ESPN preseason top 25 for next year.

All I can say is wow, but how can Schlabach pick the Tigers to come in next season at 13, I just dont understand how you can justify such a prediction.

here is the link

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2725188

 

I mean just when it seems ESPN is coming around and respecting LSU and the SEC, all 3 game day host picking LSU to come in at #2 next season, and then they post this on the web site, again all I can say is wow.

 

The only thing I can think to justify their rankings is that we are losing WR's, losing our QB and losing our OC. These are major loses.

The entire offense will have to learn a completely new playbook and the QB will have the hardest time. I'm convinced if Jimbo would've stayed we would be higher.

I personally would put LSU higher, but if I was sports reporter outside looking in, I think I would rank LSU lower than I would have previously b/c of the OC change.

 

They are overstating our losses, to me the only significant losses that will effect the team is Russel and our WR core and Jimbo. We won't lose hardly a step on defense with amazing talent ready to step right up.

The biggest questions to me are:

1) Can Flynn or RP step up and take leadership of the team and get through the first part of the season and build confidence and gain experience to handle the meat of the SEC schedule?

2) Will the new OC significantly change things so much so that the players can not grasp the new system effectively enough before the start of the season?

3)Will Doucet be the star that we all think he can be now that he is the top dog in town? and can Lafell and others play at a high level?

 

there is no solid reason to rank this team out of the top 10 (imo ANY "great" team can be put as low as 5-10). losses at skill positions are always secondary to the linemen. the OL should be much better and the DL should be as good as this year. the LBs will be the strength of the D. secondary may drop a bit, but i dont think so. schedule is MUCH easier (im assuming its a factor in their poll). losing the OC isnt a plus, but (1. wait and see who the replacement is, (2. great D will cover up blemishes, (3. les is offensive hc, (4. did so. cal suffer poll drop because norm chow-chow left?

 

yes, we are losing some starting talent on both sides of the ball, but he said in his own commentsw that we are stacked deep! Also, northern media bias...He had to stick Florida in the top since they won it all, but it is all teams from the north for the most part! :angryfire
:geauxtige :geauxtige
:geauxtige :geauxtige

 

USC was in the preseason top ten and as high as #3 this season even though they started a QB with no experience. This is the reason they were able to finish so high at the end of this season with two awful losses to unranked teams. When will we realize that preseason polls are nothing more than a populatiry contest. A popularity contest that unfortunately has bearing on the entire season.

 

Did you also notice the ND was nowhere in the top 25. And I think Fl State was also not listed. This was just one ESPN writer, already facing a long 8 months of nothing to write about...

 

True, wasn't ND was #2 in the preseason poll.