College Football Craziness

Recently, USA Today released the coach's Top 25 Poll, which can be found on my website in the Pages box. The poll had the Oklahoma Sooners ranked #1, and had defending champion Auburn, ranked #19. I don't completely agree with the poll, and I'll you which teams are overrated, and underrated.

Overrated:

Oklahoma: The Sooners are coming off a tremendous season in which they finished 12-2, winning the Big 12 Conference and also cruising to win in the Fiesta Bowl over Connecticut. Oklahoma returns star QB Landry Jones, who passed for 4,289 yards last season to go with 35 touchdown passes. The team is also returning WR Ryan Broyles who was incredible last season, catching 118 passes for about 1,500 yards and touchdowns. A key player that is not returning is RB DeMarco Murray. Murray was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in April. Murray rushed for 1,121 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns last season. His production will surely be missed, and a young RB will have to step up for Oklahoma. The Sooners are also losing S Quinton Carter, who had 4 interceptions last season and 97 tackles. However, the Sooners are returning LB Travis Lewis, a 3 year starter. Lewis led the Sooners last year with 109 tackles, he also added 3 interceptions. Oklahoma is a very good team but they do have some holes to fill.

Florida State: The Seminoles come in ranked #5 in the coach's poll. Last season was a mess for Florida State offensively, Head Coach Jimbo Fisher will have to fix that, and needs to determine his QB for this season, as Christian Ponder has departed for the NFL. The key for the Seminoles is their defense, which returns DL Brandon Jenkins. Jenkins led the way for the Seminoles last season, recording 13.5 sacks in 14 games played. The defense is also returning DB Xavier Rhodes. Rhodes was a freshman last year, and recorded 4 interceptions and 57 tackles. A key for Florida State this season will be if Junior RB Chris Thompson can step up. Thompson rushed for about 800 yards in his Sophomore season. If Florida State's offense improves than they may be able to live up to their high ranking.

Underrated:

Stanford: It's hard to say that a team that is ranked #6 in the country is underrated, but in my mind they are. The Cardinal are coming off a tremendous season in which they finished 2nd in the Pac-10(now the Pac-12), and finished 12-1, winning the Orange Bowl 40-12 against Virginia Tech. Stanford will return Heisman Trophy favorite Andrew Luck. Luck did not put up flashy numbers last season, passing for just over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. Luck, however did finish 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting last season. Andrew Luck is also very diverse, he was the 2nd leading rusher on the team last season with nearly 500 yards rushing. The Cardinal also return leading rusher Stephan Taylor who rushed for 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. One negative aspect for Stanford is that they have a new coach after Jim Harbaugh was hired by the 49ers. David Shaw will be taking over coaching duties for the Cardinal, who look to have another successful season.

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers will begin their first season in the Big 10 ranked #11 in the coach's poll. Nebraska lost leading rusher Roy Helu Jr and leading receiver Niles Paul. But the team does return dual threat QB Taylor Martinez. Martinez was sensational last season while dealing with injuries, passing and running for a combined 2,520 yards in 11 games. What was the backbone for Nebraska last season was their defense. The team is losing All-American CB Prince Amukamara to the NFL, but is returning DT Jared Crick who had 9.5 sacks last season. The defense will also have leading tackler LB Lavonte David back. David recorded 152 tackles last season, averaging about 11 tackles per game. The Cornhuskers will be in position to contend for the Big 10 title if they can stay healthy.