predicts a top 5 with AD going to the Heisman ceremony), I don't agree with much of what he said.

[SoonerBorn68]

"OU should beat Texas in Norman"

wtf does that mean

It means that after I read that line I knew the dude had no idea what he was talking about..."expert". :rolleyes:

[Soonerwolf]

The writer is a tool. Next he'll say the the Big 8 will come down to OU-Nebraska on thanksgiving this year . . .

[BASSooner]

Whereas I won't call him an idiot (he predicts a top 5 with AD going to the Heisman ceremony), I don't agree with much of what he said.
I don't think anybody agrees of what he says

[whiteagle]

5.) Oklahoma: Here's another one loss team. Oklahoma's schedule favors a perfect record in Big 12 play. QB Rhett Bomar should improve and like the aforementioned Brandon Cox, as long as Bomar doesn't mess up a hand-off - OU should beat Texas in Norman. Adrian Peterson will have another productive season, but it won't be as pretty as Sooner fans hope. Oklahoma will play like champions against Washington, Texas, Colorado and Texas Tech - but will lose on the road to Oregon.



the hell? another productive season? he's had more than productive seasons he had a tremendous freshman year and a good sophmore but he was hurt the whole frickin season. noob.

[homerxsimpson]

I actually feel stupider having read through that guys drivel, but he does illustrate a glaring example of what is usually wrong with preseason polls... little to no attention is paid to the defensive side of the game. All this guy (and many like him) does is talk about what such and such offense is going to acheive while barely a word is mentioned about the D.

I blame Fantasy Football.:mad:

[The Consumate Showman]

I stopped reading at #2...

[TexasLidig8r]

Just reading... OU plays Texas in Norman.. or.. Texas plays OU in Austin...

it just isn't right.

Some things are simply not meant to be.

[The Consumate Showman]

Just reading... OU plays Texas in Norman.. or.. Texas plays OU in Austin...

it just isn't right.

Some things are simply not meant to be.


That's the first intelligent thing I've heard a whorn fan say all, well, millenium. Hook 'em Hook 'em Hook 'em Hook 'em Hook 'em Hook 'em Hook 'em

[badger]

i agree, we should beat texas in norman. ez million is going to appeal to the ou regents to make the ou/texas game be here instead of dallas. this writer clearly thinks that the regents will listen to ez this time, unlike four years ago.

clearly...

[1991SOONER]

The California ranking at #3 and the "Texas game in Norman" both had me ROFL!!!

[josh09]

lol this is some pretty funny stuff

[BASSooner]

the texas game @ norman is going to be tuff. It will be sad when we end up with a loss at mid tennessee state but we'll be able to enjoy a good NC with california and michigan state. and after the game, mack brown is going to get fired and replaced by the mid tennesse state head coach for the sole purpose of his knowledge to beat OU. After that, Lee Corso will take the place of madden in nfl games as madden retires and enjoys the great life along Waikiki Beach, HI.......oh and monkies will fly out of my @$$.

[kernalsanders]

Losing all three linebackers and the entire starting secondary is the reason Ohio State will lose to Notre Dame's high power offense in the national championship game.


Uhh Why would he rate osu #1 if they are going to lose to notre dame (#2) in the national championship.

[NormanPride]

Uhh Why would he rate osu #1 if they are going to lose to notre dame (#2) in the national championship.

He said the rankings are before bowls.

Oh, and wtf is up with all the Cal hype? What did they do last year except look mediocre-to-crappy? Marshawn Lynch is not the second coming. And doth my eyes deceive me? Was he hyping a recruit because he "turned down USC"? Please. If Cal is any good this year, it's because everyone else around them is bad.