I know it's early to be talking college football, but well, everyone else is, so I figured, why not?
This won't be my last visit to the subject either. Around early August, expect a conference-by-conference breakdown of teams, bowl picks, and notable players. For today, we'll just be taking a glance at my predicted Top 25, plus some teams who may challenge that order.
2007 College Football Preseason Top 25
1. Southern California Trojans (PAC-10, 1)
2. West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East, 1)
3. Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten, 1)
4. Louisiana State Tigers (SEC, 1)
5. Florida Gators (SEC, 2)
6. Texas Longhorns (Big XII, 1)
7. Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC, 1)
8. Louisville Cardinals (Big East, 2)
9. Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten, 2)
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten, 3)
11. Oklahoma Sooners (Big XII, 2)
12. California-Los Angeles Bruins (PAC-10, 2)
13. Auburn Tigers (SEC, 3)
14. California Golden Bears (PAC-10, 3)
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Big East, 3)
16. Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten, 4)
17. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big XII, 3)
18. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (WAC, 1)
19. Tennessee Volunteers (SEC, 4)
20. Georgia Bulldogs (SEC, 5)
21. Texas A&M Aggies (Big XII, 4)
22. Arkansas Razorbacks (SEC, 6)
23. Clemson Tigers (ACC, 3)
24. Arizona State Sun Devils (PAC-10, 4)
25. Florida State Seminoles (ACC, 4)
On the Outisde Looking In, For the Moment: Boise State Broncos (WAC, 2), Oregon Ducks (PAC-10, 5), Texas-Christian Horned Frogs (Mountain West, 1), Brigham Young Cougars (Mountain West, 2), Oregon State Beavers (PAC-10, 6)
Going into this weekend, the Red Sox were going to reassume their spot atop the poll, the Mets were trying to right the ship after being crushed in three straight games by Colorado, and the Yankees were still under .500. Now, the Tigers have asserted themselves as the top team in the Majors, with a sweep of the Red Sox, the Mets are still not alright, and the Yankees are still under .500 (laughing at that one still). The upcoming All-Star Game will probably be a disappointment for many, but a welcome rest for a lot of teams trying to get back on track. After completing the Homerun Derby field today, Major League Baseball has also ensured us one of the least compelling contests in recent memory.
Here's to hoping baseball proves me wrong, as it always seems to. I hope the National League can pull out a win for the first time in 11 years, and Prince Fielder takes home the Home Run crown over the likes of Ryan Howard, who wasn't even elected to be an All-Star.
The "Fanatic" Power Poll (records as of 7/8)
1. Detroit Tigers (52-34, LW 4)
2. Boston Red Sox (53-34, LW 2)
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (53-35, LW 1)
4. Cleveland Indians (52-36, LW 3)
5. Seattle Mariners (49-36, LW 7)
6. San Diego Padres (49-38, LW 8)
7. New York Mets (48-39, LW 5)
8. Milwaukee Brewers (49-39, LW 6)
9. Los Angeles Dodgers (49-40, LW 9)
10. Chicago Cubs (44-43, LW 11)
11. Atlanta Braves (47-42, LW 13)
12. Colorado Rockies (44-44, LW 18)
13. Minnesota Twins (45-43, LW 12)
14. Arizona Diamondbacks (47-43, LW 10)
15. Oakland Athletics (44-44, LW 14)
16. New York Yankees (42-43, LW 19)
17. Philadelphia Phillies (44-44, LW 16)
18. Toronto Blue Jays (43-44, LW 15)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (40-48, LW 25)
20. Florida Marlins (42-47, LW 17)
21. St. Louis Cardinals (40-45, LW 20)
22. Chicago White Sox (39-47, LW 21)
23. Houston Astors (39-50, LW 26)
24. Kansas City Royals (38-50, LW 27)
25. Baltimore Orioles (38-49, LW 22)
26. San Francisco Giants (38-48, LW 23)
27. Texas Rangers (38-50, LW 24)
28. Cincinnati Reds (36-52, LW 30)
29. Washington Nationals (36-52, LW 28)
30. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (34-53, LW 29)
The new "Power Poll" is out, and not much has changed, besides the Angels just reassuming their spot at the top after a one week "drop" to the 2 spot behind Boston. My Mets are "rolling" for lack of a better word, and after two 3-1 series victories in the past 8 days, I think some gloating is appropriate. But, I digress. There's a long season ahead, and as they proved 2 weeks ago, anything can happen. In the Bronx...well, I'm laughing to myself as I type this, but the Yankees are hopeless, hapless, and a complete joke. With that; this week's "Power Poll":
The "Fanatic" Power Poll (records as of 7/1)
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (51-31, LW 2)
2. Boston Red Sox (49-31, LW 1)
3. Cleveland Indians (49-32, LW 6)
4. Detroit Tigers (47-33, LW 3)
5. New York Mets (46-34, LW 7)
6. Milwaukee Brewers (47-34, LW 4)
7. Seattle Mariners (45-33, LW 11)
8. San Diego Padres (46-34, LW 8)
9. Los Angeles Dodgers (46-36, LW 9)
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (46-37, LW 5)
11. Chicago Cubs (40-40, LW 17)
12. Minnesota Twins (42-38, LW 10)
13. Atlanta Braves (43-39, LW 18)
14. Oakland Athletics (43-39, LW 12)
15. Toronto Blue Jays (39-42, LW 15)
16. Philadelphia Phillies (42-40, LW 14)
17. Florida Marlins (38-44, LW 19)
18. Colorado Rockies (39-43, LW 13)
19. New York Yankees (37-41, LW 16)
20. St. Louis Cardinals (36-42, LW 21)
21. Chicago White Sox (35-43, LW 30)
22. Baltimore Orioles (35-45, LW 27)
23. San Francisco Giants (35-45, LW 22)
24. Texas Rangers (34-47, LW 25)
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (35-46. LW 28)
26. Houston Astros (35-47, LW 23)
27. Kansas City Royals (34-48, LW 26)
28. Washington Nationals (33-48, LW 24)
29. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (33-47, LW 20)
30. Cincinnati Reds (31-51, LW 29)
