Also, picking Oregon over USC was the easiest pick I had all year.   I said earlier that I held no hard feelings on Redd, but Kiffin has only slowed his progress, much like he does with anyone that is unfortunate enough to play for him.  Check out VBR’s article earlier this week on that subject.

Texas A&M (+16) at Alabama

If Bama loses to a once Big 12 team,  the South will cease to exist.  Luckily for them, that will not happen.  A&M has officially been my Achilles heel all year , but there is no way they are beating Bama…. Right?

Alabama 33 Texas A&M 16

West Virgina (+8) at Oklahoma State

WVU beat Baylor in the ridiculous game and people actually mentioned them as a National Championship contender.   This team is so soft and their coach is so overrated that it is starting to bother me.  Here comes their 4^th straight loss.

Oklahoma State 47 WVU 43

Oregon State (+5.5) at Stanford

Another game that is decent, but not great.  Oregon State had that great start, but Stanford and their uber-conservative coach vs. ND will prevail.

Stanford 28 Oregon State 21

Kansas State at TCU (No Line)

If Klein plays, KSU should win, but that seems very uncertain right now.  TCU just beat that overrated WVU team, but they will catch KSU sans Klein and a pumped up crowd to take down #2.

TCU 24 Kansas State 16

Minnesota (-2.5) at Illinois

Ron Johnson’s alma mater vs. Tim Beckman in an all time Idiot Bowl.  These teams are so bad that I am pretty sure anyone who watches this will become depressed and swear never to watch football again.  Beckman will punt with :04 seconds left in the game to preserve the one point loss / moral victory.

Minnesota 10 Illinois 9

Upset Special

Louisville (-3) at Syracuse

BOB’s good buddy Doug Marrone will have the Carrier Dome so loud…. well, just kidding, but they will be pumped to knock off undefeated Louisville and really upset the powers that be of the Big East.

Syracuse 24 Louisville 22

Season Record 38-21(5-5 on Upset Specials)

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As we look forward to the games of week #9, let’s take a look at some of the teams that are trending up and trending down.

Free Falling!

October 20, 2012; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers fan reacts as he watches the game against the Kansas State Wildcats during the fourth quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Kansas State Wildcats won 55-14. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

West Virginia Mountaineers (#25 – AP / #22 – USA Today Polls):

Wow!  Oh how the wild world of college football can turn your fortunes in a matter of mere weeks.  Just ask the West Virginia Mountaineers.  As little as three weeks ago, West Virginia was ranked in the top-5 and had the logical Heisman Trophy winner in Geno Smith playing for their team.  Now, just three short weeks later, West Virginia is coming off their second consecutive loss ad barely clinging to a top-25 position.  The shine on Geno Smith’s Heisman Trophy coronation has been dulled and some are beginning to wonder if the Mountaineers were really pretenders instead of contenders.

The Mountaineers make this list two weeks in a row and epitomize how fast a team can fall from grace in the world of college football.  No, I don’t think I’m piling on, but in this game you can be on top one week, and then at the bottom of the pile the next!  Getting obliterated at home in a national spotlight game is not a good way to make your way off of this list!

This week, the Mountaineers get a chance to lick their wounds as they have a bye before they finish their season with a home-away rotation starting with TCU on November 3rd.  At this point they are scheduled to play only one remaining ranked team on their schedule, Oklahoma on Nov. 17th in Morgantown.  If West Virginia wants to get back into the thick of the Big 12 race, they need to use this off week to work on strengthening their 117th ranked defense.  While most weeks Big 12 teams can put 50 points or more on the scoreboard, most teams are able to get a stop on defense here or there…not West Virginia.  Last week, Kansas State only punted 1 time and that wasn’t until the fourth quarter!  In fact, the Wildcats scored a touchdown on 7 consecutive possessions.  With a defense like that, it is going to be hard to win many games in the Big 12.

Oct. 18, 2012; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Chris Coyle is tackled by the Oregon Ducks defense in the second half at Sun Devil Stadium. Oregon defeated Arizona State 43-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona State Sun Devils (NR – AP / USA Today Polls):

While the Arizona State Sun Devils painted the desert black last Thursday night for their nationally televised showdown with the AP / USA Today’s #2 team in the Oregon Ducks, they missed out on a chance to capitalize on having the home crown in their corner.  Arizona State hadn’t hosted a game of that magnitude since Reggie Bush, Mark Sanchez and the #1-rated USC Trojans came to the desert.  The Sun Devils were outmatched in that game as well by a final of 38-28.

Early on last Thursday night things started out well, Arizona State recovered a fumble and took the ensuing possession in for a score…and that was it!  The Ducks just bludgeoned the Sun Devils from there on out.  Oregon was able to generate 5-10-15 yards per play both on the ground and through the air, and then would immediately hop up, and line up for the next play before Arizona State was really ready to play.  The pace of the action possibly contributed to Arizona State losing their best defensive pass rushers in Will Sutton and Junior Onyeali.  No matter, the Oregon Ducks were just too good, and it leaves head coach Todd Graham with some confidence rebuilding.

All is not lost in Tempe, they are 3-1 in the Pac-12′s Southern Division and they are tied for 1st place with USC.  Arizona State gets a second consecutive home game this week against an erratic UCLA team.  Coach Mora will undoubtedly have his team ready to play so Arizona State will need to be on their toes.  The Sun Devils had better not be looking ahead to their match-ups with Oregon State Nov. 3rd and USC on Nov. 10th or they might just find themselves with another home loss!

Oct 20, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

Texas A&M Aggies (#22 – AP / #21 – USA Today Polls):

Kevin Sumlin’s first season as Aggies head coach has been up and down.  Texas A&M has been much more exciting than last year’s squad that underperformed, but they have not been able to keep pace with “big boys”.

Don’t get me wrong, Texas A&M has been an offensive juggernaut scoring at a clip of 43 points per game (9th nationally), but they have faltered in the second halves of games against elite teams (i.e. Florida and LSU).  Texas A&M has been relying upon Johnny Football, quarterback Johnny Manziel, to lead them to the promised land, and he hasn’t quite been able to do that yet.  Manziel for his part, has been other-worldly, but he is only one person.  The rest of the team, including the 64th-ranked Aggies defense.  To date, the best team the Aggies have defeated is Louisiana Tech, and it took a shootout (59-57) to do it.  Texas A&M’s biggest games have been against Florida and LSU, and they were both in College Station, normally a very difficult place for opponents to play.  Both teams took the Aggies best punch in the first half, made adjustments at halftime, and executed a near flawless game plan in the second half to steal the game from the Aggies.

Texas A&M now takes to the road for the next 3 weeks starting this weekend when they travel to Auburn to battle the Tigers.  After that, not much…they just get to go to Starkville and take on Mississippi State followed by a vacation in Tuscaloosa against the Crimson Tide.  So, if Kevin Sumlin thought the SEC would be the perfect fit for the Aggies and his style of play, he may have another thing coming.

Waiting List:  Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide, Oregon State Beavers,

Being from the tradition rich Big Ten, I can certainly tell you more about great Big Ten contests in a year than I can some non-conference game that was played in September.  So to, it goes this year.  For teams like Alabama, Kansas State, and Oregon, a path to the national title game will largely depend on what they do against some of their biggest conference rivals in the coming weeks.  To be sure, every game counts, but what do voters remember most, a 200 yard rushing performance against the sisters of the poor or, a 200 yard rushing performance against a national power and big time rival?

While most would agree Geno Smith would win the Heisman Trophy for his performance over the first half of the season, all would agree they don’t give out the award after 7 games; it takes a season to define a person’s true value!  What he is able to do over the last 6-7 weeks and how he faces adversity will determine if he is truly worthy of the most exalted individual award in college football.

Is Alabama really the best team in college football?  If we based the college season on the first 7 games, then the answer is an unequivocal YES, but that is why they play more than seven games.  Let’s see what Alabama can do over the remainder of their games.  They have yet to play teams like LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Iron Bowl foe Auburn, and the eventual SEC East champion.  Perhaps Saban’s bunch will show sings of fatigue and crack, and maybe they won’t.

The second half of the college football season will be nothing short of exciting and entertaining, and I can’t wait to see what unfolds.  No doubt there will be some upsets, and teams that we thought were invincible will show signs of mortality.  Who is going to win the Heisman Trophy?  Will it be Geno Smith?  What about Braxton Miller or freshman Johnny Manziel?  How about a defensive player like Manti Te’O or Michael Mauti?  Or, could it be someone that comes from out of nowhere to steal the top prize?  Who is going to play for the national title?  Is Alabama just too tough for everyone?  What about the high-flying Oregon Ducks?  Maybe Notre Dame returns to its glory days.

No matter what the answers are, the second half of the college football season is where all of these answers will be determined.  So, sit back, relax, kick your feet up, and as Terrell Owens would say, “get your popcorn ready” because the best part of the college football year is just about set to kickoff!

For Full Disclosure:

“Prime-3″ Picks from last week – 2-1 ATS, 2-1 SU.  On the season, my record stands at 9-12 ATS, and 11-10 SU.

Extra Points Picks (ATS) from last week – 10-9-1.  On the season, my record stands at 55-42-2.

…As always, I will try and do better this week!

“Prime-3 Games”:

In this week’s installment of “prime-3″, our focus is once again directed toward the SEC and the Big 12.  We will delve into some key match-ups in the showdown in the Swamp as #7 South Carolina invades Gainesville to take on #2 Florida.  Another SEC games of note will be the #6 LSU Tigers, fresh off their triumph over previously unbeaten South Carolina, traveling to College Station to duke it out with #18 Texas A&M.  Finally, we shift our attention to the Big 12 where the conference’s lone unbeaten team #4 Kansas State goes to Morgantown to faceoff with #13 West Virginia, a team reeling from their first loss of the 2012 campaign.

And, without further ado, let’s get to the “Prime-3″ games!

Let’s take a look at some teams that have fallen a few pegs, and those that are climbing up the ranks.

Free Falling!

October 13, 2012; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier reacts against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium. LSU won 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

South Carolina Gamecocks (#9 – AP / #8 – USA Today Polls)

The South Carolina Gamecocks have taken a massive punch to the solar plexus with their defeat last week at the hands of the LSU Tigers.  This week, the Florida Gators look to deliver the knockout blow when South Carolina visits The Swamp.

The Old Ball Coach needs to rally the troops and keep their mind focused on the prize that is right in front of him, that being the SEC crown.  While the national title may be difficult to reach unless a few teams ahead of them lose, the SEC title is right there for the taking.  A win at Florida this week, and they are in the driver’s seat.  An SEC East crown would pit them against the West champion, likely to be Alabama.  A win against the Crimson Tide and now a national title shot becomes clearer, but one step at a time.  The Gamecocks must remain on task and play a solid 60 minutes against Florida.

The magnitude of the game with Florida this week cannot be diminished, and the Gamecocks may be without their premier running back, Marcus Lattimore.  Marcus, and really the entire South Carolina team, is banged up and bruised while the Gators seem to be healthy.  It’s an uphill battle for the Gamecocks, but if anyone can get their team ready to play it’s head coach Steve Spurrier and his quarterback, Connor Shaw.  South Carolina is going to have to be mentally sharp because the Gators can smell blood in the water and they are looking for a bird snack!

Oct 13, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown shouts at his team in the first quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners during the red river rivalry at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

Texas Longhorns (NR – AP / USA Today Polls)

The Longhorns are coming off a beatdown of epic proportions.  The Oklahoma Sooners gave them a smackdown that they may not recover from.  To be fair though, Texas has been dealing with significant injuries on their defensive side of the ball.  Linebacker and defensive team leader Jordan Nicks has been out for the past 3 games while stud DE Jackson Jeffcoat went down over the weekend with a torn pectoral muscle.

In addition to the injuries, Texas has found an inability to be able to tackle the ball carrier.  So many times over the weekend, they were not able to put the runner down after the initial point of contact.  Injuries coupled with an inability to tackle is going to lead to lots of points being given up, and they were!

Logically, Texas has little shot of even winning the Big 12 crown.  Head coach Mack Brown must rally his troops and get the ready for a very potent Baylor offense led by Nick Florence.  Looking ahead at the remainder of the Longhorn’s schedule, they play Baylor this week, then they play Kansas.  In November and December they play at Texas Tech, Iowa State, TCU and at Kansas State.  It is entirely conceivable that if they do not win this week, Texas may only have one more win the rest of this year.  That is amazing considering only a few short weeks ago Texas looked primed to win the Big 12 conference and go to a BCS bowl.

Oct 13, 2012; Lubbock, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers inside receiver Jordan Thompson (10) makes a reception against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at Jones AT

West Virginia Mountaineers (#17 – AP / #15 – USA Today Polls)

Welcome back to Earth West Virginia, we’ve missed you!  For the last couple of weeks the Mountaineers have been playing out of this world.  Although last week Texas Tech provided the defensive tonic that slowed the supersonic rocket that is the West Virginia offense.  It was Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege who looked more like the Heisman Trophy contender rather than West Virginia’s phenom Geno Smith.  The Mountaineers sealed their fate when they were unable to score in their first few possessions of the second half.  When the Red Raiders were able to capitalize and punch one in, that was all she wrote.

Now that West Virginia is no longer unbeaten, they will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan.  They won’t have long to tinker though as Collin Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats invade Morgantown this weekend.  The Wildcats have a sneaky-good offense that, much like Texas Tech, can put points on the board.  They also have a defense that is rated 32nd nationally.  While Kansas State has done well at stopping the run, they are vulnerable against the pass.  Look for Smith to try and exploit that weakness as he tries to hook up with his 1-2 receiving duo of Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin.

The national media as well as the public has a short attention span.  If Geno Smith can look superhuman this week against another very good Big 12 team, then he will be right back atop the Heisman race.  Whether or not that will happen is something is why we tune into the game.  It should be another Big 12 dandy!

Watch List:  Kansas State, LSU, Mississippi State

Oklahoma (-3) 63 at Texas 21

Matt – Texas (L)

Tim – Texas (L)

Craig – Texas (L)

Corey – Texas (L)

Stanford 13 at Notre Dame (-9) 20

Matt – Notre Dame (L)

Tim – Stanford (W)

Craig – Notre Dame (L)

Corey – Stanford (W)

South Carolina 21 at LSU (-2.5) 23

Matt – South Carolina (W)

Tim – LSU (L)

Craig – South Carolina (W)

Corey – South Carolina (W)

Iowa 19 at Michigan State (-10) 16

Matt – Iowa (W)

Tim – Michigan State (L)

Craig – Iowa (W)

Corey – Michigan State (L)

Tennessee 31 at Mississippi State (-3) 41

Matt – Tennessee (L)

Tim – Tennessee (L)

Craig – Mississippi State (W)

Corey – Mississippi State (W)

As always, this week’s point spreads are as of Monday night.  ONTO THE GAMES!

Also, a few ND fans didn’t take to kindly to my tweet about them getting a call. This was after I blasted Shaw for his insanely pathetic play calling.  Whatever, ND fans are back in full force and are as insufferable as always.

Michigan State (+10) at Michigan

Michigan State has had UM’s number after Mike Hart went “little brother” on MSU.  Michigan State lost at home to an Iowa team that PSU may beat by 60.  Denard Robinson gets his win vs. MSU and I further clear the path for UM to the B1G Championship Disaster Game.

Michigan 38 Michigan State 16

Kansas State (-2.5) at West Virginia

West Virginia found out last week that they’re offense can’t carry them every week.  They also learned that their highly touted offensive genius doesn’t have the 1^st clue how to coach defense.  14 points vs. Texas Tech with that talent?  Please.  That being said, Kansas State has to lose sometime.

West Virginia 34 Kansas State 29

South Carolina (+3) at Florida

The ol’ Ball Coach would love nothing more than to derail UF’s season.  I think he has the talent to do it, but Florida at home and their 2^nd half success puts that dream on ice.  I would really like to see Spurrier pull this off, but I have my doubts and I hate their initials are USC so that costs them here.

Florida 26 South Carolina 17

Oregon (-9.5) at Arizona State

Colin Cowherd mentioned Todd Graham as one of the top 3 coaches of the year and it also had BOB on there.  That nonsense must end immediately and in embarrassing fashion.  Being mentioned with that clown is almost as bad as people comparing Evil Bill to Charlie Weis when he left the Patriots.  Coach of the Year candidates don’t get beat like this.

Oregon 55 Arizona State 7

LSU (-3.5) at Texas A&M

I get that the SEC is pretty good, but they don’t seem to get that good defenses vs. mediocre offenses doesn’t make great for good football.  Texas A&M burnt me once vs. Florida and I am back at the well with an upset special.  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice and Texas A&M sucks.

Texas A&M 23 LSU 22

Upset Special

Rutgers (-5) at Temple

Logically, I cannot think of how this will happen, but I know that it must and will.  Temple will watch the game film vs. PSU and attempt to copy it play by play.  Rutgers will realize how high they climbed in the polls and panic.

Temple 26 Rutgers 21

Season Record 30-11 (4-3 on Upset Specials)
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Stanford (-7) 13 at Washington 17

Matt – Stanford (L)

Tim – Washington (W)

Craig – Stanford (L)

Corey – Stanford (L)

Ohio State 17 at Michigan State (-3) 16

Matt – Ohio State (W)

Tim – Michigan State (L)

Craig – Ohio State (W)

Corey – Michigan State (L)

Wisconsin 27 at Nebraska (-13.5) 30

Matt – Nebraska (L)

Tim – Nebraska (L)

Craig – Nebraska (L)

Corey – Nebraska (L)

Texas (-2.5) 41 at Oklahoma State 36

Matt – Texas (W)

Tim – Texas (W)

Craig – Texas (W)

Corey – Oklahoma State (L)

Tennessee 44 at Georgia (13.5) 51

Matt – Georgia (L)

Tim – Georgia (L)

Craig – Georgia (L)

Corey – Georgia (L)

This week’s point spreads are as of Monday night.

Conference play has finally begun on a national scale and we are now getting a little glimpse into who and what these teams really are. For me personally, I thought the biggest challenge was figuring out where to slot USC and Stanford. Both have a road loss, but USCs loss is TO Stanford. On my poll, USC actually dropped from last week during their bye week, entirely due to Stanford’s loss at Washington. I felt that this early in the season, it was only fair to keep USC behind Stanford, until they do something to prove that they’ve moved on. They’ll get that shot this Thursday at Utah.

Until then…

MATT

1. Alabama

2. Florida State

3. Oregon

4.  LSU

5.  South Carolina

6.  Georgia

7.  West Virginia

8.  Kansas State

9.   Notre Dame

10. Texas

11. Florida

12. Ohio State

13. Oregon State

14. Clemson

15. TCU

16. USC

17. Oklahoma

18. Stanford

19. Louisville

20. Mississippi State

21. Northwestern

22. Cincinnati

23. Nebraska

24. Rutgers

25. Ohio

TIM

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Florida State
4. LSU
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. West Virginia
8. Notre Dame
9. Kansas State
10. South Caroliina
11. Texas
12. TCU
13. Ohio State
14. Stanford
15. USC
16. Oregon State
17. Clemson
18. Oklahoma
19. Rutgers
20. Louisville
21. Northwestern
22. Nebraska
23. Purdue
24. Cincinnati
25. Ohio

The start of conference play has always given us some special games along with some upsets that alter the landscape of college football.  From my vantage point, the SEC and Big 12 seem to have the deepest conferences and every game is a potential one-game playoff, then there is the Big East and Big Ten conferences.  Many in the national media would be consider both to be down this year, but they always have provided games of intrigue.

In this week’s “prime-3″ match-ups we will delve into key battles for the following games: #25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia, #14 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State, and #12 Texas at Oklahoma State.

For full discloisure, let’s take a quick peek back at how I did last week before moving on to the week #5 games.  In my p”prime-3″ games, I was 2-1 ATS and 2-1 SU.  For the season, my “prime-3″ record stands at 5-7 ATS and 6-6 SU.  I had some trouble last week on my “extra points” picks, but overall, I’m still doing well.  Last week I was 10-9 ATS and for the year, my “extra points” picks have played to a record of 23-15.  As always, I will look to do better!

Let’s take a look at this week’s “prime-3″ games starting with #25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia.

With four weeks in the books, I wanted to take a long, hard look at the college landscape because we know a little more about these teams than we did in the preseason. No more living off of expectations (Michigan) or that one win that one time against Nebraska (UCLA). It’s show time!

1. Alabama – Easy.
2. Oregon – Arizona probably isn’t as good as people once thought, but it’s evident that this Oregon team has a strong defense to go with their regular, explosive offense.
3. Florida State – FSU has been hyped for a few years, this could finally be the one. Big win over Clemson.
4. LSU - I’m not sure what the win over Washington means and they need to beat teams like Auburn more convincingly. This is not the 2011 Tigers. I feel out on a limb here.
5. Florida –  Wins at Texas A&M and Tennessee followed by a shutout against some basketball school have me impressed. So does Jeff Driskel
6. Georgia – Four SEC teams in the top 6. Ugh.
7. Notre Dame – Wins over Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue make Notre Dame the best team that should be in the Big Ten.
8. West Virginia – I’m eager to see them play a quality opponent, but Geno Smith looks like a legitimate Heisman contender.
9. Kansas State – It doesn’t always look pretty, but that win in Norman was big.
10. South Carolina –  Marcus Lattimore is back and Connor Shaw is figuring it out. I really like USCe.
11. Stanford – They have a real chance to climb this poll in the near future. Early win over USC was enormous.
12. USC –  I still think the Trojans are one of the two most talented teams in the country, but they’re not playing like it.
13. Texas – Defense looks borderline great…but against nobody.
14. TCU –  Their ranking won’t really matter until November when the schedule gets brutal.
15. Oklahoma – Big Game Bob strikes again, to the dismay of Sooner fans.
16. Oregon State – Only two games played, but wins over Wisconsin and at UCLA are quality.
17. Rutgers – Three road wins in this young season.
18. Ohio State – Really eager to see Buckeyes this week. Braxton has been amazing. Nothing else has been.
19. Clemson – Clemson is really good and had a halftime lead over Florida State. They’ll bounce back.
20. Louisville – Ummm peer pressure? Can’t remember what I was thinking here.
21. Baylor – This is going to sound like a joke, but I like that win at ULM. Now if they just don’t get blown out by WVU this weekend…
22. Tennessee – They had a little trouble against Akron and head to Georgia this week. Don’t get used to them being here.
23. Northwestern – They beat 3 AQ teams in the first three weeks and now get Indiana…I smell 5-0!
24. Ohio – The Bobcats of Athens are undefeated with wins at Marshall and at Penn State.
25. Purdue – I like them more than this and they deserve better. Would like to swap Purdue and LVille if I could do it again.

There you have it! Full disclosure and a little glimpse into the madness. Don’t expect this every week. I hate confrontation.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Before we begin, I would like to put out this disclaimer: I am not a fan of college football polls until week 8, the first week of the BCS rankings.  Early season polls exist to give fans something to talk about around the water cooler at work.  We all know that the polls are going to change significantly by week 8.  Who can possibly say that one team is the best team in football, right now; its all conjecture and hubris.  No one has even played a game!  The major polls can’t even agree.  The AP Poll has USC as its #1 team while the USA Today Coaches Poll has LSU as its #1.  So, before we rush to judgement, lets let some of the games be played on the field before we say who should be #1, OK?

Alright, with that out of the way, why don’t we examine who the writers and coaches have put in polls that I feel are too high for  Week #1.

Free-Falling!

Michigan Wolverines (#8 – AP / USA Today Polls).  Right  out of the box, the Wolverines have a chance to prove me wrong, as they play Alabama in their first game of the year.  This team features Heisman-contender Denard Robinson and other offensive talent like Fitz Toussaint, Roy Roundtree and Jeremy Gallon.  Their defense also made a big turnaround last season.  They were ranked 17th in total team defense last season, and they return 7 players from that squad.

While I see Michigan battling Michigan State and Nebraska for supremacy of the Legends Division of the Big Ten when its all said and done, I can see them struggling with some of the teams on their schedule.  Michigan has big games against Alabama (neutral site), at Notre Dame, Michigan State, and at Ohio State.  That’s brutal!  If they do manage to win most of those games, rest assured they will be a Top-10 team come seasons end.

Where should they be ranked? I would have this team ranked about #12 or #13