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Home > ajcsportstalk > Archives > 2008 > February > 09
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Should Dogs be No. 1 in preseason?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just 30 more Saturdays until another college football season kicks off at Sanford Stadium.
What are the odds that Matthew Stafford and Georgia will go into that Aug. 30 opener against Georgia Southern as the nation’s top-ranked team?
As we await the start of spring practice, we asked a few experts who they had atop their early fall ballots.
Georgia? Southern Cal? West Virginia? Missouri? None of the above?
NEAL McCREADY, AP Top 25 voter (Mobile Press-Register)
“I’d vote Georgia No. 1 today for a myriad of reasons. First and foremost, the Bulldogs have balance on offense. Stafford’s mistakes are going to be fewer and more far between as a junior, and Knowshon Moreno has the talent and personality to build an offense around. Mark [Richt] has recruited at such a high level over the past few seasons, and that depth of talent — as LSU proved last season — ultimately wins out. I love Georgia’s schedule. Tennessee goes to Athens, as does Alabama, and UGA isn’t going to be intimidated by Florida anymore. [Southern Cal] has to replace a quarterback and there is scandal hanging over that program. Everything lines up for Georgia.”
ERIC HANSEN, AP Top 25 voter (South Bend Tribune)
“I think there are a whole lot of teams that could make a pretty legitimate claim to be the preseason No. 1. Having said that, I’m going to go with Ohio State, in spite of their underwhelming performance against LSU in New Orleans. I think [Butkus Award-winning linebacker] James Laurinaitis coming back was key. I think they’ll be the best defensive team in the country and will be much improved offensively. The Sept. 13 matchup at USC is going to have a lot to say about the national title race. Otherwise, the schedule is favorable, with Penn State and an in-transition Michigan team at home. Potential pitfalls are at Wisconsin and at Illinois.”
BRUCE FELDMAN (ESPN The Magazine)
“I like Georgia for No. 1 at this point. The Dawgs have an experienced starting quarterback returning, a star to carry the offense in Knowshon Moreno and an O-line that really matured as the 2007 season went along. I also think the boost they get from finishing the year with such a statement game will help drive guys to believe that bigger things are coming. The schedule doesn’t break well since they have a bunch of tough road trips but LSU survived a loaded schedule so I’m not ready to dismiss Georgia for it.”
SCOTT RABALAIS, AP Top 25 voter (Baton Rouge Advocate)
“My vote would be for USC. I covered the Sugar Bowl, and USC’s blowout of an Illinois team that was light years better than Hawaii was more impressive than Georgia’s win. Much more impressive. Hawaii was nowhere near as good as the BCS interlopers we’ve seen in recent years from Utah and Boise State.
“Edge to Georgia over USC with [Matthew] Stafford returning at QB, but the Trojans are oozing talent. Both teams have something to prove — Georgia getting routed by Tennessee, USC losing to Stanford — but I think the Trojans have proven their worth as a consistent national contender moreso than Georgia has. Would loved to have seen them play in the Rose Bowl — would be just as interested to see them meet in Miami in January.”
WENDELL BARNHOUSE, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“I would give Georgia a slight edge over USC because the Bulldogs have an experienced QB coming back. USC’s non-conference schedule is considerably more difficult. As of right now, I’d probably lean toward Georgia as the preseason No. 1.”
LENN ROBBINS, New York Post
“I’m going Oklahoma. Sam Bradford is the best QB [Bob] Stoops has had, the defense will be loaded again, and I like the way the schedule shapes up. Georgia is No. 2. Mark Richt has quietly emerged as one of college football’s most consistent coaches. USC has more talkent than the Falcons but it’s so hard to keep that level of consistency. I can’t get over that Stanford loss.”
STEWART MANDEL, AP Top 25 voter (SI.com)
“Georgia [is No. 1]. Of the teams that finished high last year, they have by far the most key players coming back, with the possible exception of Ohio State, but there’s obviously reason for skepticism there.”
MATT HAYES (Sporting News)
“USC — the safest surest thing at this point. Georgia would be a close second, but the Trojans have loads of skill players on offense, and a deep, athletic front seven on defense. Whoever plays QB — Mark Sanchez or Mitch Mustain — will thrive in that offense. Sanchez played well while John David Booty was injured, and Mustain and wide receiver transfer Damian Williams were terrific in USC’s weekly Tuesday scrimmage — which is, in a word, intense.”
BRET BLOOMQUIST, AP Top 25 voter (El Paso Times)
“Well, not Hawaii. At the moment, Georgia, followed by Florida and USC.”
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