Top 25

It is that time again when everyone tries to predict the outcome of the next year and put together their top 25. I think we all know that there is a good chance ( especially after seeing the chaos of last year) that over half of my top ten could be out of the top 25 come December, but that is why I have tried to incorporate there schedule and depth. Let’s just call this Davey’s pre season prediction of the final top 25. Just for a reference this was the preseason top 10 and the final rankings from last Year

Pre season Final
1.USC LSU

2.LSU Georgia

3. Texas USC

4. Florida Missouri
5. Wisconsin Ohio State
6. Ohio State West Virginia

7. Oklahoma Kansas

8. Arkansas Oklahoma

9. UCLA Virginia Tech

10. Michigan Texas


1. USC –Yes going against the grain a little by putting USC number 1. Who would have thought that putting USC in this day and age would be going against the grain. Their one question mark is going to be Sanchez, but with the recent track record of USC quarterbacks (Palmer, Leinart, Booty) I’ll trust Carroll he can do the job. If they can get by Ohio State in the Coliseum, then no one will stop them.

2. West Virginia- Your right Go Mountaineers! I still remember what this team under there new coach with all the pressure of a BCS game did against Oklahoma. They do lose Steve Slaton this year but have you seen his replacement Noel Devine ( who runs a 4.3 40) He is the next big thing, watch out Moreno. Coupled with a weak Big East schedule and the entire offensive line returning look for White, Devine and Company to be atop the polls come Bowl time.

3. Georgia- A national title contender yes, but there is a lot more than just having the talent and potential in this BCS world. They come off there 7 game winning streak that they ended last year on losing almost no one of importance. I would have no problem putting them in the number 1 spot except for there schedule. They play at South Carolina, at Arizona State, Florida at a Neutral site, at LSU and at Auburn, and then potentially in the SEC championship game. I don’t care if you have the better team if you have 2 losses come the end of the season then you aren’t going to play in the national Championship game. They will be fun to watch however, but I would be surprised if they can get through that schedule un scathed.

4. Ohio St. -Two BCS blow outs, third times a Charm? With practically everyone returning except DE Gholston you can’t help but put them in the hunt. If they do get tripped up watch for it at USC, at Wisconsin and at Illinois.

5. Oklahoma- With this team people maybe talking about their QB Bradford but games are won in the trenches and with OG Duke Robinson, OT Phil Loadholt and the rest of the experienced linemen, look for Bradford to have all day in the pocket. With Texas Tech and Kansas at home look for another good year from Stoop’s boys.

6. Florida- Percy Harvin, if you need another one Emmanuel Booty and yet another only Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. With a year of experience under their belts the defense should be able to keep up with the offense a little. They must improve on the worst pass defense in the SEC, but I feel confidant that with a little improvement a year of experience gives, they will ride the coat tails of the Tebow to Harvey train all the way to Jan first.

7. Texas Tech- Defense wins championships right? Not in Lubbock. Graham Harrell and the number 2 offense in the country will return almost everyone except for WR Danny Amendola, so look for another repeat of that stat. All five Offensive lineman are returning as well which only adds to the threat. The game in Norman in on November 22nd should be for the Big 12 Championship, so mark it on your calendars.

8. Missouri- This is a loaded team with 9 returning starters on defense and almost everyone back on offense as well look for them to build momentum from last season. We will find out soon if this team is for real or if they were one hit wonders when in week one they play Illinois in St. Louis. Put your money on Heisman finalist Chase Daniels as he is a proven winner (he played at Southlake Carroll in Texas you know)

9. Auburn – All five starters are returning on the offensive line (are you noticing a trend?) They need the experience there, as they will be switching to a spread offense under new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. They have a slew of great running backs, returning, and 6 of 7 in the defensive backfield. Look for a strong showing in the SEC and a top ten finish for Tommy Tuberville.

10. Clemson- This should be their year Cullen Harper is a stud at QB and their tandem of James Davis and C.J. Spiller will dominate the ACC. If they can get past Alabama in week one look for the annual rival game against South Carolina to mean a lot this year come December.

11. Wisconsin-Wisconsin is once again playing in a depleted Big Ten. Watch for the 4 returning starters from the line and P.J hill and company to run all over the Big ten this year. They have Ohio State and Penn State at home the 2 biggest contenders in the Big Ten this year, and Camp Randall is a tough place to play. They might just get both of those and at least one. They do need to be aware of a potential slip up the 3rd week of the season when they play at Fresno St, a Fresno State that Pat Hill will have ready to play.

12. Penn State- Everyone is back on the Oline and they return 9 starters on defense. The loss of Dan Conner will hurt, but they should still be a solid D. They have a bit of a QB competition but with three solid WRs of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood who ever is throwing should be ok. They do play at Ohio State and at Wisconsin which should give them 2 losses but I don’t see anyone else on the schedule who should beat them.

13. LSU just because Snoop dawg jumped on the LSU band wagon as the next big thing doesn’t mean I am. They lost to many people from their national championship team from a year ago ( Bo Pelini the defensive coordinator, Stud lineman Glenn Dorsey, outside linebackers Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders along with safety Craig Steltz and corner Chevis Jackson at defense, and WR Early Doucet, QB Matt Flynn, and big bruising RB Jacob Hester on offense) There are just too many questions to be in the SEC and succeed this year sorry Snoop, stick to the Trojans.

14. BYU- The days of Lavell are back in Provo. Max Hall passed for more yards than any other sophomore in the NCAA last year. Unlike the teams of old they also had a top 15 Defense. They return the 4 of the 5 offensive linemen and freshmen phenom Harvey Unga will have another 1,000 yard season. They have a lot of holes on defense they lost Brian Kehl to the Draft and all 4 starters in the secondary. If there defense can hold up there offense looks only to improve on a stellar year. BCS? I think so.

15. ASU- The Sun Devil offense gets QB Rudy Carpenter back, along with RBs Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance. However their line performed poorly last year and they lose three starters from that squad. If they can give Carpenter time they should fare well this year. They do however have Georgia at home and have to go to the Coliseum this year that is at least 2 losses.

16. Kansas- At Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech at home. Three teams they didn’t play last year, don’t expect only 1 loss this season again or you will be very disappointed. Reising is a solid QB but they will have to replace CB Aqib Talib and there #1 receiver. Look for a little bit of a let down from last season but still a trip to a nice bowl.

17. Texas- They will struggle with having to replace all there DB’s but if new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has anything to say about this defense then they’ll return to those hard hitting Horns. Colt McCoy still just doesn’t cut it for me, he doesn’t seem to have the confidence I expect from a Mac Brown QB. They should still be strong however and be another tough team in the already tough Big 12.

18. Tennessee- At Auburn, at Georgia, and at South Carolina welcome to the SEC this will be a good team this year, but they will have a tough time getting out of the SEC with less than 3 losses. They do have all their Oline returning along with the entire receiving core and secondary. They will have to find a QB to replace Erik Ainge, but if I had to predict a record for this team I would say 8-4

19. Oregon- This Team was a one man squad last year being on the cusp of a number 1 ranking only to lose Denis Dixon and their hopes. They did finally find a leader in the their Bowl game when Justin Roper emerged as legitimate QB. They lost Jonathan Stewart, but have all of their receiving core back along with pass rusher extraordinar Nick Reed. They have some holes to fill in the defense but if Roper can play like he did in the Bowl game than expect some good things from this Oregon team. They do have to go to ASU and USC however, but the Pac-10 is a little weaker this year and so Oregon should benefit from that.

20. Virginia Tech- Beamer Ball will be in question as only 4 starter return from a defense that lead the ACC for the 3rd straight year. But this is Beamer Ball and they should be good regardless. Once again the ACC is weak this year and they have no one on there non conference schedule you can chalk up 9 wins right now just because of that.

21. Florida State- Drew Weatherford to Greg Carr will become familiar to you by the end of the season. Look for that tandem to carry the Seminoles far this year. The defense hasn’t been the source of the moans in Tallahasse the last few years and look for that trend to continue as the defense gets back eight starters including S Myron Rolle and LB Derek Nicholson.

22. Alabama- One thing Nick Saban is good at is recruiting, and that is why he isn’t a NFL guy anymore. He now has 2 recruiting classes under his belt including a stellar one from this year. Look for Bama to improve on it’s poor end to last season. (Finished 1-4)They also should have a great line this year to give John Parker Wilson some time and create some huge holes. Look for a 10 win season in Tuscaloosa Rolltide.

23. Michigan – Did you see this team beat Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators last year. This is a whole new team. Why? Here is one simple answer, I believe in Rich Rodriguez.

24. South Carolina- Yes the SEC is loaded this year, and yes the Gamecocks fell apart at the end of the Year, and Yes they have to go to Death Valley at the end of the Year, but this is a good team. Spurrieris still the Coach, and with QB Chris Smelley, WR Kenny McKinley, and RB Mike Davis coming back they should be able to score some points, 4 of the 5 starters on the line will be back along with all the key players on defense. Look for the cocks to surprise a few people. Remember this team beat Georgia at home last year and this year they get them at Williams Brice.

25. Illinois- Anybody want some Juice. A solid team all around and with Juice they are a legit threat to the rest of the Big Ten.

Top 25
1. Georgia - They won't go undefeated but they have the most talent
2. Missouri- Chase Daniels and Jeremy Maclin are the two best players people don't talk about
3. USC - their good but how good will Mark Sanchez be
4. Florida- Tim Tebow is good
5. Ohio State- Can easily go undefeated in conference but at USC in their second game will give them 1 loss
6. Oklahoma- Sam Bradford and a stingy defense can propel the Sooners to a Big 12 --- title
7. West Virginia- Who needs Rich Rodriguez when you have Pat White and Noel Devine, besides USF a pretty easy Big East schedule
8. LSU- They did win the national championship last year and the loss of Periloux could be a blessing in disguise
9. Clemson- Best team in the ACC and an experienced offense ready to live up to expectations
10. Wisconsin- P.J Hill will carry this team on his back and make people think of Ron Dayne
11. Texas- Colt McCoy is still at QB and a tandem of RB's with my favorite Foswhitt "Fozzy" Whitaker will have people hookin their horns
12. Kansas- They play football in Kansas? Yes they do, and need to build off of last year’s success
13. Auburn- If their offense can hang they'll be good because their D is loaded with 1st day draft picks
14. Va Tech- Their D is always good and with Sr QB Sean Glennon leading the offense can jump up the rankings
15. Zona State- Rudy Carpenter will shine like the hot Arizona sun and give USC a run for the Pac 10 title, and maybe give Georgia its first loss
16. BYU- They aren’t in the BCS but their good and will bring the cougars back to the olden days and make a BCS game
17. Illinois- I like Juice Williams and Coach Ron Zook is doing a great job. Huge game first week against Missouri will set tone for the season
18. Texas Tech- These boys can score and they have the best receiver in college in Michael Crabtree. The question is their defense.
19. Oregon- No Dennis Dixon but they have a stellar D which is uncommon in the Pac 10.
20. Tennessee- New Offensive coordinator with a spread offense will at least make the VOLS games fun to watch
21. Wake Forest- This team has been a surprise the last few years and look for them to continue to play solid ball
22. South Florida- If Matt Grothe keeps his mo-hawk watch out for another great season from the green and gold
23. Michigan- I think it will take a year to grip Rich Rodriguez's new system but this is Michigan and 100,000 screaming fans will help any team
24. Utah- watch out for their QB Brian Johnson he is athletic and has a good arm which could give the Wolverines a tough match up in week one
25. Boise State- They still have Ian Johnson even if he is married now he alone can lead this team to a WAC title.

Why No One Should Want to Play the Trojans in 2008 - Defense - Part 2: Taylor Mays

All I can say is, if you're a wide receiver on an opposing team that wants to go across the middle of the field, make it good because that might be your last play of the night. Mays is to receivers and tight-ends as Everson Griffen is to quarterbacks. This guy is a predator on the field. When the USC strength coach (Chris Carlisle) was asked if he has ever see anything that big, move that fast he responded, "Maybe when I walked by the cheetah cage at the wildlife park."

Taylor Mays is 6'3", 230 lbs, 6% body fat, and runs the 40 in 4.32 seconds. That's not a made up or fabricated number folks. That was electronically timed. He's been timed in the past in the 4.2's.

Here's an interesting clip about him from an Oregon paper:

"UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano was fresh from Dennis Erickson's San Francisco 49ers staff when he first set eyes on Mays, then attending O'Dea High School.
"He looked like they do on Sunday when we recruited him," Lappano told reporters this week. "When he walked into this place two years ago and they said he was in high school -- we didn't have guys with the 49ers who looked like that.""

Take a look at this video. Remember, Craig Stevens is 6'5, 254 lbs.



Enjoy the 2008 season Trojans. For those who play the Trojans, enjoy every game but the one against the Trojans.

Why No One Should Want to Play the Trojans in 2008 - Defense - Part 1: Everson Griffen

It's cliche, but there's really no other way to say it. This guy is a quarterback's nightmare.

Not too many of USC's talented recruits get to play their freshman year, let alone make an impact. Griffen was one of those exceptional few last year, and he proved he was worthy. As a true freshman he played in all 13 games. In those 13 games, Griffen tallied 5.5 TFL's (all of them sacks), 2 FF, 1 FR, and 2 deflections. Here are some of the accolades decorating his Royal Badness after the 2007 season:

* 2007 Sporting News Freshman All-American first team
* Football Writers Freshman All-American first team
* Rivals.com Freshman All-American first team
* Scout.com Freshman All-American first team
* Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American second team
* Sporting News Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year
* All-Pac-10 honorable mention pick.

Now, take a good look at him folks...
































Griffen is 6' 3.5", 270 lbs, and what do you think he should run the 40 in? 4.8, 4.7? 4.65 would be plenty quick, right? Dude runs the forty in 4.46! Forgive the crudeness, but that's enough to make the toughest quarterback's butt pucker!

This is what Coach Carrol had to say about him: "He's fast, really fast at getting to the quarterback."
-Notice how Pete corrects himself: "he's fast, REALLY FAST..."

So, we know he's a freakish combination of size, strength, and speed (incidentally, his nickname is "the freak"). That's intimidating in and of itself. Beyond this though, why should he be feared more than other (if there are any right now) freak-diculous D-ends?

Well, to be quite honest, some of his saturday religious-beliefs scare me a little bit too. Listen to one of the ways he thinks about heaven -when asked about making sacks:

"I don't know how to explain it, because it's the greatest feeling in the world. When you're coming off the edge and the quarterback doesn't see you, it's like a free shot to heaven."

"Oh... ye opposing quarterbacks of the 2008 Trojans, say thine prayers before we meeteth! For mine beastlyness hath been awakened, and thou standeth in the way of my 2008 National Championship ring!"
-Book of Griffen 1:1

Top Reasons Why No One Should want to play USC in 2008

REVENGE
In 2006 and 2007, USC was left out of the National Championship for losing two games (each season) that they should not have. -People might argue that Oregon was the exception. Well, if John David Booty was playing, and Brian Cushing wasn't sidelined, it would have been a whole different story.

The Trojans know that it was only their stupid mistakes that lost those games. When they are determined to win a game, they come as close to invincible as a college team can. The only caveat to that would be Vince Young. USC's got some demons to exercise in 2008, and frankly, I'm a little frightened for those who have to line up against them. For example, USC had a couple teams to get some revenge on in 2007: Oregon State and UCLA. The Trojans did a nice job beating up on both.

This 2008 season, the whole NCAAF should be shakin' in there spikes. And no SEC, you're no exception. Bring on Stafford and Moreno, or Tebow (he'd have a better chance). I don't think I need to remind you about Arkansas and highly touted McFadden, but I will anyway- 70-17 in the Colosseum, then 50-14 in Arkansas. Don't get me wrong though...I completely agree that the SEC is probably the toughest conference to play in. I will also agree that the PAC-10 is not the hardest (though it is tougher than most of the -ahem...- BCS conferences.



USC is just a dominant force. Even more disconcerting, now they're a dominant force with something to prove. Look out... Everybody! This article might ruffle a few feathers, but just be happy you're not getting your bell rung by a legion of ticked-off Trojans.

USC VA. VIRGINA

USC should win this game pretty handily, but it is the first game of the season and USC has to break in a new starting QB and four new offensive linemen. Pete Carroll said, “The biggest question mark in our program is who will be the starters on the offensive line.” “It might take a while to sort out, and we might start by rotating guys.” For many other schools that could mean real trouble, but this is USC and it’s a little easier to fill holes when you have a plethora of five star recruits.



Lucky for these linemen they have Joe McKnight running behind them, the type of RB you want and try harder to block for. Check that—Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable, Stafon Johnson, Marc Tyler, Broderick Green, and Allen Bradford are the types of RB’s you want to block for. Many thought the receiver corps would be a weak point in 2008, but the returners have a year of experience and don't be too surprised if Arkansas transfer Damian Williams makes an instant impact as well. Also, watch for Joe McKnight lining up more in the receiver spot. Coah Pete Carrol stated at the Pac-10 media day that Joe runs better receiver routes than Reggie Bush did.

Their D line like their O line will be revamped with the loss of two first round draft picks: Lawrence Jackson and Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Year Sedrick Ellis. Fili Moala and Kyle Moore will hold the fort down in the trenches as the other starters emerge. The line may not be as good as last year but there is no need to fear because USC is loaded with one of the Nations best linebacker groups, staring Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, and the stud of studs Rey Maualuga. I would rather wrestle a starving crocodile than get hit by Maualuga. Hey, guess what?! USC’s secondary is good too, with pre season All American Safety Taylor Mays leading the group, look for this D to allow little numbers on the scoreboard.

So, USC is good, we all know that, but I’m going to tell you why USC could still lose this game. It’s in Virginia and Scott Stadium will be packed with rowdy fans who want to see an upset. USC has a new QB and 4 new offensive linemen and hopefully Chris long taught his former D-linemen how to pressure and sack a quarterback. USC plays Ohio State next. Hopefully for Virginia the Trojans look past them towards their big match up against the Buckeyes. Hey, they over-looked Stanford and with all their talent lost.

Hey, I can’t make up any more reasons because I don’t think there is. Virginia lost their starting QB Jameel Sewell for academic reasons and has four guys vying for the starting spot, which is never good. The Cavaliers have excellent linebackers lead by three seniors who all had over 60 tackles last year. The man to watch out for though is Virginia’s WR Kevin Ogletree. He will put up some stats and keep it close for maybe 2 quarters, hopefully the whole game. USC is too good and Virginia lost too many good players.



PREDICTION
USC VIRGINIA
38 17