NCAA.com Pre-Season Football Top 25, Michigan at 6
NCAA.com released it's pre-season Top 25. Michigan is ranked 6th. (https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2019-07-02/college-football-rankings-preseason-top-25-2019-season)
- Clemson
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Michigan
- LSU
- Florida
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Washington
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Auburn
- Iowa
- UCF
- Nebraska
- Virginia Tech
- Michigan State
- Missouri
- Northwestern
- Boise State
I'm not a big believer in Clemson being #1 this season. They lost 5 great players on defense to the NFL draft. They don't exactly have a tough schedule. So they could go 12-0 anyway. But I'm expecting them to lose to Texas A&M. Texas A&M nearly beat them last year. Clemson's strength of schedule may work against them a little, especially since Texas A&M could end up with 2 to 3 losses--that is, if Texas A&M beats them.
I'm not sure Ohio St belongs at #3. I'm not sure Ryan Day will be able to live up to that.
Auburn at #17. It looks like they don't have things spelling well for Gus Malzahn. It's standing room only for coaches in that conference.
Michigan St at 22. Seems they aren't believers in Michigan St's offense this season. Though being in the Top 25 is still very good.
Conspicuously absent from the Top 25 is USC. Should we be ready to see Urban Meyer to be hired as USC's head coach for next season?
Last season a composite of 16 different Pre-Season polls had Michigan at #11. (https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/30/17770364/college-football-rankings-top-25-preseason-poll)
Michigan finished the 2018 season at #14. The 2018 AP Pre-Season Poll actually had Michigan at #14. (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2791037-ap-preseason-poll-2018-complete-college-football-rankings-released)
There'll be a flurry of Pre-Season polls over the next 4 weeks. They all should have Michigan ranked higher than last season. All should have them in at least the Top 8.
I think Army is a top 25 team
OSU is still stocked with elite talent, I don’t see them taking a step back this season. They will be 11-0 going into The Game.
Do people forget last year with Urban. Got smoked by Purdue, went to OT with Maryland, and were losing at the half to a few others. They are talented but they start a new qb and new coach. It won’t be all roses.
Even if you favor the theory that Meyer and Tressel were rarest-level coaches (arguably Meyer >> Tressel, no less) and that Day is something less and that, therefore, OSU will ultimately equilibrate to a lower level in his tenure, then you still have to acknowledge that this could be the hardest Day team Harbaugh will face. (That it'll be the closest to a Meyer-echelon team we'll face going forward.)
That's exactly the take I don't get. Meyer was an elite recruiter. Recruits are still there. Day ran the offense last year.
Offense was never their problem. Meyer only made situational decisions during the game. When the offense is humming there's a lot less situational decisions. The defense is where the question marks would be.
I don't really see any B1G offenses that can score enough to keep pace with Day and his weapons out to prove themselves still dominant.
Did they not lose a game last year? And played crappy against MD? They are stocked with good players but let us anoint them as indestructible offense.
Maryland game was 52-51. Purdue game was 49-20 (their lowest points of the season, high of 77). Offense wasn't the problem.
That's exactly the take I don't get. Meyer was an elite recruiter. Recruits are still there. Day ran the offense last year.
Offense was never their problem. Meyer only made situational decisions during the game. When the offense is humming there's a lot less situational decisions. The defense is where the question marks would be.
I don't really see any B1G offenses that can score enough to keep pace with Day and his weapons out to prove themselves still dominant.
Ohio St had very close games with Penn St, Nebraska, and Maryland last year. They didn't play Wisconsin last year. But two years ago they did. They barely won that game. These are the type of games Ohio St will be vulnerable to losing without Urban Meyer. And even with Urban Meyer they lost to Michigan St two times.
I am thinking it's not going to be the same for Ohio St with Ryan Day as with Urban Meyer.
I very much hope they struggle and lose, but I don't see it. If the same reasons to why Michigan should be able to handle these teams are applied to OSU, I don't think many would see it any different.
Yeah Day's new at HC, but New Coach doesn't really have the same effect if the new coach was from within, actually coached a few games the prior year, and has that level of familiar talent.
Day has only been at Ohio St 1 year. I think they should have made Kevin Wilson the head coach.
People commonly say coaches don't impose their will on players. I don't think that's true. I see it happening with Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. And I think that makes a difference at crucial moments in the season. I don't see any evidence in Ryan Day's history that his will will make that difference at those crucial moments. Which could spell to mean losing in some of those tough, close games.
But we'll soon see. I could be wrong. I just am not convinced about Ryan Day after looking into his history, just like I was not convinced about Pep Hamilton after looking into his history.
The only way to prove yourself as an OC is to be one. And the only way to prove yourself as a HC is the same. OSU has talent and coaches, however a teams success is dependent on more that the sum total of their talent. Not only is coaching unproven but Fields hasn't proven his ability to make great decisions, read defenses and face the high pressure of big games. I wouldn't place OSU in the top 5. Not saying Michigan should be that hight either. It puts a target on their backs.
I don't think many people truly appreciate just how good Urban Meyer was at winning football games. He has the third best winning percentage of all time as a college head coach. I'm sure Day will do well at OSU, but almost nobody is at the same level as Meyer.
With the talent advantage he had every single game, I'm more impressed by the games he lost.
Shouldn't have lost a single game until the playoffs, besides maybe the Oklahoma games, from '14 until last year.
Granted they didn't lose many games, but there's no reason they should have only been to the playoffs once (shutout) since that title.
That is a real high bar. "Shouldn't have lost a single game until the playoffs" through five seasons? I mean even if you're 90% favorites in every game you play, the odds of losing a game go over 50% after only 7 games or so. So if you're talking 11 or 12 regular season games over five seasons, call it 57 games, you'd need to be like 98.8% favorites in all of your games to have a (barely) more than 50% chance of winning every single one of those 57 games. (Correct me if I'm wrong, just did those odds super quickly in my hotel room with 3 kids running around...)
Do you really think OSU was 98.5% favorites (on average, I guess) in all of their non-Oklahoma games the last five seasons? I don't think so.
I think that Day will coast on some of Urban's talent. The true extent of the decline may be after this year. But to say that OSU won't suffer a net decline this year is to say that hiring Greg Mattison as DC and their other coaching changes are enough to offset losing one of the top-10, perhaps top-5 all-time head coaches. I don't think that's true. In fact, I expect OSU to decline this year, and even more next year.
Top 3 coach all-time is a high bar as well. I just expect more and there to not be dud games like he had where a coordinator gets blamed.
Their decline shouldn't be steep enough to where they'll be on the level of the rest of the teams in the B1G who have their own questions. They'll be able to out-athlete most teams. Their problem last year was that for whatever reason they didn't put their best athletes at LB. Hope they do the same this year.
The Game is going to come down to their DE's against our Tackles. I'm just glad we now have an offense that can counter that possible mismatch.
Many are giving Day credit for running the show when Meyer was out, which we all know he wasn't really out. So Haskins is all Day which is what I think the argument (and hope) is. Could be. But I give Meyer credit for winning a NC with a third string QB and I could not believe that he wasn't integral part of that offense last year. Logic (and my hope) says OSU is in rudeawakening. I sure want that to happen.
I can't see how Haskins was all Day. Poor Kevin Wilson, can't get no respect.
Day is building a Meyer-caliber recruiting class. Not expecting a big drop off in talent in the next couple years
To be honest, 2017-18 Urban Meyer was a shadow of his former self. I’m more concerned that Day is going to be better than burned out Urban. Not saying he’ll be peak Meyer or even have the potential of reaching that level, but peak Meyer doesn’t lose to Iowa or Purdue, he grinds them to dust.
Clemson lost a lot on defense, but they are absolutely loaded on offense with the best QB prospect since Peyton Manning. I have no problem with them being #1.
OSU at #3 is a bit of a surprise. Yes they have a ton of talent, but unproven coach and QB. And their defense was downright bad last year, and I don't see it making that big of a jump with Mattison calling the shots there.
Michigan at #6 seems about right. Uncertainty on defense but the offense should be excellent. This definitely seems like Harbaugh's best chance at a Big Ten title yet, hopefully he capitalizes.
You lost me at Peyton Manning.
I would raise your Lawrence reference to “best since Elway.” The guy has unbelievable sight and arm prowess. Couple that with the best WR corps in college football - the Clemson O should be lethal.
Their D will take a step back at DT, but they have some serious athletes in the front 7 (Simmons, Henry, Thomas) and a fantastic secondary.
Northwestern (*NU) is 15-1 in their last B10 regular season conference games, we know who the 1 is. They’ve also won three bowl games in a row.
I grew up on the Northwestern campus during the “Dark Ages” so any preseason ranking seems like a miracle.
They’re returning a lot of playmakers on both offense and (a good) defense. They key addition is former 5* dual-threat QB transfer Hunter Johnson from Clemson, who sat last year, but has a year practicing with the team.
They consistently shit the bed as favorites (*cough - non-conf games), but flourish as underdogs. NU played 8 of the teams ranked ahead of them last year, going 5-3. The West is wide open, and I hate to set expectations high, but they are poised to make a good run this season.
How is it possible to get admitted into NW after you were confirmed to have been a student at Clemson?
I don't see how anyone could realistically rank Michigan in the Top Ten with such a green defense.
I hear ya there. After the November meltdown last year, I’m still in a wait and see approach till they prove me wrong. Had my guts ripped out too many times over the years to think otherwise
I don’t think we play a scary offense until OSU, though.
The defense was even greener in 2017. Remember how many defensive players were taken in the draft in the 2017 draft? And it still ended up #3 in the Nation. Michigan could end up with a top 3 defense this year, again.
Ambry needs to have an all big ten season if that's the case. And someone on the d line as well. Must generate a consistent pass rush with the d line.
I don't know if Ambry Thomas is ready for that big of a role. I'm hoping speed at both edges will help pressure QBs into making the CBs job a little easier.
The middle of the D Line is a real concern, I agree.
But I'm expecting more points from the offense, which changes the defenses approach a little.
Gosh, what a crappy program we have...not even back yet...
Woah. Michigan State at 22nd??? But But, what about the playoff appearance in ‘15?? Dantonio better dig out that “chip” out of his closet
My Top 10 is..
- Clemson
- Bama
- OSU
- Georgia
- Texas
- LSU
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Texas A&M
- Notre Dame
Side note: Clay Helton has been at USC for 10 years. 10. How? If I would've guessed before knowing, I would've thought maybe 4 at the most.
This will be Helton's last year. If Urban is even slightly interested in the job, Helton will be in the unemployment line, no matter what his record is
Re: Helton: he has been there for a while but has only been Head Coach since November, 2015. (It should be noted he also served as an interim HC). From Wikipedia:
Helton was hired by USC to be quarterbacks coach in 2010 under Lane Kiffin.[5] In 2013, he was promoted to offensive coordinator.[6] Helton served as the team's interim head coach during their bowl game after their previous interim head coach, Ed Orgeron, resigned following the hiring of Steve Sarkisian. On October 11, 2015, he once again became the interim head coach of the Trojans after head coach Steve Sarkisian took a leave of absence, and was then subsequently fired.[7] On November 30, 2015, USC removed the interim tag and named Helton the permanent head coach.
MSU in top 25? Their D was very good last year and that offense wasted it. You would need to see some major improvement on offense from the same cast, and same coaches, to drive a top 25 rank.
Clemson #1? Idk. Saban has a way of turning it up in years he is not picked to win.
OSU at #3? Maybe. But, that is sure a lot of pressure on a brand new coach. Good luck with that one.
Texas and Texas A&M could surprise some this year.
Northwestern seems like it wants a breakout year.
Michigan at #6? Fair. Could see them a top 15 or top 3. Depends on how the D replaces and grows this season. Offense - needs to put points on the board and close-teams-out.
ESPN Top 7:
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. LSU
4. Florida
5. Texas A&M
6. Auburn
7. Clemson
Am and Auburn waaaaay overrated. I get it, but that makes ESPN look even worse.
I'm sure he's being sarcastic, ie, ESPN having the Top 10 loaded with SEC teams. He missed Kentucky in there though.
I totally missed it. Whoosh, I'll own it.
LOL, ESPN is nothing but the SEC bitch!
The defense takes a step back but the offense takes an even bigger step forward...that should be enough to win the B1G (may need a couple things to go our way for a change).
I don’t think this team quite has the talent to make it past the first round of the playoffs, but if the players stay focused and the coaching staff prepares them correctly, they will make it interesting.
I see another 3 loss season and ranked around 12 at the end.
We will go 2-2 in these games: @Wisc @Penn OSU, ND.
Hopefully we beat OSU.
Anyone know why Michigan is being ranked so high this year? Is it only because of the talent on the offensive side of the ball? I feel like our defense is going to take a step back with a tougher schedule then last year
They lost more defensive talent after '16 than this year and the D barely skipped a beat. Same with Clemson since their D is plug and play too.
UofM has only lost Cole and Gentry from the O in the last two years so experience is key.
And Higdon...and Evans...(if we’re just looking at real contributors).
I just looked into Ryan Day's coaching history for the first time. And I have to say, I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be. He's been a QB coach at Ohio St, the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles, and Boston College, going back six years, back to 2013. There are no impressive offensive QB numbers in his past except at Philadelphia with Sam Bradford, and at Ohio St with Dwayne Haskins. The QB numbers at San Francisco and Boston College are not impressive at all. Pat Shurmer had already been at Philadelphia as OC for two years, with Chip Kelly as head coach, before Day got there. Philadelphia had a good offense in the two years before Day got there. So I am not sure I can give Day the credit for Bradford's numbers in that one year he was at Philadelphia. And Bradford always seemed to have big numbers, even without Day, and even before Philadelphia. And Kevin Wilson had already been at Ohio St for a year before Day got there. Kevin Wilson built a great offense at Indiana. Ohio St immediately jumped into the top 10 in offense in the NCAA in Kevin Wilson's first year at Ohio St. It was at #31 the year before, and #41 the year before that.
Now that I've looked a little into Ryan Day I can feel pretty certain he will not be able to match what Urban Meyer did. I think Ohio St is on upset alert against Nebraska, Michigan St, Penn St, and Michigan (if that's still considered an upset). And there's an outside chance of upsets against Wisconsin and Maryland. I'm picking Ohio St to go 9-3, with a chance of 8-4.
From your lips to God's ear.
Maaaaan, that couldn't be a worse take. I don't care what he did before Ohio state, but ive seen his results at Ohio state. The amount of talent there is unreal. The only way i see Ohio state losing is when mattison fucks it up, or if fields turns out to not be that great.