College Football Pre-Season Rankings

Pre-season rankings should be classified under the following heading: "Believe only half of what you read and none of what you hear".

It is at this time of the year that blatant speculation and even wild guessing are often encouraged and in some rare cases are raised to an art form by certain national media types. 

Hard facts and in-depth research is often replaced by rumor or reputation. 

Accuracy often goes completely out the window and takes a back seat to hype. 

A herd mentality dominates the college football landscape from Pullman to Piscataway.

Now that the top 5 pre-season ranking lists are out it is time to analyze the predictions and look at the averages and possible outcomes for the 2010 season. 

Fortunately for us Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports did the hard work and compared the rankings of the following polls: The Sporting News, Phil Steele, Lindy's, Athlonand CBSSports.com.  He then compiled the rankings into a consensus Top 25.  Here are some interesting findings from that list:

• A total of 32 teams received votes in the five national polls.
• Six teams from the SEC were in the consensus Top 25 including #1 Alabama and #4 Florida.
• Five ACC teams made the list with #10 VT, #13 UM and #15 FSU all in the top 15. 
• Miami will play six of the Top 25: #2 OSU, #10 VT, #15 FSU, UNC #17, #18 Pitt and #19 GT.

Here are some interesting selections that will interest Miami Hurricane fans from the consensus Top 25 according to Dodd: 

2. Ohio State: The Big Ten is back. Ohio State never left. Highest rank, No. 2. Lowest rank, No. 3. (118 points. Avg. rank between No. 2 and No. 3)

10. Virginia Tech:Class of the ACC until further notice. Highest rank, No. 8. Lowest rank, No. 13. (77 points. Avg. rank between No. 10 and No. 11)

13. Miami: Starting to look like Canes of old. Highest rank, No. 4. Lowest rank, No. 14. (69 points. Avg. rank between No. 12 and No. 13)

14. Wisconsin: Fresh from pounding Miami. Factor in Big Ten. Highest rank, No. 6. Lowest rank, No. 23. (67 points. Avg. rank between No. 13 and No. 14)

15. Florida State: New coach, healthy quarterback. Great prospects. Highest rank, No. 14. Lowest rank, No. 20. (55 points, Avg. rank No. 15)

17. North Carolina: Nation's best defense? Highest rank, No. 12. Lowest rank, No. 24. (39 points. Avg. rank between No. 18 and No. 19)

18. Pittsburgh: Coming off first 10 win season since 1981. Highest rank, No. 14. Not ranked by Steele. (33 points. Avg. rank between No. 17 and No. 18)

19. Georgia Tech:Defending ACC champs seem to have gotten better. Highest rank, No. 13. Not ranked by Steele and Athlon. (30 points. Avg. rank No. 16)

For the full list click here:

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/23059380?tag=coverlist_footer;coverlist_photo_content&utm_source=bleacherreport.com

Comments

[Esteban]

the mistake was the decision special. espn used the dude. he looks horrible after this while they soaked up the attention.

[Zakkee]

Everyone knows that was a hollow threat. He was attempting to force their hands, and he was successful. Lebron admittedly quit...in game. He's the type to go to options and put a video game on its easiest skill level, win by 100, and then go crazy as if he went thru adversity. He thinks he just put the NBA on its easiest skill level by becoming Robin to Wade's Batman. He thinks they have it sewn up now (NBA championships)....and they might but I can't root for them personally.

[SOUP]

the mistake was the decision special. espn used the dude. he looks horrible after this while they soaked up the attention.

Posted by: Esteban | July 09, 2010 at 11:59 AM

There it is AGAIN.

[SOUP]

Lotta pressure on The Heat now to win EVERY game.

Losses will hit hard and the ENTIRE NBA will be gunning for them EVERY NIGHT!

Gonna be berry, berry interesting...

[SOUP]

Trouble in Rocky Top:

Authorities have arrested two current Tennessee football players and are questioning several more as part of an investigation into an overnight brawl at Bar Knoxville that has sent two victims to the hospital with head injuries.

According to Knoxville Police Department reports, true freshman wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Also, safety Darren Myles, Jr. has been charged with assaulting a University of Tennessee police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

The Knoxville Police Department issued a narrative of the event that started just before 2 a.m. on Cumberland Ave.

[SOUP]

Ways for Jacory to improve in 2010:

Stop looking for the deep pass on every throw

Harris has shown the ability to throw a fantastic deep ball. With the receiving corps he has at his disposal the Hurricanes offense can score on almost any down. That does not mean he needs to look for the big play on every single down. Harris has a tendency to hold on to the ball to try and get it deep on a consistent basis. This probably accounts for the high number of sacks, and the high number of interceptions he had last season.

The fans love this exciting brand of football, where Harris connects with Travis Benjamin or Aldarius Johnson for a long touchdown pass. Games like Virginia Tech and North Carolina are reminders that patience is just as valuable. The conditions were horrible against Virginia Tech, and the Hurricanes offensive line could not block them. Holding on to the ball trying to get all the points back on one play was not a good idea.

If this flaw is corrected, and Harris picks and chooses his spots to go deep then the sky is the limit for this offense.

Take care of inferior opponents early in the game

You can argue that this Miami Hurricanes football team is just as talented as any team in the country. You can easily make the case that they should be able beat most of the teams on their schedule if you are comparing talent man for man. But too often against the Dukes, South Floridas, and Wake Forests of the college football world they make these games harder than they should be.

In several cases it led to a loss when the Hurricanes late game heroics failed to bail them out (North Carolina, Clemson). Against these teams Harris needs to keep the offense moving and pressuring the opposing team. All too often the offense goes into hibernation for two quarters of the game, and then wakes up in the fourth quarter. If they want to win the ACC, and even compete for a National title they need to correct this flaw. It all starts with Harris.

[Esteban]

Zakkee, it only was a hollow threat since the Lakers knew better than to trade him. If he was a free agent or even had 1 year left on his deal the power would have been in Kobe's hands. And he didn't really force their hand as much as Memphis just gave them a gift. Who else trades their best player away with for nothing when its not even part of a "bigger picture" type plan? They didn't have anything to deal for a real contributor at that time. Memphis organization should get a ring for their part in the title.

[Esteban]

actually that's the same off season where Kobe said they should trade Bynum - since he really was their only piece to attract a player with any talent.

but then there was Memphis...

[Esteban]

crazy thing is the Bulls wouldn't give up Deng to get Gasol and that's what ended those talks. Allowing the Lakers to trade for Gasol the next year. And now the Bulls can't give away Deng.

[Hassan]

Hey Hassan is sorry, guys I am in Afghanistan and I barely get to get on here anymore, it sucks hope the original "Legion" has not forgot about me. Anyone ever want to write me hit me up hassy_1@yahoo.com

How good can Jacory be this year? How good will he be in 18 months getting ready for the NFL combine?

[Mr Troutman]

Sorry Cleveland fans somebody had to get their heart hurt. To people say they lost respect for James...Well i deidn't WHY would I? The man wants to win championships not just win games and havve the best record. Why we he stay loyal to a team like Kevin Garnet once said He wouldn't have stayed that long in Minnesota for not....HOW MANY OWNERS KEEP A PLAYER IF HE ISN'T PRODUCING? This was a business decision not emotional or personal. Some people will hate for no reason...ALL I CAN SAY WELCOME KING JAMES WE NEED U DOWN HERE TO REVAMP SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS WORLD AND ECONOMY...LET THE HATERS HATE ON..OH WELL!!!

[SOUP]

off topic Russian spy ring:

http://bigthink.com/ideas/20802

[SOUP]

How good can Jacory be this year? How good will he be in 18 months getting ready for the NFL combine?

Posted by: Hassan | July 09, 2010 at 01:02 PM

I'll get at you soon, We have NOT forgotten U!

[SOUP]

Solar/Ocala...I'll call you both soon.

[Mr Troutman]

Lotta pressure on The Heat now to win EVERY game.

Losses will hit hard and the ENTIRE NBA will be gunning for them EVERY NIGHT!

Gonna be berry, berry interesting
posted by: soup

That is a stament for us too..the pressure is on to win every game. We are going to here a lot of this talk come the season though " wade driving to the basket sees a wide open james for three....swish the ball goes in. This will be like an AlL Star game every week. Teams will have to play zone when playing Miami....NOT ONE TEAM I MEAN NOT ONE WILL GUARD THESE GUYS ONE ON ONE NOT EVEN THE LAKERS CAN DO THAT...Lets see Kobe on Wade , Artest on James yeah right, Lamar odom on Bosh.... i already see the mismatch.....Like i said lAST NIGHT SOMETHING SPECIAL IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN FOR THE CITY OF MIAMI AND IT STARTS WITH THE CANES THE FIRST AT BAT!!!PEACE!!

[canefanatic777]

whats the word on Seantrel???

[Daddeh]

U

[Six]

When I hear from analysts & fans about how a certain player went somewhere and took a "paycut" to try and win a championship - come on

They make so much loot as it is, I don't really think it should be called a "paycut"

Are they really going to be feeling the effects of their paycut? Ya, not really

Say for instance, $30 Mill a year in somewhere like Cleveland ... or $20 Mill a year in Miami - what's the real difference?

Especially in the case of LeBron, where he's coming to the state of Florida. No state income tax, right? Exactly

I still laugh when I think about the idiotic statement Patrick Ewing made, when trying to defend the salaries of NBA players

"Sure, we make a lot of money, but we also spend a lot of money"

WHAT? hahaha. That's also why I don't shed a single tear or even think twice about any NBA millionaire player who is now bankrupt

The whole LeBron hype was like a huge circus sideshow. From the utterly insane ESPN coverage and hype about it ... to making everyone who watched it wait for so long (not me) ... to then having them wait through Jim Gray's horrid interview (I heard 20 secs clips of it on sports talk radio and it was awful) ... to LeBron using words in the wrong context (such as logistic), sounding like he just saw that word on his calender of WORDS OF THE DAY and tried to then use it in a sentence on national television ... to the owner of the Cavs being a complete jackass

When the owner said "THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE" .... haha, come on man

Funny just how fast some people forget. I guess all the Cavalier or LeBron fans didn't call him "King James", right? I guess NIKE didn't also say that, right? Ya, it was just LeBron who called himself that everywhere he went, right? Self-titled? No.

That's one thing I hate about certain sports fans - they'll dry hump the hell out of one of their stars legs while he's on their team, then, if he leaves like LeBron did, then they act as if they never liked him in the first place & just how awful or overrated he was. If that person doesn't win a championship, if they're still on the team, the fans will come up with as many excuses as possible to explain why and fight to the death in defending him .... as soon as he leaves, they all say that he was the most overrated athlete ever to come through their town, he was selfish, he couldn't do this or that or whatever, he quit on them, bla bla

It's going to be sickening though to see just how fast people like Jay-Z or P Diddy or all those other leech asses who couldn't give 2 sh*ts about the Heat before, jump right on that bandwagon and say they've always liked the Heat

Too many people (fans) have no idea what loyalty to a team is

Just think though just how the city of Miami just got a huge boost in its power rankings of the sports world. The Canes are on the verge of something huge, the Heat just landed 2 great players to go along with an even better player in D-Wade, the Fins are not that bad of a team at all and the Marlins are getting a new stadium with a pretty damn decent team to play in it

[canechic]

Six they need pitching, Marlins bull pen is miserable and I am not sure this whole new stadium thing is as great as they think. The owner is an______okay I will stop. But I do agree about the other teams in Miami. All these teams whining about Lebron would be calling him "god" if he was on their team.

[DZ8]

Posted by: CanesFanStuckInCali | July 08, 2010 at 12:51 AM

Great book isn't it!?

[Sebastian]

I see the Yanks are close to closing the deal to get Cliff Lee on their team

Unreal

[Sebastian]

The latest I could find on Seantrel

August 3rd

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/ncaafootball/10henderson.html?_r=1&ref=sports

[Gin & Tonic]

F*CK OHIO

We are supposed to feel sorry for the same fan base that consistently referred to our team as "cryami" after the fiesta bowl robbery? F em. I'm glad lebron dissed them. Whose crying now bitches. You stole Miami's title and now Miami's got your "king".

[al]

Seantrel Henderson Will Attend Miami

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/ncaafootball/10henderson.html?_r=1&ref=sports

[j.w.]

Thanks, al! Great pickup for our Canes, adding him and L.A. after the deadline was huge!! Momentum is wearing an orange and green jersey again.

[canechic]

Good Job Al!

[KnoxCane]

Yes it's official, Henderson is a CANE...WHOO HOOOO

Living here in Knoxville, it is so hilarious. I get called Thug U all the time but Tennessee keeps putting players in jail. It' so funny!!!!

[Category_IV_in_Pittsburgh]

NYTIMES on it. Big Daddy is on his way down!

[Category_IV_in_Pittsburgh]

Top 10 recruiting class for Randy AGAIN

[Six]

Zak - LeBron is a sell out, plain and simple

Think about the term sell out before you bash it

Also, the statement that the owner of the Cavs typed out was pretty crazy - although it's still more tame than what you read on here during a Canes game that they're losing - but I can also understand where the owner is coming from

Didn't that guy build an extremely expensive practice facility near Akron, so that LeBron didn't have to travel too far to go practice?

Who knows that type of moves the Cavs would have made to add more players to the team this year - hell, they got a new coach, last year before the playoffs they added someone like an All-Star in Antwan Jamison

Tell me these numbers that he had while at Washington didn't look good, and that if you were the owner of the Cavs, you wouldn't have hesitated in bringing him in

41 games played, 8.5 total rebounds a game and 20.5 points per game

They brought in Telfair, got Ilgauskas back, so those are two big bodies to eat up minutes when Shaq is resting

Didn't that Cavs team last year have the best record in the NBA? SO just how many more people did he need? Maybe one? Can anyone say that the Cavs weren't going to get him that one player?

What was the record of the Heat when they won the NBA Championship against the Mavericks? Wasn't it basically one of the worst record of any team to win the championship, at 52-30?

Imagine if Dan Marino went somewhere else, simply b/c he couldn't win a championship with the Fins

I have a ton of respect for guys like Marino, Elway, Tony Gwynn, George Brett, John Stockton, etc. for sticking with their team and trying to win with that team

LeBron is no better than Gary Payton jumping ship to the Lakers to win a ring

How many years did Michael Jordan take his licks before he finally won a NBA Title? Seven, right?

How many years has LeBron been with the Cavs - eight, right? He's been to the Finals once, been to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals three times and the Eastern Conference Final once

Compare the two in their first 7 years

Jordan -
Lost Eastern Conference Finals (2)
Lost Eastern Conference Semis (1)
Lost Eastern Conference 1st Rd. (3)

LeBron-
Lost Finals (1)
Lost Eastern Conference Finals (1)
Lost Eastern Conference Semis (3)

That garbage that I see in the NHL, where a team might trade a player to another team so that they can possibly get their name on the Stanley Cup before they retire, simply b/c the team that is trading has no shot at the playoffs or whatever that season .... come on, that's weak

People are going to remember LeBron not sticking and leading his team in Cleveland to a ring

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117339359]

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000680986023#!/profile.php?id=1439296931&ref=ts

NICE...
12% looking good this year...Any Word on Where We Celebrating????

RCCF

[BEERicane]

LeBron is no better than Gary Payton jumping ship to the Lakers to win a ring

>>> FWIW, Payton got his ring with the Heat.

[CaneSniper]

I hope we are up on Ohio St by 34-0 at halftime just like we were on the cornsuckers in '02.
Welcome Seantrel. Good choice son...

[360Cane]

321,

You called it, you sneaky little bastard! LOL

Should we still hang onto Aug 3rd or is that it?

GO CANES!!!

[Sebastian]

When I read Dan Gilberts comments I couldnt help but laugh

It gets old when having to hear all those fake feeling speeches

He said what he felt

[Sebastian]

The start of a new dynasty

Its not the Heat

Its the `Canes that run the 305

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Who cares about stars, how many starts will a player log this year on OL is all I care about?

As for the third man;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H76DwHgOwpA

Wait, LeBron doesn't have a championship, and neither does Bosh, so Maybe Wade is Hollywood, LeBron is Big Sexy, and Bosh is the Bad Guy? No, the analogy is all mixed up then too, so go with Lebron as Hollywood, Wade as the Bad Guy, and of course Bosh as Big Sexy, but really, these three need to just turn heel and win 73 games to go to cool tweeners with the fans again and of course, the whole thing just reminds you Florida > Ohio.

[4-Real]

Not that it matters but Ja jaun Story moved up from 3-star to 4-star on scouts since committing 2 the terds.

[Sebastian]

Reports are saying that the Rangers came in late and traded for Cliff Lee

Very good news for the Rays, as he didnt go to the Yanks. At least until next year

[canesteeler]

Mr. Hendrson welcome to the family!

[Nashvillecane]

Posted by: Six | July 09, 2010 at 03:54 PM

WHAT HE SAID...lol...big 6 can I have permission to copy/past this statement and txt to all my friend who defend this turn coat?? Lol

[USAFCane]

Very surprised by LJ's choice. He'll win championships now but it will be tied to Wade. That will be his legacy. Got a feeling this might implode but not brfore at least one ring.

SH to Miami is a good get anyway you slice it. I'm feeling good about the Canes.

[CanesFanStuckInCali]

Posted by: CanesFanStuckInCali | July 08, 2010 at 12:51 AM

Great book isn't it!?

Posted by: DZ8 | July 09, 2010 at 02:49 PM

Excellent book!!! Makes me wanna buy a bunch of copies and mail it to all the Canes in my family who haven't read it. I can also sense the huge influence it had on The U 30 for 30 documentary. Really hope Feldman does a follow-up, though I have no idea if that is in the works.

Welcome to THE []_[] FAMILY Seantrel!!!

GO CANES!!!!!!!!

[SOUP]

321, You called it, you sneaky little bastard! LOL

Posted by: 360Cane | July 09, 2010 at 04:05 PM

He knows of thing he should not know.

I'm jus sayin'...

[404]

Welcome to the U Seantrel!!!:

Is Seantrel Henderson, above, the next Bryant McKinnie? (AP Images)
It’s not often we talk about recruiting here at Bodog because recruiting usually doesn’t affect a team’s immediate betting outlook. However, some recruits can step right in and contribute in a big way as true freshman. Seantrel Henderson, a 6-foot-8, 340-pound left tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minn., appears likely to be one of those aforementioned freshmen.

The mammoth Henderson signed with the University of Miami on Friday and probably will step right in as a starter on a UM offensive line that lost three starters from last season. Henderson, considered by some the top overall recruit (and certainly offensive lineman) in the Class of 2010, originally committed to Southern Cal months ago. But he said he only did that because Trojans coach Lane Kiffin assured him that USC wouldn’t be severely punished by the NCAA for the whole Reggie Bush scandal. Well, Kiffin was very wrong as the school was hammered by the NCAA, including a two-year bowl ban. Juniors and seniors on USC can transfer anywhere without penalty because of those sanctions, but the school didn’t have to release let Henderson and he would have had to sit out a year if he went to another I-A school. But the Trojans did let him go and he became the most highly touted lineman to ever sign with the Hurricanes, who are currently 18/1 on Bodog’s NCAA futures odds to win the national title. It has been quite a 24 hours or so for sports fans in South Florida!

Miami had a recruiting class ranked already No. 14 by Scout.com and No. 16 by Rivals.com, but Henderson’s arrival (he’s already academically eligible) should move the Canes into the Top 10. Look for him to be the starting left tackle when UM takes the field for its opener Sept. 2 against Florida A&M. If the Canes can then win at Ohio State on Sept. 11, the sky could be the limit for this talented team.

Get your Miami Hurricanes news and odds at Bodog

[CanesFanStuckInCali]

New ESPN video clip on TB:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=5365427

GO CANES!!!!

[CanesFanStuckInCali]

Posted by: 404 | July 09, 2010 at 06:17 PM

Thanks 404!

I doubt SH will "probably will step right in as a starter on a UM offensive line." Maybe he'd do a good job, but it doesn't seem to be Miami's style to do that, mainly because of the preference for seniority and to protect younger players from getting hurt. He would also have to learn the playbook hella fast since he's showing up on Aug. 3 and gameday is a mere month away.

However, I do see Seantrel being in the rotation right away, with the possibility that he'll be starting by the mid to end of the season.

Very excited about this addition!!! Hopefully we can get LA involved too.

GO CANES!!!

[4-Real]

Seantrel Henderson a.k.a. BIG DADDY CANE!!!

[Canez1]

I think one OFranklin might have a thing or two about SH coppin his spot.

I hope it get's nasty in practice with these battles.

Nothing fired up a practice like a good brawl in the summer heat.

That would be a battle of titans right there.

I still think SH has a ways to go to get academically cleared here so I am not holding my breathe. These last minute issues usually die at the clearinghouse more often than not.

GO CANEZ!!!!!

[SATXcanefan]

Someone let me know if they can help me with 3 OSU tickets? I have to go to this game! Thanks!

Welcome Seantrel! I met him at the Army All-American game in San Antonio and my buddy flashed him his 89 national title ring and we told him that if he wanted to win one of these for himself, he would need to sign with the U. He just laughed and we moved on... :)