Texas No. 4 in ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25

2 minutes ago, Rickysonehitter said:

Most complete and best are different things. OSU lacks UGAs depth, but their starting 22 will be an embarrassment of riches. Beck doesn't have the benefit of the best backfield in the country which, between that, Chip Kelly and the schedule, should make Howard look like Nick Foles.

The oline is a black hole, I agree. 

We shall see. I think most pre-season rankings are a reflection of skill players and big names. The #1 reason those predictions do not pan out is OL and DL.. OSU has DL answered, but I am not convinced they have a playoff caliber OL. 

2 hours ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Good luck to Billy Napier!!! Florida Gators 2024 schedule in ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25:

24. Miami 

25. Texas A&M

16. @ Tennessee 

23. Kentucky 

1. Georgia (neutral)

4. @Texas

12. LSU

6. Ole Miss

15. @ Florida State 

I see 3 really good teams in Texas, Georgia, and Ole Miss. A couple of teams that the jury will be out on in LSU (lost everything on offense) and FSU (can they recover from last year). The rest of the "ranked" teams on their schedule are laughable inclusions at this point in time.

55 minutes ago, Rickysonehitter said:

Most complete and best are different things. OSU lacks UGAs depth, but their starting 22 will be an embarrassment of riches. Beck doesn't have the benefit of the best backfield in the country which, between that, Chip Kelly and the schedule, should make Howard look like Nick Foles.

The oline is a black hole, I agree. 

Are we basing "best backfield in the country" on recent history, or what players did several years ago? Ohio State's OL is pedestrian and a reflection of Day and Co.'s complete neglect of the position in recruiting. The rankings for Ohio State in recruiting are flat out comical when you dig in and look at how they've managed their roster. Is Quinshon Judkins going to play some OG this year? Can Emeka Egbuka handle RT responsibilities for a bit? 

Will Howard is going to actively attempt to lose multiple games for OSU. This is a guy beat out twice at his former program due in large part to his propensity to turn into a turnover machine, hellbent on avoiding the end zone. He's going to be playing behind a worse OL than he had at KSU. Treveyon Henderson will be "hurt" and playing sporadically by conference play, and Quinshon Judkins had his bags packed for him by his teammates because they couldn't get him out of town fast enough. 

OSU's rankings are a byproduct of them ginning up their own hype this postseason. It's been comical to watch the dialogue evolve from "Boy, OSU just looked like hammered poo against Misssouri and finished the season on a two game losing streak. Ryan Day is on the hot seat" to "Ohio State has to be considered a top 2 team in the country." mostly because of some pulls from the portal and another WR heavy recruiting class. Somehow, a C that Bama couldn't wait to push out the door, a QB that was told he'd be fighting for snaps at KSU, a TB that was absolutely despised by the locker room at a school known for deft handling of the portal, and a S that OSU paid a cool $1M to bring across have transformed the outlook for OSU next year. It's absurd.

Also, the Ohio State non-con in 2024 is a laughable shame that they should be mocked for regularly. Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall is flat out pathetic.

17 minutes ago, Neil Leininger said:

I see 3 really good teams in Texas, Georgia, and Ole Miss. A couple of teams that the jury will be out on in LSU (lost everything on offense) and FSU (can they recover from last year). The rest of the "ranked" teams on their schedule are laughable inclusions at this point in time.

I guess we all see what we want to see with this stuff, but it would be interesting to hear who you would put over that schedule. They play 11 P4 teams and most of them are ranked. They also have to leave the state of Florida a few times, which they don't handle well. I've looked at most of the schedules and there isn't one that comes close to that unless you are really squinting to diminish some of the opponents.

2 hours ago, Longhornlove said:

It is a QB driven game, maybe Ryan Day turns Will Howard into something he has never been before, who knows. 

Call me skeptical, but I do think Chip Kelly will create an offense that suits Howard's strengths.  But then again, I did NOT have Purdy in the super bowl on my bingo card, so there's that...

I know Gerry and Bobby said they think Notre Dame will be good, but I still think there's now way they finish in the top ten. You can't tell me Notre Dame is better than Ole Miss, Alabama or LSU unless you're a fighting Irish homer. I'd bet 100K that all three of the teams I listed are better than Notre Dame.

Texas has the schedule to end up a top 4 team.  They have to stop letting teams hang in the games.  Beating Michigan, Georgia, and Oklahoma on the way to the playoffs would be a fantastic season.

7 hours ago, horns96 said:

….with the glaring exception of Will Howard.

He’s a mediocre passer and isn’t going to survive the Big 10 with his legs.

Agree. I don’t get the love for Ohio State with Howard. They’ll be good, but #3? 
 

Guess we’ll see when they play Oregon.

4 hours ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Yep. I don't know where ND will be after the season ... one thing I do think they upgraded was QB. Just me, but I think Riley Leonard was the best portal addition for any team. He's a big upgrade over Hartman IMO. He gives them a chance to maximize what they got... where will that leave them after the season, I don't know. 

He will be good for 3 or 4 games until his reckless style of play leaves him injured. While, getting Denbrock is a major coup, Riley is not Daniels and Notre Dame has no where close to the skill talent that LSU has enjoyed the last 2 seasons.