http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=759223 1. USC 2. Georgia 3. Ohio St 4. Oklahoma 5. Missouri 6. Florida 7. West Virginia 8. LSU 9. Auburn 10. Clemson 21. Tennessee I'm suprised to see UF so low, but what else could I expect after Michigan beat them in the bowl game they were so heavily favored in. Had they won that game, they might be #1. USC at #1 I'm sure has caught everyone by suprise... :nope: LSU at 8 sounds about right to me when you consider our schedule & the players we lose. Please go elsewhere with the whining of starting off first the following year if you win the NC...
LSU, if we don't have any of the juniors go early, is either 1 or 2 preseason in my book. Screw the "what does your schedule look like" mentality. I have no idea why you adopt that. Preseason polls are so screwy to being with, you can't rank someone based on how well you think they will do because of their schedule.
I am also very worried about the schedule. N. Texas, Troy, and TBD are no form of preperation for an sec opener at auburn. And the bye week isnt until right before ole miss. Now that I look at it, we wont have a good tailgating weekend until the georgia game (assuming Moo U is a JP game).
Yea i think that after this year, you can throw out that schedule logic. Also, I think we should be probably 4 or 5. We dont drop off to much, we lost a starting QB and 2 top WR, 2 Safeties, and some good Oline people. Also, just like Matt Flynn Destroying Miami in the Peach Bowl, although RP didnt destroy Tenn, he showed some great talent and a coachable attitude. I know we are losing some key people on defense, but last night showed we have some great talent to step in with Coleman and McCray covered fairly well last night. So, i would say we are # 4 going into next season. We have tough games on the road, but we win on the road just as well as anyone. Preseason poll is just what it is, a visit to Miss Cleo before the season starts. They still have to line up and play the games. Before this season, CPar, you couldnt have though Michigan would lost to APP st, or USC would get beat at home to Stanford, but thats beside the point.
I like a #8 ranking, we'll have a young team that doesn't need the pressure and expectations of being in the top 5...Going to Auburn so early in the season is gonna be tough but I expect them to be struggling with their new offense and new QB.
I think 8 may be a tad low, but I wouldn't put LSU much higher than 6 to be honest. Too many defensive losses.
LSU gets Perrilloux to replace Flynn. We only lose Doucet at the WR spot, which if you think about he didn't contribute a great deal to this team (although he was there in the end when it all mattered). The big question is CB. The linebackers will be fine with Beckwith in the middle. I am sure Patrick Johnson excels as a true frosh and will be starting by game 4. LSU will beat an inexperienced QB at Auburn. Just got to split between Florida and Georgia, and then win the SEC CG. Then it's on to another NC.
Yeah, I don't get that line of thinking either. Pollster: Team X has an easy schedule and might go undefeated, so I better rank them in the top 3 to open. Team Y has a brutal schedule and might lose three games, so I can't put them higher than 8. WTF? If/When they lose those tough games, then you move them down, and vice versa. Rank them based on how good you think they are now, not what their record might be in December. LSU will open higher than #8.
A preseason poll in CFB is a projection of where the teams will end up ranked, which is based on what their record will be - NOT a ranking of which teams are the best (however unfortunate they may be).
Let me pile on here. I agree 100% with Speedy above me. One factor that ideally should NEVER play a factor in preseason polls is what schedule you have. There is a BIG difference in preseason RANKINGS and preseason PREDICTIONS! Preseason mags are in the business of making predicitions for the season, and that's fine. But a preseason poll should be about ranking the teams based on how good the team is alone. Pretend every team plays the exact same schedule when you fill out your ballot. If and when these teams lose a tough game, THEN and only then do you drop them. If LSU is No. 8, then it should be based solely on a thought that the seven teams above us are better teams.
