My preseason ballot is about forecasting. Once the games start I switch to an accomplishment heavy ballot. I'll try to explain week to week why I did what I did. I keep participating in the Blogpoll because I enjoy the dialogue amongst the bloggers, however, the exercise of voting has actually made me a hard line believer in a playoff. I watch a ton of football during the year, yet rarely can justify half of the teams I've placed in the ballot.
Below is my first take on the season. I left a few comments along the way. Feel free to share your two cents in the comments section.
2008 Preseason Blogpoll Ballot
1. Georgia -- the right team and coach at the right time. Their schedule is brutal but I think they get through it with just one loss and end up winning it all in the championship game.
2. Southern Cal -- not as sure about the Trojans but don't think much of the Pac 10 this year. If they get by Ohio State, they'll cruise the rest of the season.
3. Florida
4. Clemson -- everyone is doubting Clemson. I am not. Clemson has weaknesses but they also have more talent than any other team in the ACC. If Bowden cannot win the ACC this year, they need to can him.
5. Oklahoma
6. Missouri
7. Ohio State
8. Kansas
9. Texas Tech
10. LSU
11. Oregon
12. Wake Forest -- great coach, good returning talent. If not for a top heavy Atlantic, I would project Wake to be a top 10 team.
13. Auburn
14. West Virginia
15. Tennessee
16. Boston college -- one of the best Ds in the country. I still don't know what to make of the offense.
17. BYU
18. Utah
19. Alabama
20. Virginia Tech -- I think they'll win their division but they are only the fourth best team in the conference.
21. Texas
22. California
23. South Carolina
24. Fresno State
25. Michigan State
Posts
24 comments:
thanks for supporting us in our ACC bias.
Absolutely ridiculous ranking of BC. I'd agree with the Clemson ranking based on talent alone (although I do think they will choke away a few games this season as usual), however there is no justification for BC's ridiculous ranking. Yes, they have a good front 7. Once again they will get shredded in the secondary. And let's not mention the offense. If BC belongs in the Top 25 at all (which is debatable), they'd fit in nicely in the 23-25 slots. Once again the BC bias clouds objectivity and clear, rational thinking.
Hey BravesBill, check out this site, you might understand better why Bill has the Eagles higher than many others:
http://preseason.stassen.com/over-under/teams.html
what do you mean "once again they will get shredded in the secondary". That certainly wasn't the case last season so I dont know where your coming off saying once again. The 2 games they lost were games they lost there top 2 linebackers and best db and weatherford and turner hit intermediate crossing routes over the middle till the cows come home. You may be justified in saying that BC will be inexperienced in the secondary, but to say they will "once again" be shredded is stupid b/c it never happened in the first place.
Obviously the BC ranking is a bit biased, but its not crazy. They are in fact the returning ACC Atlantic Champions and have a 5th year senior starting QB, a solid group of wide receivers/TE, as well as the best defense in the ACC.
Sean,
Get your facts straight. How many QBs passed for at least 300 yards last year? At least 6, maybe 7. How many of those 300 yard passers were even semi-decent players? Not many. Face it. BC had a legit front 7 last season but a weak secondary, due partly to Spaz's inability to pressure the QB. Granted, BC forced many teams to pass due to decent sized leads and their run stuffing defense. However, if BC expected these teams to pass, it should have been a lot more effective in pass defense. The pass defense last year was one of the worst in recent memory. Now that Silva and Tribble are gone, BC's secondary might be hurting even more this year.
And bcmike, I realize BC has been annually underrated. I even realize that BC has a pretty good team this year because of the defense. However, BC is not the 16th best team in the country. In my view, BC would not crack the Top 25 simply because of all the holes it has on offense. I think that BC will probably end the season with a 7-5 record or so. I do not think a 7-5 team belongs in the Top 25.
7-5 it is, Bravesbill. Talk to you in December.
bravesbill,
You are foolish and really don't belong posting on this blog. You are buying into the national bias against BC. We are going to have a D that will avg allowing 15 points or less this year. We are going to be very hard to score on. I would bet heavy any day of the week on the over of 7-5.
I'd like to see your post when we win the Atlantic again. I am guaranteeing that we will.
I'm not buying into any national bias against BC. I think that they are perennially underrated. However, I'm being objective in my analysis. I don't see BC having a better record than 8-4. 8-4 or 7-5 seems pretty realistic. If the offense can't score any points like ND's last year, it's not going to matter how great the defense is and how few points it gives up. The offense is going to have to score some points to win the games. And I'm not entirely sold on the defense like everyone, including the national media is. They have a great front 7, but like I stated earlier, an inexperienced and pretty weak secondary. If Spaz doesn't send the pressure early and often this year and continues to play his idiotic drop zone coverage defenses, the secondary will get torched and BC will lose. However, with that said Vincent, I hope that I am wrong and that you are right, but I don't see them winning more than 8 games and I definitely don't see them winning the Atlantic.
Vincent---
How does Bravesbill's criticism of a poll warrant his banishing from a blog? If I were operating a blog, which is a vehicle of opinion, I would welcome criticism and opinions from both sides. I understand this is a BC blog, and so I absolutely don't have problems with rah-rah-Go-BC sentiments, but I wouldn't plug my ears just because someone has something of caution to say about my school.
This is a BC Blog and I would expect nothing less then a high BC ranking. Hopefully he's right. Go Eagles !!
BravesBill's job is to be Chicken Little. I'd be concerned if he wasn't calling for gloom and doom.
The guy above Joe has the best user name ever
Love the backtrack on the 7-5 prediction above, Bravesbill. So now it's 8-4?
"I think that BC will probably end the season with a 7-5 record or so." How is saying that I don't see BC doing better than 8-4 a backtrack? Did you fail to read the "or so.?" I don't see BC winning more than 8 games this year, and a 7-5 record seems the most realistic. However, if the stars align right this season, I can see them winning 8 games but no more. Hence an 8-4 or 7-5 record are realistic, with a 7-5 record being the most probable result.
I think 16th is a little ambitious given what I see as a young and inexperienced offense and a fairly difficult schedule, but this is a BC blog and when better to have hope than the pre-season.
I'm a one-game-at-a-time guy and I know no one is expecting a loss out of the gate, but we better not take Kent State too lightly. They have a big offensive line and a couple playmakers and BC traditionally struggles with the opening day games against MAC teams on the road. I certainly expect BC will win but I think it might be a little tougher than we would hope.
Bravesbill or so, you do realize that the difference between 8-4 and 7-5 is fairly significant in a 12-game season, right? And that's a pretty big hedge on your part?
Anyway, if 8-4 is where you peg the Eagles, you've contradicted yourself. If BC goes 8-4 then ATL's no. 16 pick won't be that far off.
In the coaches' poll following week 14 of the 2007 season, both Auburn (#22) and Arkansas (#25) were ranked with 8-4 records. If BC finishes 8-4-- as you now project, sort of-- they stand a good chance of being ranked, making your comment that ATL's number 16 preseason pick was "absolutely ridiculous," well, absolutely ridiculous.
The difference between being ranked #16 and #22/#25 at the end of the season is fairly decent.
"However, if the stars align right this season, I can see them winning 8 games but no more. Hence an 8-4 or 7-5 record are realistic, with a 7-5 record being the most probable result."
What part of that do you not understand? For a third time, I believe that they will probably finish 7-5. However, I can see them winning 8 games if they get a fair amount of luck this season. However, I do not see them winning more than 8 games. How my saying that I can see them winning 8 games if the stars align correctly contradicts my belief that they will probably win 7 games, I fail to understand. Yes, I believe they will go 7-5, however I can see them winning 8 games. It also would not surprise me if they only get 5-6 wins. The most probably result is a 7-5 season and some crappy birth to a 4th tier bowl. So if you want my prediction to be set in absolute stone, put that down.
13-0
Bravesbill or so, I hope you've considered running for office with your Obama-like tendency to absolutely avoid being pinned down on a position.
Anyway, I guess we're back to my original point that you've called a 7-5 season and we'll talk in December. (I'll go with 9-3.)
Sebastian, conceding for the sake of argument that there is a "fairly decent" difference between #16 and #22, my point was to demonstrate how Bravesbill had backtracked from his original statement that ATL's #16 was "absolutely ridiculous." I'd argue there's a large qualitative distinction between "absolutely ridiculous" and the "fairly decent difference" that Bravesbill was now advocating with his 8-4 call, and that was why Bravesbill was obviously backtracking.
Vincent, I'm going to one up you....14-0. You see, if we go 12-0, we then have the ACC Championship and then the bowl game.
Once again, I was never backtracking. I don't see how I can see BC win 8 games if they get lucky is a backtrack from my 7-5 prediction. Maybe I am missing something there. I believe they will go 7-5 but I can see them winning 8 games or winning only 5 or 6 games. Does that mean I believe that they will win 8 games? No. All I was saying was that it was plausible for them to do so. As for the Obama comparison, please. Don't insult me by comparing me to that empty pant suit. What an absolute joke that clown is. Predicting a 7-5 season for BC is not above my pay grade.
"Empty pant suit." Nice. Bravesbill, at least we agree on something.
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