Preseason Coaches Poll is out...

[The Ancient Enemy]

Make your case how a team who loses 10 defensive starters should be ranked number 1 in the country.

Because they have Ingram and Richardson? Only one of them can carry the ball. They are not 1st round defensive tackles, they play offensive where 1 of them gets the football per play. Losing 10 on defense and ranking them number one is nothing more than everyone playing the "star game" with Alabama's recruiting. If nothing else, this is the definitive example of how over the top media coverage of high school recruiting has now OFFICIALLY hurt college football. Pathetic.

[Crimson09Crazy]

Haha having Richardson wasn't really my argument. But dude Alabama's record the past two seasons, 8 starters on offense including their QB,RB,and WR, and they are the Champs till they are knocked off.

Okay if Ohio State was coming off a championship 13-0 season with only 1 defensive starter, but had Terrelle Pryor coming off a Heisman, and all the skilled position players back.....They would be #1. Rankings have a lot of favoritism and the SEC and defending National Champs always get that.



Sorry but why are you trying to make it like im crazy for thinking they are #1? Everyone in the country has them at #1 except The Ancient Enemy on Bleachercoaches.com

[deliverance]

Alabama is stacked on offense. McElroy can only improve. They have the two headed monster at running back in Ingram and Richardson. Let's not forget to mention that they have Julio Jones. As far as their defense is concerned, Saban is a defensive guru, so I wouldn't be too concerned about how many players they lost on defense. Will they go undefeated? Probably not. However, they definitely deserve to start the season at #1.

[The Ancient Enemy]

I'm not sold. You cannot tell me, no matter how great the offense is, that a team losing TEN OF ELEVEN on defense deserves that ranking.

What does OSU return?

[Crimson09Crazy]

6 including Cam Heyward and Chimidi Chekwa.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Here's the deal. We know that ONE KID on Alabama's defense is solid, b/c he started on a national title defense. How are we not MASSIVELY CONCERNED with the rest of that defense? They could end up with the WORST defense in the SEC if those inexperienced kids dont pan out! Thats my gripe. If you are going to force feed us some bull**** preseason ranking that shouldn't even exist, at least make it fair. The number one team going into this season, as much as I hate saying this, is Ohio State!

[Coach]

TAE, I thought when you did rankings in the past you had rules and I thought one of the rules was that you are the champ until someone beats you. If that wasn't a rule, what were they?

[The Ancient Enemy]

I do still believe that's the way it should be, but that's NOT the way the coaches vote or the AP or whoever else. They've voted Alabama number one based on hype, not by objective facts.

Look at it like this... let's disregard special teams for one second. Football is two parts, offense and defense. Both would make up 50% each, right? So even if Alabama's offense was hitting 100% efficiency and scored TDs virtually every possession, that's still only EVER going to be 50% of the game. Okay, well, they have McElroy, Jones, and Ingram, so let's say they are at 50% (which would be saying their offense is stellar).

What about the other 50%? They return one starter.

We all know Alabama has great recruiting under Saban, but are we star-gazing? I just don't see how you can look at Ohio State and Alabama and say that Alabama has more potential.

And isn't "potential" all we are basing these idiotic preseason rankings off of? Then what about Miami, why aren't they number 3?

[Crimson09Crazy]

But the thing is, OSU having 6 starters back on D is no guarantee that it's a good defense.
Heyward can break his leg today. And the 5 other returning starters, might have just fed off of the players from last year. So youre right it is all politics, the rankings are always going to have somebody unhappy. It's part of the game. I've completely bought youre argument about OSU being #1. They have a good reason to be there. But so does Alabama. I'm sorry, but having those guys on offense fresh off a perfect season......Its the way it is. They are going to be ranked #1. Ohio State has an excellent case too. either way they are 1-2 clearly. anything after that is a guess.




Who knows we might have 4-5 different #1 ranked teams this year? Just as long as Boise isn't one of them, I'll be okay

[The Ancient Enemy]

Alabama is 1 injury away from replacing all 11 defensive starters from 2009. That doesn't concern you at all?