Each year as the college football magazines start hitting the newsstands, and the sports websites release their preseason rankings, Steve Helwagen of Bucknuts.com compiles the "Preseason Consensus Poll", and updates it as new polls are added to the running average.
With eight early polls included, here's how the preseason Top Ten looks for the 2005 season, with last year's record in parentheses:
1. USC (13-0)
2. Texas (11-1)
3. Tennessee (10-3)
4. Ohio State (8-4)
5. Michigan (9-3)
6. Iowa (10-2)
7. Oklahoma (9-3)
8. Florida (7-5)
9. Virginia Tech (10-3)
10. LSU (9-3)
One lesson to be taken from this information for us Buckeye fans (aside from its utter preseason meaninglessness) is not to get too cocky with a Top 4 ranking, since a lot of people think Iowa and/or Michigan are just as good or better than the Bucks. It's also sobering to realize that Ohio State will have to play three of the other five teams listed in the top six (not counting a possible matchup with USC in the Rose Bowl-National Championship Game).
One thing is fairly predictable. The winner of the OSU-Texas game on the evening of September 10 in Columbus will probably be ranked 2nd in the country, and the loser that night could see their title hopes fade away before the leaves even turn brown. That game will also kick off the Heisman Trophy race, as two of the top four contenders, Texas QB Vince Young, and Buckeye sophomore Ted Ginn Jr. flash their stuff with the nation watching in prime time. Other ticket-seekers I've talked to tell me the asking price is already in the $400-500 range for the Longhorns game, too rich for me to see most any football game in person, with the possible exception of the aforementioned affair in Pasadena.
I guess we should see if the Buckeyes beat Miami(OH) on September 3 before we start checking E-Bay for Rose Bowl seats.
Posted by dan at May 27, 2005 12:16 AM