Chiming in on the BlogPoll Roundtable

By Sean · Thursday, June 15, 2006 · 5:10 PM |  Share | Leave a Comment 

I know I missed out on the last set of questions for the BlogPoll Roundtable, so I figured that I won’t waste any time with the current set. Courtesy of The Ciskie Blog for the questions and Kyle over at Dawg Sports for posting his own answers. That’s where I found them at.

Let’s get right into it, for my previous BlogPoll answers visit this link.

Which preseason college football magazine is your favorite?

Back in 1997 when I went to my first ever college football game, and first started getting into college football I was only 7 years old. That year I got ready for the football season by reading through Lindy’s Big Ten preview magazine. In a very smart move Lindy’s put eventual Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson on the cover, along with future NFL bust Sedrick Irvin from Michigan State. That was the first ever preseason magazine that I had, and still today it’s one that I get. As I mentioned yesterday I purchased Athlon and Lindy’s for this year, which is becoming the new “tradition.” Throughout my years as a college football fan however, I’ve always purchased Lindy’s, so that is my favorite.

Most magazines provide content that is very similar, but there’s the magazine that’s been there all of my “college football life,” and that’s Lindy’s. From the previews of every Big Ten team to the articles, to the rankings, that’s my favorite and probably will always be.

What team is being supremely overrated in the preseason rankings?

Without a doubt it’s Notre Dame. Here’s what I said back in early April when I was doing my own preseason rankings:

4. Notre Dame – I’ll put this as plain and simple as I can, the media loves Notre Dame, and for that reason they’re in the top 5. An already average defense isn’t going to be greatly improved, so A.J. Hawk’s future brother-in-law will have to carry this team on his back, and with Charlie Weis on there, that is one heavy load.

Well, I guess I was right. In Athlon Notre Dame is ranked number 2, and in Lindy’s they’re number 1. My question is how can a team that isn’t significantly better than the previous season be ranked as one of the best teams in the nation. Notre Dame’s defense was horrific last year, and it’s not improved greatly at all for 2006, so don’t expect a championship if you go by that classic phrase. The offense is what carried the Fighting Irish all of last season, and I just don’t think it can do it again to the extent that they are ranked #1.

Next up is the schedule. Every Notre Dame fan that I know defends the schedule by saying that before the year started it was one of the toughest schedules in the entire college football world. That doesn’t mean a single thing if it doesn’t turn out that way. Michigan was a preseason #3 in some polls and look how that turned out: a mediocre 7-5. Notre Dame once again has filled out a pretty tough schedule on paper, but I doubt it’ll turn out as tough as it looks.

And just as things don’t usually turn out the way people think, I sincerely doubt that Notre Dame will end up as the #1 team by season’s end. On the other hand though, I would love for Michigan to be able to go into South Bend against a #1 ranked Notre Dame team. Maybe the cockiness would allow Michigan to slip out a win.

Turn the tables. Who is underrated?

In my opinion it’s LSU. Les Miles started off his coaching career in Louisiana a little shaky. There was a hurricane that decimated the campus and forced a team to be displaced. Even with that, the Tigers still managed to finish with a record of 11-2. With the starting quarterback missing the Peach Bowl, what did LSU do? Well, they went out there with a backup and demolished Miami 40-3.

I’m not saying that LSU is going to run away with the national championship. A very tough SEC schedule will probably prevent that. But, I am saying that the team of LSU deserves a little more notoriety. Notre Dame and Ohio State are receiving all the glory right now in the preseason polls, and LSU is getting hosed. I’m sure most LSU fans are happy with that, because the underdog is a better position in some sorts. All in all, I just think that a LSU team that has a great chance to win the SEC and be in the top 5 by season’s end isn’t getting much recognition.

Which conference will be the best in 2006?

Just as I said in the previous answer, LSU is good enough to run the table in most conferences. The reason I don’t think they will is because they are in the SEC. The SEC has so much depth that teams will usually knock each other out of the national title hunt, but still produce great records. A good comparison to the SEC of football would be to the Big Ten in basketball from this past season. The Big Ten had many great teams with so much talent that a potential national championship could’ve come about. The problem was that everybody beat well, everybody. Teams that were on the lower half of the standings beat teams that were in the top 3. That’s how I think it will be in the SEC for 2006.

The records may not reflect it in the end, but talent-wise the SEC has the best players. You’ve got so many great teams top to bottom that it’s impossible to argue with. There’s Alabama, who had a great season in ’05; Arkansas, who is supposed to be very good; Auburn ,who has been constantly near the top in the last few seasons; Florida, who had one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory; Georgia, who captured the SEC title last season; LSU, who I already talked about; South Carolina, who is led by a great coach in Steve Spurrier; and Tennessee, who after missing a bowl game in 2005 will have to be back as a contender in 2006. Any team could take the title, and that’s why they will be the best conference.

Which “non-BCS” conference will be the best in 2006?

For the last two seasons the Mountain West Conference has produced a BCS buster and an almost BCS buster. The two teams I’m talking about are Utah and TCU. Both have lots of great players and both should be back to greatness in 2006. Utah went 7-5 last year, which was a disappointment after an undefeated year in 2004. Losing the number 1 pick and a great coach accounted for that, but now after a year of experience, Utah can once again reclaim a very good record. TCU went 11-1 in 2006 and would’ve made the BCS if that one loss wasn’t there. TCU only lost 7 starters from last year’s team, so should give Utah a run for it’s money as the MWC’s best.

The Mountain West isn’t just a two-team conference either. There’s many other teams that hovered around the bowl eligible mark last year, and have the talent to get past that mark this year. Plus, with 3 extra games that could host a Mountain West team, I’m sure there will be more making a postseason trip.

Which non-BCS conference team will have the best season?

I believe it’ll come down to Utah and TCU as the best non-BCS conference team. Just as I said those two will battle it out for the Mountain West title, and I also think the right to be the best of the little. Utah and TCU have been the best in the last two seasons, so we’ll be seeing a repeat performance.

Utah pulled off a performance slightly similar to LSU in the bowl season. Utah dominated a Georgia Tech team, and just as I believe LSU will be the best of the mega-powers, I believe that Utah will be the best of the mini-powers.

Let’s get your first read on this one…who will win the H*i*m*n? Oh, by the way, players whose last names begin with the letter “Q” are ineligible.

No problem, I don’t think Brady Quinn will win the Heisman. Without Reggie Bush or Vince Young returning it opens up the widest Heisman race to start the season in recent memory. It is almost too early to tell who will win the Heisman, but I’ll take a stab at it and say, as much as this pains me… Troy Smith. Ouch, that was tough.

It’s never easy picking a rival to win the Heisman, but being a rival, I’ve seen him play a lot. Smith reminds me of Vince Young, but with more receiving and a more accurate arm. If Smith and the Buckeyes can make it through a very tough schedule, then it could be the year of the mobile QB again.

There you have it, another edition of the BlogPoll Roundtable. It’s so much fun to talk about college football, it just reminds me that the season is so close that you can almost taste it. Thanks for reading and Go Blue!