http://cfn.scout.com/2/1058493.html

Some UM love and some MSU hate. They have MSU losing to a fab 5 less team and no coach... ouch.

And OSU losing to Michigan... Some credibility issues here fo sure.

I'm not too impressed with the predictions though I feel the standings aren't too far off from what I would expect.

Not as much love for the Big Ten:

2011 Spring Preview - No. 15

The Preseason Polls Will Be ... ?


2011 Spring Preview

Welcome to April. We're still about five months away from when the Coaches (the one that matters) and the AP (the one that doesn't) come out with their initial rankings. How are they going to look? While plenty of big things might happen, here's the best guess of what they might be, keeping in mind 1) the perception of the teams at the end of 2010, 2) the returning talent, and 3) the brand name and how the voters usually rank to the top programs. One other thing to remember here, these are NOT the CFN rankings. This is what we THINK they're going to be and not a ranking of the best teams going into the year.

- No. 20 Top 50 Non-Conference Games (No. 1-10)
- Top 50 Non-Conference Games (No. 11-20)
- Top 50 Non-Conference Games (No. 21-30)
- Top 50 Non-Conference Games (No. 31-40)
- Top 50 Non-Conference Games (No. 41-50)

- No. 19 - Is a smaller Big 12 better?
- No. 18 - Who doesn't want to be Independent?
- No. 17 - Should the SEC champ play in the BCS Champ?

- No. 16 Top 50 Conf. Games (No. 1-10)
- Top 50 Conference Games (No. 11-20)
- Top 50 Conference Games (No. 21-30)
- Top 50 Conference Games (No. 31-40)
- Top 50 Conference Games (No. 41-50)

Schedules and Too-Early Spring Picks
ACC | Big East
Big Ten | Big 12
C-USA | Ind | MAC
Mountain West | Pac-12
SEC | Sun Belt | WAC
1. Oklahoma
With so much returning experience and with the maturity of the Landry Jones-to-Ryan Broyles combination, the Sooners will almost certainly be on top of the charts when the first polls come out.

2. Oregon
There might be plenty of holes to fill on defense, but the offense should be stronger, better, and if it’s possible, even faster with the return of RB LaMichael James and QB Darron Thomas. The Ducks will get several first place votes.

3. Alabama
The defense was a question mark last year, and it turned into a killer. The offense will be the concern coming into this season, but the pollsters aren’t going to be too worried. The talent level is peerless.

4. LSU
There will be question marks about the quarterback situation, but the offense can’t be any worse. The defense will be typically great, and after the thumping the team applied to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, the preseason respect will be there.

5. Ohio State
Call this the default pick. Ohio State will be one of the five best teams in the country. It might just take a little while to get there.

6. South Carolina
With the fantastic trio of QB Stephen Garcia (and he will be all good by the start of the season), RB Marcus Lattimore, and WR Alshon Jeffery, the Gamecocks could be a preseason top five selection.

7. Oklahoma State
Can the offense still rock without offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. The preseason voters will almost certainly say yes. Even if this might be a bit high, the Cowboys should be in the top ten.

8. Stanford
The Cardinal will be the most interesting preseason team to figure out. Yeah, Andrew Luck is back, but will the swagger still be there without Jim Harbaugh? On Luck alone, Stanford might flirt with a top five spot.

9. Texas A&M
There’s so much experience and so much talent returning from one of 2010’s hottest second half teams that this might be a bit low. The problem for the voters could be the way last season ended, but there hasn’t been this much excitement around College Station in over a decade.

10. Florida
On straight talent, the Gators should be in the top five. They’ll sneak into the preseason top ten and will likely be a wait-and-see team after a few games to show how the new coaching staff is doing. There are too many changes being made to be up too much higher than this.

11. TCU
There’s a chance the respect will be there for the Horned Frogs to put them in at least five spots higher than this, but the loss of QB Andy Dalton, and with so much turnover, they’ll probably start out the season a bit lower than expected.

12. Boise State
The feeling will probably be that the Broncos will take a wee step back with a step up in conferences and with the loss of Titus Young and Austin Pettis. With an opening day showdown in Atlanta against Georgia, they’ll get a chance to show right away that things are business as usual.

13. Nebraska
The move to the Big Ten will put the Huskers in the spotlight all season long, and the preseason belief will be that the offense will be more explosive while the defense will be the typical Bo Pelini defense. Don’t be shocked if they’re in the preseason top ten.

14. Arkansas
The Hogs will almost certainly be one of the ten best teams in America, but the loss of Ryan Mallett should keep them out of the preseason top ten. Even so, this is a better squad than the one that went to the Sugar Bowl last season.

15. Wisconsin
The Badgers need the quarterback situation to be settled, and the defense has to find a replacement for J.J. Watt, but you know exactly what they’re going to do. The running game is coming; can anyone stop it?

16. Notre Dame
The Irish were terrific on the field late last year despite all the off-the-field adversity, along with the losses to Navy and Tulsa. Now, Brian Kelly might have the best Notre Dame team in years, and it could be more solid than the BCS-bowl squads under Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis.

17. Florida State
The Seminoles are loaded and should be the class of the ACC. They should be one of the quick high-risers if they can beat (likely) No. 1 Oklahoma early on, and they could start the year in the top 15.

18. Texas
Texas will be better than 18th in the nation, and it’ll probably be ranked in the preseason top 15, but there will be many who’ll be leery that things will go from so mediocre to special in a snap. There are way, way too many question marks, and the preseason ranking could be on brand name.

19. Auburn
Call this a courtesy ranking. The talent level is still terrific after a few great recruiting classes – keep your comments to yourself – but there’s no Cam Newton and no Nick Fairley. The defending national champs aren’t going to be out of the preseason top 20.

20. Mississippi State
This could be one of the hot teams of the offseason with so much talent returning to an offense that steamrolled over Michigan and was so dangerous in SEC play. This is the year the hard work under Dan Mullen should pay off.

21. Michigan State
When we last saw the Spartans they were busy being pantsed by Alabama in one of the ugliest big bowl matchups in years. They might have been outclassed, but they’re still plenty good and they should be in the Big Ten title hunt all season long.

22. Missouri
Everyone will be talking about how the loss of Blaine Gabbert will affect the offense, but there’s so much talent returning across the board, and James Franklin should be an ultra-effective starter under center, that this might be too low.

23. West Virginia
Can the coaching situation be a positive? If Dana Holgorsen can do for the Mountaineer offense what he did at Oklahoma State, WVU could be a deep sleeper for a BCS Championship berth.

24. Georgia
The assumption will be that the Dawgs will be steadier and stronger now that QB Aaron Murray has a year under his belt. However, the team needs to find some firepower after losing A.J. Green.

25. Virginia Tech
The defending ACC champs might have several huge holes to fill, and they might undergo a bit of a change without Tyrod Taylor under center, but they’re not going to start the season out of the preseason top 25.

Others Receiving Votes ... (?)
Any of these teams could end up being in the preseason top 25, and all will receive enough votes to round out the top 50.

26. USC
27. Utah
28. BYU
29. Michigan
30. Clemson
31. Tennessee
32. Miami
33. Iowa
34. Penn State
35. Georgia Tech
36. North Carolina
37. South Florida
38. Arizona State
39. Houston
40. Texas Tech
41. Arizona
42. California
43. Air Force
44. Oregon State
45. Illinois
46. Pitt
47. Boston College
48. NC State
49. Washington
50. Kansas State

meh, lets just put Oklahoma vs Oregon in the BCS Championship and be done with it. No real reason to play actual games when we can just decide things with polls.

Unless they lose during the regular season, so it makes every game important No need to peak at the right time, you gotta be the best all the way through.

Way too early bowl preditions:

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootbal ... 012-061711

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
January 2, 2012 — Pasadena, CA, 5 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $36 million
Big Ten No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 1
Way Too Early Projection: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Top Three Other Options: 1) Wisconsin, 2) Nebraska, 3) Arizona State

WHY? Ohio State is still the most talented team in the Big Ten, even without Terrelle Pryor and even with Luke Fickell on the sidelines. With an us-against-the-world mentality, the Buckeyes beat Nebraska in the inaugural Big Ten championship — and then the program is never heard from again for three-to-five years. HOWEVER, put Wisconsin in Pasadena if the NCAA comes up with its final ruling in a hurry. Oregon has too many issues on the offensive line and defensive front to get back to the national championship, but it'll find its way to a Pac-12 title.

Outback Bowl
January 2, 2012 — Tampa, FL, 1 p.m. ABC
Payout: $7 million
Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3, 4 or 5
Way Too Early Projection: Nebraska vs. Florida
Top Three Other Options: 1) Wisconsin, 2) South Carolina, 3) Ohio State

WHY? The Florida vs. South Carolina loser will almost certainly end up here to face the Wisconsin vs. Nebraska loser. The Gators won a thriller over Penn State last year, and the bowl would love nothing more than to bring the Huskers in for a marquee matchup of big names.

Outback Bowl
January 2, 2012 — Tampa, FL, 1 p.m. ABC
Payout: $7 million
Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3, 4 or 5
Way Too Early Projection: Nebraska vs. Florida
Top Three Other Options: 1) Wisconsin, 2) South Carolina, 3) Ohio State

WHY? The Florida vs. South Carolina loser will almost certainly end up here to face the Wisconsin vs. Nebraska loser. The Gators won a thriller over Penn State last year, and the bowl would love nothing more than to bring the Huskers in for a marquee matchup of big names.

TicketCity Bowl
January 2, 2012 — Dallas, TX, 12 p.m. ESPNU
Payout: $2.2 million
Big Ten No. 6 vs. C-USA
Way Too Early Projection: Illinois vs. SMU
Top Three Other Options: 1) Penn State, 2) Houston, 3) Northwestern

WHY? Illinois and Northwestern will be the most likely options from the Big Ten. Conference USA gets the slot this year, and it'll either be SMU or Houston to keep the Texas crowd close.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
December 31, 2011 — Houston, TX, 12 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $3.4 million
Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Way Too Early Projection: Penn State vs. Oregon State*
Top Three Other Options: 1) Michigan, 2) Michigan State, 3) Texas Tech

WHY? Penn State will be decent, but it'll struggle a bit. This might be seen as a booby prize bowl game, but it would be ultra-competitive. Texas or Texas A&M could get the call in what used to be called the Texas Bowl. There almost certainly won't be a Big 12 team eligible and available.

Insight Bowl
December 30, 2011 — Tempe, AZ, 10 p.m.
Payout: $6.7 million
Big Ten No. 4 or 5 vs. Big 12 No. 4
Way Too Early Projection: Iowa vs. Missouri
Top Three Other Options: 1) Michigan, 2) Texas A&M, 3) Texas

WHY? Let's try this again. The two teams put on a great show in last year's Insight Bowl, with Iowa picking off the Tigers for the late win. Every bowl wants Iowa and its fans, and Mizzou will put its share of butts in the seats.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
December 27, 2011 — Detroit, MI, 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
MAC No. 1 vs. Big Ten No. 8 (or Sun Belt if no Big Ten)
Way Too Early Projection: Western Michigan vs. Northwestern
Top Three Other Options: 1) Toledo, 2) Northern Illinois, 3) Arkansas State

WHY? The bowl had a thriller last year, but after hosting Toledo, it'll want a Michigan team from the MAC. FIU was here last year, and it'll be the best option if there aren't any Big Ten teams available. Arkansas State will be in the mix.

What crack was this guy smoking for this preseason top ten:

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootbal ... o=29917755

I don't even disagree with OSU being taken out of the top ten... but Florida State as the #1!?