SportsNet college football Preseason Top 25 poll

I don’t know if you all realize this, but the start of the college football season is less than 100 days away.

Heck, I didn’t even realize that myself. I learned this unbelievably good news last Tuesday as I sat in the clubhouse of LaTour Country Club and scoured over a delicious Cuban po-boy.

But I’m not here to talk about yummy food – we’ll save that for another day. I’m here to talk about the world’s finest sporting spectacle – college football.

Sure, the NFL is great. But the game is commercialized and parity and safety precautions have gone too far.

There’s just nothing like the college game. One just simply cannot beat the bands, the rivalries, the fans and the fact that if one loses a regular season game, their season is pretty much over.

Unless of course, if you’re Alabama. Then you get to play an opponent however many times it takes to beat them for all of the marbles.

Am I still bitter?

You be the judge.

But one thing I don’t like about college football are preseason polls.

Sure, they generate excitement and give us something to talk about in May when we are already sick of baseball.

But does anyone really and truly know who will be college football’s best team will be right now?

I care to say that the expert’s opinions right now are more like guesses and less like accurate prognostications.

But regardless of my opinion, media moguls like ESPN will still infect our minds with their rankings and will feed us who the top teams will be in 2012.

What this will do is influence the real polls once they come out in July and August.

In turn, what that will do is shape the way the 2012 season plays out. It sounds trivial, but Auburn missed the national championship game in 2004, despite going undefeated in SEC play.

Why?

Because they were ranked far below Oklahoma and USC (the two teams in the championship game) in the preseason polls

The Tigers had a tougher schedule than both foes and arguably had a more impressive resume.

But they sat at home when the big game was played because someone decided in June that they weren’t in the championship picture.

Sounds fair to you?

It surely doesn’t sound fair to me.

But as we stated above, no matter what I do or say in this column, the predictions will still come out to pollute the viewing world’s minds.

So like they say, if you can’t beat them, join them, right?

Here’s the official Tri-Parish Times Preseason Top 25 Poll.

This is the first time I’ve done one of these.

It just may be the last.

So enjoy it while you can.

College football is less than 100 days away.

Hooray Saturday nights in Death Valley (or insert your team’s stadium here).

Top 25 Poll:

25. Texas – The Longhorns cannot possibly be down for much longer, can they? The past few years have been embarrassing for such a storied program.

24. Notre Dame – The Irish really need to find a quarterback – a sore spot in recent years. Even if they do, Notre Dame faces a hellacious schedule.

23. Mississippi State – The Bulldogs continue their slow, but steady climb up the charts. I see no reason to believe this won’t be another solid year in Starkville.

22. Florida – The Gators have too many playmakers to rank No. 105 in college football in total offense. Florida has to fix that to take the next step under Will Muschamp.

21. Wisconsin – The Badgers do return Montee Ball, which is a major plus. But losing Russell Wilson will be a bigger blow than people realize.

20. Boise State – The Broncos probably shouldn’t be in the Top 25 without Kellen Moore. I’ll give them some love based on their reputation as an elite program.

19. Nebraska – Bo Pelini is this season’s Mark Richt. If he doesn’t win in a big way, this could be his final season anchoring the talented Cornhuskers.

18. Stanford – The Cardinal arguably lost more star power than anyone to the NFL Draft last season. Without virtually half their 2011-12 squad, the Cardinal won’t be a national threat.

17. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys are so fun to watch in their high-paced system. But losing Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will hurt the team in its quest to win the Big 12 again.

16. Virginia Tech – Most pollsters have the Hokies either unranked or in the bottom of the Top 25. I’ll give them a few steps up just because I trust coach Frank Beamer to overachieve – he always does.

15. Kansas State – The Wildcats have the best player in college football that you’ve never heard of. Collin Klein is an absolute monster cut from the same cloth as Tim Tebow. Anyone who has 3,000 yards of offense and 40 touchdowns can get that treatment.

14. Ohio State – The Buckeyes have no business being on this list talent-wise. But new coach Urban Meyer will deliver them enough wins to make their meeting with Michigan into a real thriller.

13. Michigan – Les Miles got a lot of love for the job he did at LSU last year. But fellow Michigan man Brady Hoke was my coach of the year in 2011. He did a lot to revamp the Wolverines into a legitimate threat.

12. TCU – I know it’s a shock for me to rank a mid-major this high. But the Horned Frogs have graduated from to the big boy table with their jump to the Big 12. Prove me right, TCU, or you’ll never be given love from me ever again.

11. Michigan State – This has more to do with me believing the Big 10 will have a down season more than it does with the Spartans. Sure, they’ll be a solid team. But they score well in my poll mostly because they are the best of a mediocre bunch in the Midwest.

10. Arkansas – I would have the Razorbacks ranked in the Top 5 if not for Bobby Petrino’s shenanigans. Now, they are a Top 10 team that seems destined to struggle to live up to that ranking.

9. Oregon – Coach Chip Kelly is a genius. It is a real honor for them to be ranked in the Top 10, despite losing LaMichael James and Darron Thomas – two of the best players in the history of the program.

8. West Virginia – The Mountaineers will only get better under Dana Holgorsen. Having Geno Smith back for another year will make West Virginia a real sleeper for the national championship.

7. South Carolina – If Conner Shaw continues to blossom, the Gamecocks could be the most complete team in the entire SEC. I really hope the sporting world appreciates the job Steve Spurrier has done to turn this program around when creating his post-retirement legacy.

6. Florida State – I admit the Seminoles are probably a bit high on the list. I can’t help it. I’m a closet Florida State fan. Homer or not, the ‘Noles have a lot of talent, which makes them the favorites in the ACC.

5. USC – Some have the Trojans ranked No. 1. Starter-for-starter, they just may be. But the Trojans’ depth chart is NCAA-depleted and it is just unrealistic to think a thin team will go undefeated in modern college football.

4. Alabama – At the NFL Draft, seemingly half the players selected were Alabama guys. That speaks volumes to Nick Saban’s recruiting. That also prevents them from being preseason No. 1. With so many first-year starters, it’ll be tough to defend the national championship.

3. Georgia – Last season Georgia reached the SEC Championship Game with a porous running game. If they improve that and achieve balance in 2012, look out. One has to remember the Dawgs don’t play LSU, Alabama or Arkansas during the regular season, which will again prove to be one of the most unfair schedules in all of college football.

2. Oklahoma – If I were picking a preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy, I’d have to go with Landry Jones. With the gunslinger under center and a down Big 12, I don’t see much that can stop the Sooners from going undefeated.

1. LSU – Just like with Florida State, feel free to call me a homer. I don’t care. The Tigers are loaded. With depth at every position and a hunger to overcome their BCS National Championship failure, I expect LSU to be absolute monsters this season. Having the ability to throw the ball a little won’t hurt, right? With a lighter schedule than in 2011 and just as much talent, I expect the Tigers to roar.