Spring college football practices are starting...

[Damaramu 0]

I'm glad CFN picked OU at #4 rather than #1 like everybody else under the sun. They underperform when picked at 1 or 2.

[UZI Suicide 0]

I don't see how anyone can make an argument that USC is the best team in the country talent-wise. It's not even close. It's not like they just lost Leinart, Bush, and White. They lost most of their offensive line as well, and their defense was never really a strong suit to begin with.

 

Talent wise I think it's an easy argument. Almost the entire roster is made up of 5 and 4 star recruits, granted, not every recruit turns out excellent, but the pure talent is there. I don't think the offense will skip a beat, personally - either Mark Sanchez or John David Booty will be really good, and they're throwing to the best WR group in the nation. They have a stable of 5-star runningbacks to choose from, at LEAST one of them will step in and be great. The O-Line is only returning two starters, but there's another guy who was the starter at LG going into last season before he got hurt. They're returning most of the starters on D (who were mostly frosh and soph's last year) and are extremely deep at LB and DB.

[Guest]

You forgot one part. Dwayne Jarrett doesn't even have to be eligible for this to be the best receiving group in the country. He's not eligible, but is supposed to be to start the year, is what I'm trying to say.

[Damaramu 0]

The offense won't skip a beat? You mean the offense that everyone touted as one of the best ever? The offense that was run by one of the best college QBs ever and one of the best college RBs ever won't miss a beat?

And you guys accuse me of sipping on fanboy koolaid? Man.

[CanadianChris 0]

The USC offence, as projected, is good enough to beat any team on their schedule this year.

[Black Lushus 0]

my father-in-law is the worst kind of Husker fan...he's convinced they'll give USC more than a run for their money AT USC...he makes me laugh sometimes.

[Guest Princess Leena]

One thing's for sure, Buffalo will still be horrible this year. Especially with their brutal non-conference schedule. But, at least the school should get some cashola for losing 60-7 at Auburn.

 

But, there's promise in the future, as Turner Gill supposedly had a great recruiting class by UB standards.

[CanadianChris 0]

my father-in-law is the worst kind of Husker fan...he's convinced they'll give USC more than a run for their money AT USC...he makes me laugh sometimes.

Sounds like the makings of a bet to me. Make sure he gives you at least even money.

[UZI Suicide 0]

The offense won't skip a beat? You mean the offense that everyone touted as one of the best ever? The offense that was run by one of the best college QBs ever and one of the best college RBs ever won't miss a beat?

And you guys accuse me of sipping on fanboy koolaid? Man.

 

They won't be as dominant as they were with Bush or Leinart, but they'll be as good or better than every other offense in college football.

[therealworldschampion 0]

This year will really test Kiffin and Sarkasian's coaching abilities. Some USC fans will say that Leinart came out of nowhere in 2003 as a way of predicting a great season for Booty or Sanchez, but Leinart had Norm Chow coaching him. We'll see if the coaching really was the driving force behind the USC offense next year. On the other hand, I think the defense will be better there next year.

[Bored 0]

More conference media polls.

 

Pac-10

 

1. USC (18)

2. California (7)

3. Oregon (3)

4. Arizona State (1)

5. UCLA

6. Arizona

7. Oregon State

8. Washington State

9. Stanford

10. Washington

 

Big XII

 

North

1. Nebraska (21)

2. Iowa State (5)

3. Colorado (2)

4. Kansas

5. Missouri

6. Kansas State

 

South

1. Oklahoma (23)

2. Texas (5)

3. Texas Tech

4. Texas A&M

5. Oklahoma State

6. Baylor

 

Mountain West

 

1. TCU (16)

2. BYU (5)

3. Utah (3)

4. Colorado State (1)

5. New Mexico

6. San Diego State

7. Air Force

8. UNLV

9. Wyoming

 

WAC

 

1. Boise State (36)

2. Fresno State (9)

3. Nevada (4)

4. Hawaii (1)

5. Louisiana Tech

6. San Jose State

7. Utah State

8. Idaho

9. New Mexico State

 

Sun Belt

 

1. UL Lafayette (3)

2. Arkansas State (2)

3. Troy (2)

4. North Texas

5. UL Monroe (1)

6. Middle Tennessee

7. Florida Atlantic

8. Florida International

[Damaramu 0]

Everyone is acting like USC and Texas are just going to insert new players and hit the ground running again because they recruited so well.

Hell other teams have done the same and fallen flat on their face(OU, Miami, Michigan) because of young talent or missed recruits.

Fuck Rhett Bomar was supposed to be like a god that was going to be the AD of QBs in terms of performing his first year. Didn't happen.

 

Just remember that being a highly recruited talent and actually getting out there and performing are two different things. USC could fall flat just like most other teams in their position.

And no they won't be the best offense in the country. Not with those young players in key positions.

[UZI Suicide 0]

USC and Texas have good coaches, so I don't expect them to fall flat on their face.

 

As far as young players go, that's not really the case. Inexperienced? Yes, but it isn't like they're throwing true freshman out there. That is what happened with the defense last year,and this year they have a crapload of talented young players who have some gametime experience.

 

On the entire team, they didn't lose anyone that is totally irreplacable except for Reggie Bush, but how many teams have a Reggie Bush on their team? Not many. Aside from Adrian Peterson, there isn't one player on the Oklahoma offense that I'd choose over their counterpart on the USC offense.

[Damaramu 0]

I'd take Bomar over Booty and Sanchez for the simple fact that he's got at least a year running an offense in college football. It was a shitty year but at least he got the experience.

I don't trust QBs that have never stepped on the field in a meaninful role.

 

OU has one of the best coaches in the country and they fell flat on their face. Granted if Peterson hadn't been hurt they probably would've beaten TCU and probably UCLA and actually did beat Texas Tech but the ref screwed that up. But they still fell down with one of the best coaches. And don't try to say Stoops isn't a great coach. That's just a dose of haterade but you might as well drink it to go with your cardinal and gold colored glasses.

[Guest]

I'd take Bomar over Booty and Sanchez for the simple fact that he's got at least a year running an offense in college football. It was a shitty year but at least he got the experience.

I don't trust QBs that have never stepped on the field in a meaninful role.

That's where we differ. I watched Sanchez his entire way through high school. He's played at some big venues, and he either lost once, or not at all (can't remember). Plus, I never buy the "young guys suck" theory, because Oklahoma shot that one dead last year, and USC has gone through this transition period before. One slight thing that you may not know, in every high school category, when comparing Sanchez to Leinart, Sanchez is better. That's why I want Sanchez as a starter. You don't know anything about this team and haven't seen the players come up through the ranks, so please hold your tongue.

 

Texas is going to maul their conference, so I'd be worried if I were you. This is also where I put you on ignore so I don't have to read your trash.

[Damaramu 0]

Bomar also mauled competition in HS and was better than Heupel and White in HS. But he's not better than them in college thus far. So my argument is still valid.

 

I can see how this season is going to go. The USC fans are going to do the same thing I do with OU but because they're not me they'll get away with it and nobody will call them on their bullshit.

 

Texas is going to maul the Big 12? With what? The QB who's never taken a meaningful college snap or the one that's never taken a college snap period?

Let's not forget how inept Mack Brown was before he had Vince Young. He played dueling QBs every year. Young saved Brown because then it was easy "Oh well superman will save us out there." Now they don't have Young and they don't even have a QB that can run the offense that Young was running b/c they won't have the legs for it.

All those moments where Young took off to save Texas won't be there b/c neither of these guys can do that!

 

And my trash? You're just as guilty buddy boy. You spew just as much trash and you're probably a bigger homer than I am.

[ANKLELOCK 0]

I'm tickled to death that somebody thinks Tennessee is the tenth best team in the nation. Talent-wise, maybe but this is practically the same team as last year that started #3 and went 5-6.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Unless Booty's back is still fucked up, I don't see him losing the starting spot. He's impressive as heck in his videos. Very accurate on all passes. Much more so than Leinart ever was.

 

Who knows how it's going to work out with either, though... both have maturity issues.

[iggymcfly 0]

Actually, that's another positive working for USC this year that I ignored. Leinart was never that good to begin with (the most overrated player I can remember in college football since I started watching), and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Booty or Sanchez is better next year. I still think the losses in the backfield and on the offensive line will be hard to replace, but I'm sure USC has lots of talent stepping into those positions.

 

As for the Big XII, I agree with Dama that Texas won't be all that great this year. Vince Young took a program that had been mired in medocrity for years and single-handedly carried them to the national title. It would be crazy to think that there wouldn't be a drop-off this year. I say OU beats them this year, and wins the tiebreak for the division title after dropping a game to Texas Tech. If I were to predict a conference winner though, I'd have to take Iowa State. They're damn near unstoppable when Stevie Hicks is healthy, and they've got almost all the talent from last year's team back.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Texas hadn't been able to win a championship until last year, but I think it's pretty much insane to say that they were "mired in mediocrity" before Young. Since Mack Brown took over the job, what, 8 years ago, the only team with a better record in that entire stretch is Miami. Mack Brown not winning big games or blowing a conference championship isn't mediocrity. I just looked it up--83-19 in eight years, 56-8 in the last five! Even the, what, 32-7 they went before Young was a major contributor puts them way, way up at the top. Missouri is mired in mediocrity; Texas is far from it.

 

The Big 12 is a bit of a mystery this year. I don't think anyone outside of the top 2 has a shot. Iowa State's gonna go 7-5 or 8-4 again, squandering the great potential they've built up early on two years running now.

[teke184 0]

Unless Booty's back is still fucked up, I don't see him losing the starting spot. He's impressive as heck in his videos. Very accurate on all passes. Much more so than Leinart ever was.

 

Who knows how it's going to work out with either, though... both have maturity issues.

 

Don't put too much stock in those videos...

 

Evangel players like Booty look good in practice but, when things don't go their way on the field, they go completely apeshit.

 

See "Berlin, Brock", "Booty, Abram", and "Booty, Josh" for references.

 

 

EDIT-

 

On second glance, I see you mentioned "maturity issues". However, I'm not sure that covered the scope of the issues with Booty since Sanchez's issues are of public record.

[Damaramu 0]

Texas hadn't been able to win a championship until last year, but I think it's pretty much insane to say that they were "mired in mediocrity" before Young. Since Mack Brown took over the job, what, 8 years ago, the only team with a better record in that entire stretch is Miami. Mack Brown not winning big games or blowing a conference championship isn't mediocrity. I just looked it up--83-19 in eight years, 56-8 in the last five! Even the, what, 32-7 they went before Young was a major contributor puts them way, way up at the top. Missouri is mired in mediocrity; Texas is far from it.

 

The Big 12 is a bit of a mystery this year. I don't think anyone outside of the top 2 has a shot. Iowa State's gonna go 7-5 or 8-4 again, squandering the great potential they've built up early on two years running now.

 

Maybe he's referring to the fact that they couldn't get over the OU hump? They did drop 5 straight to OU and Brown has only beaten Stoops twice. Not to mention OU has the same number of national titles in the past few years as Texas and more conference titles. But yes Texas was not mired in mediocrity. They only generally had trouble with one team and then they'd get to a bowl and Brown would play dueling QBs which I think he'll go back to this season.

 

Btw Texas has a great record but Stoops record is 75-16 so in one less year than Brown. That leads me to wonder why all the OU fans that tout Stoops as a god of coaches don't think the same of Brown? The records are close.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Booty has this rep that he's stupid, and has a bad attitude. Which may well be bullshit. Maybe because he left high school early.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Btw Texas has a great record but Stoops record is 75-16 so in one less year than Brown. That leads me to wonder why all the OU fans that tout Stoops as a god of coaches don't think the same of Brown? The records are close.

I think you answered that yourself:

They did drop 5 straight to OU and Brown has only beaten Stoops twice.

And you never think your rival's coach is good. He drinks the blood of innocents and doesn't know a thing about football, no matter how many times he might hand you your ass.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Like Urban Meyer.

[teke184 0]

Booty has this rep that he's stupid, and has a bad attitude. Which may well be bullshit. Maybe because he left high school early.

 

I don't think it's just a rep... I think it's real and it's a symptom of being part of the Evangel HS program, as well as part of the Booty family.

 

 

 

Despite Evangel's position as one of the biggest football factories in Louisiana, none of their players have had consistent success at the college level and have produced no stars at the pro level.

 

(Brock Berlin was their biggest star at the college level and Josh Booty was the only one to make it into the pros, where he was a 3rd string QB before being cut by several teams.)

 

Their tendency is to flame out in college, typically getting into arguments with their teammates and forcing bad plays.

 

 

Brock Berlin tried forcing bad passes against Virginia Tech in 2003 and helped cost them the game and a shot at the national championship.

 

Josh Booty ignored the coaches' called plays several times as LSU QB, leading to at least one embarassing loss to then-IA newcomer UAB.

 

Abram Booty quit the LSU team in a huff then got into a brawl in the stands with someone who made a comment about his brother's lousy job at QB.

 

 

 

John David's father, who was his coach as well, also had some temper problems. He got into a huff over some things and then decided to discourage any of his players from attending LSU, routing them to other major programs instead.

 

 

 

In short, I think this kid's a train-wreck waiting to happen.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Like Urban Meyer.

Up there with Czech's "Too many to name" in the "Favorite Latino Rappers" thread for excellence in brevity.

 

Last night I actually had a dream that college football season had started. I was watching some terrible-ass game, like Colorado State vs. Air Force or something, but it was still the best thing ever.

[Damaramu 0]

This is funny from Maisel's 3-Point Stance:

 

2. Iowa State center Scott Stephenson transferred from Minnesota. Stephenson said Big 12 football is faster than the Big Ten, and the stadiums louder. "At Nebraska, I couldn't hear my guards making calls," he said. "I couldn't hear (quarterback) Bret (Meyer)." Maybe that's a commentary on Gopher fans.

 

Couldn't hack it in the Big 12 so he's going to the Big 10?

[Guest Princess Leena]

He was in the Big 12 North. They're horrible.

[Guest]

Darren McFadden is unlikely to play for Arkansas against USC to start the season. He had toe surgery after an incident in a club.