So welcome to the first annual college football preview for 2007. I have been pouring over scouting reports of all 119 Division I schools for days and days in preparation for this post. And by that I mean I've been watching ESPN for about a week. But I am one of those dudes that relies solely on gut instinct. I try not to over-analyze this kind of stuff. Either way these aren't Dan Patrick's picks. His are guaranteed to go wrong, as he always says. Mine are pretty much guaranteed to go right. So place your bets gents, here is how it's going to go down.
5-Wisconsin
The Badgers are riding a nine game winning streak from last season. They have a large portion of their starters back from last season, where they finished 12-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. Their defense is the strength of the team. Coming back are LBs Jonathon Casillas & DeAndre Levy, who dominated at their positions last season. Casillas will become a household name in college football this season. They are the anchor of that defense. With this defense and RB PJ Hill carrying the offensive load this next year, the Badgers are in a prime position to take the Big Ten title. It will come down to one game with the Wolverines.
4-Texas
The Longhorns' sophomore quarterback has pretty much the coolest name in all of college football. Colt McCoy. Is there any better name for a star QB? And a star QB in Texas for that matter. Other than his name, he's got a lot going for him. This year will be even stronger than the season he had last year, when he won Offensive Freshman of the Year. McCoy has his top 4 receivers back with him, and RB Jamaal Charles should be breaking out this year. The Longhorns are reloading after taking the year off last year to break in their QB1. By the way, it really hurts to put Texas this high in the rankings after their sham win over USC back in the Vince Young days, but this post isn't about who I like and who I don't like.
3-LSU
The Tigers are going to be having a "rebuilding" season of sorts. JaMarcus Russell is gone to the NFL, along with stars at receiver and safety. 5th year senior Matt Flynn steps into the role of QB1 this year, with a little bit of experience under his belt. His performance in the 2005 Peach Bowl is what he is best remembered by. With Russell on the bench, he came in and led the Tigers to a 40-3 stomping of Miami. He will be good but not great. Their coach Les Miles, has already said that he has a problem with USC. But unfortunately for him, USC is in another class all together.
2-Michigan
No one in the country has a better, more experienced trio of offensive studs than Henne, Hart & Manningham. The trouble with the Wolverines is their defense. Not as strong this year as it was last year. Last year the defense was the star of the team, holding opponents to an average of 12 pts a game. This year, they won't be so lucky. Still they have scheduling on their side, with most of their toughest games coming at home. The one true test will be playing Wisconsin on the road in Camp Randall. That game may very well be the one that decides the Big Ten champ.
1-USC
There is no question about this team this year. Every position on their team is stacked full of talent. Word is that they have 10 (yes TEN) running backs who were all stars on their high school teams. Recruits are coming in from all over the country just to have a chance to star at "Tailback U." Damn, would I love to be Pete Carroll these days. Their linebacking core is the strongest in all of college football, with Muauluga as the anchor. I don't see the Trojans letting anyone beat them this year, like what happened with Oregon State and then UCLA last year. If anyone beats them, it will probably be the Trojans that lose it, rather than the other team somehow outplaying them. Their game against Oregon State will actually be the closest that anyone gets to beating them all year. Any way you slice it, USC is going to cruise.
