College Football guru Phil Steele released his projected AP Top 10 today and if you know anything about college football Steele knows pretty much everything about the sport. So in other words this is going to be 99% accurate. But since I'm an asshole I felt I needed to chime in with my thoughts.
1. Ohio State - No argument here. The Buckeyes are the clear cut #1 team in the country with the majority of their team coming back from a National Title. They got the best coach in the country (Urban>Nick) and their schedule is the biggest cupcake you will ever see. Top to bottom only Bama rivals them in terms of overall talent in the nation.
2. TCU - The Horned Frogs got a ton of street cred last year by destroying Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl to complete a one loss season in which they probably should have been included in the playoff if it wasn't for their stupid ass conference commissioner. With Boykin back along with a great head coach and a chip on their shoulder I expect TCU to make the playoffs this season.
3. Alabama - Bama got gang raped by the Big Ten last year in the playoffs. Let that sink in for a bit. The once mighty SEC and their Goliath of a team in Bama got destroyed by Ohio State. The Big Ten was arguable the worst conference last season yet they owned the SEC in the bowl games. It doesn't matter now since you know Nick Saban will have the Crimson Tide ready to defend their own SEC Title. Who will be the QB?
4. Baylor - While we have no legitimate argument for the top 3 here with Baylor is where we see the flaw. No more Bryce Petty is a big concern. He's been their offense the past 3 seasons. Baylor is a finesse team much like Oregon. I don't necessarily double down on finesse teams when it comes to big boy football.
5. Oregon - Overrated. They gotta replace Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, their left tackle, and defensive standouts on all three levels. They should be ranked around 10 but the pollsters will only see the fact they were in the national championship game last year.
6. Michigan St - Believe it or not Sparty might be a tad underrated even at 6. Connor Cook is back at QB and should put up Heisman Trophy numbers as a senior. They get Oregon at home and should be the only team who can beat Ohio State this year in the Big Ten.
7. USC - Although I'm a self admitted USC hater I would have no problem with USC this high if Pete Carroll was still coaching them. The problem is Steve Sarkisian is on the sidelines and he's good for at least 3 losses. The Trojans have a ton of returning talent but still gotta replace their best offensive and defensive player from last season.
8. Florida State - Getting Everett Golson to transfer in is a huge addition for the Seminoles. When Golson is on he's a top 10 QB in the nation. The problem is he turns the ball over a ton. I think having FSU this high this early is a bit premature since they are replacing the majority of their starters and they are really young at a lot of positions. But I wouldn't be shocked to see FSU in the playoffs this year despite the roster turnover because they have a ton of elite talent waiting to take over.
9. Auburn - This is clearly the Will Muschamp effect because Auburn looked terrible in the 2nd half of last season. Malzahn will have the offense rolling but can Muschamp turn around a defense in one season? It's possible but I think the Tigers should be more in the 15-25 range.
10. Georgia - Year in and year out Mark Richt and his team have proven to be consistently overrated going into the season. This year might not be any different if they can't find a QB. With Golson picking FSU the Dawgs need to put in all of their chips for Braxton Miller. It's a huge gamble considering Miller's shoulder is still not even close to 100% but do you really want to see Brice Ramsey fucking up what could potentially be a great UGA season?