Athlons is out - we are #19

[blion72]

OSU at 4, Wisky at 13, Iowa at 16 and Indiana at 21. Auburn ranked 5 in SEC West. Ball State @ 2 in MAC West. None of this seemed off.

A couple things that did seem unusual is the lack of our players either on AA team or all BIG. The unit rankings did not give our guys much credit. In the BIG we had the following unit rankings"
QB ranked 6 - OSU was ranked 1 with no QB who has any meaningful experience and we have 3rd year starter.
RB = 3
WR/TE = 2
DL = 5
LB = 4
DB = 6 - that seemed very low for this group
only ST specialist was Dotson at 2nd team
7 players made 1/2/3 all BIG

looking at 2020 results we ranked as follows
Offense
scoring = #3
Yardage = #2

Defense
scoring = #6
yardage = #2

for reference Indiana was 4 in scoring offense and 10 in yardage offense; the were 4 in scoring defense and 5 in yardage defense

 

[royboy]

More importantly, for browsing Athlons...how are the cheerleader pics? They are generally good.

 

[psu00]

What a surprise. Top 2- Alabama and Clemson. The rest of the preseason top 4- Oklahoma and Ohio St. Who saw that coming?

Not sure I buy Iowa State, and Cincinnati in the top 10 but it’s preseason.

Notre Dame in at #12. Michigan isn’t in the top 30.

 

[bdgan]

More importantly, for browsing Athlons...how are the cheerleader pics? They are generally good.

Go cocks!

 

[nits74]

More importantly, for browsing Athlons...how are the cheerleader pics? They are generally good.

Oregon never disappoints in the cheerleader department.

 

[canuckhal]

So, they have PSU losing to UW and OSU but not Auburn?

As for QB, we also have a QB that was benched last year and no proven back-up.

 

[MacNit07]

What a surprise. Top 2- Alabama and Clemson. The rest of the preseason top 4- Oklahoma and Ohio St. Who saw that coming?

Not sure I buy Iowa State, and Cincinnati in the top 10 but it’s preseason.

Notre Dame in at #12. Michigan isn’t in the top 30.

Boring

 

[Beachwineguy]

So, they have PSU losing to UW and OSU but not Auburn?

As for QB, we also have a QB that was benched last year and no proven back-up.

Why would we lose to Auburn, a team that replaces its coaching staff, playing its first road game in a Whiteout?

 

[SheldonJoe2215]

More importantly, for browsing Athlons...how are the cheerleader pics? They are generally good.

1,3,6,2,4,5

 

[AWS1022]

So, they have PSU losing to UW and OSU but not Auburn?

As for QB, we also have a QB that was benched last year and no proven back-up.

Who also won 11 games as a sophomore.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

Who also won 11 games as a sophomore.

Not to be a smart ass, but where do you think Tanner Morgan should rank on the list?

11 wins in 2019, and a really, really poor showing last year.

 

[Thomas1945]

Who cares what they write, those idiots often post more uninformed and clueless reports than posters here. Now if you’re upset that they get paid for being uninformed and clueless and you don’t, well then that’s your problem.

 

[AWS1022]

Not to be a smart ass, but where do you think Tanner Morgan should rank on the list?

11 wins in 2019, and a really, really poor showing last year.

Last year was pretty much a wash for most Big 10 teams. They weren’t even planning on having a season. I don’t know much about Morgan, but I will say Clifford is not as bad as he showed last year.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

Last year was pretty much a wash for most Big 10 teams. They weren’t even planning on having a season. I don’t know much about Morgan, but I will say Clifford is not as bad as he showed last year.

You happen to read any of the reports out of camp? The two scrimmages?

 

[BostonNit]

OSU at 4, Wisky at 13, Iowa at 16 and Indiana at 21. Auburn ranked 5 in SEC West. Ball State @ 2 in MAC West. None of this seemed off.

A couple things that did seem unusual is the lack of our players either on AA team or all BIG. The unit rankings did not give our guys much credit. In the BIG we had the following unit rankings"
QB ranked 6 - OSU was ranked 1 with no QB who has any meaningful experience and we have 3rd year starter.
RB = 3
WR/TE = 2
DL = 5
LB = 4
DB = 6 - that seemed very low for this group
only ST specialist was Dotson at 2nd team
7 players made 1/2/3 all BIG

looking at 2020 results we ranked as follows
Offense
scoring = #3
Yardage = #2

Defense
scoring = #6
yardage = #2

for reference Indiana was 4 in scoring offense and 10 in yardage offense; the were 4 in scoring defense and 5 in yardage defense

Did they at least have the courtesy to not refer to our players as Juniors/Seniors etc?

 

[AWS1022]

You happen to read any of the reports out of camp? The two scrimmages?

What I read shows a concern regarding depth at QB, which everyone agrees with.

 

[Lion Son/Husband/Father]

Link to the entire poll?

 

[MikeDerukey]

It's a good thing we have to actually play the games.

 

[BBG65]

I never liked Athlon's, always spotted too many errors. I prefer Lindy's. I know Phil Steele has a rep for accuracy, but reading it is tedious, too many stats from previous years.

 

[royboy]

I never liked Athlon's, always spotted too many errors. I prefer Lindy's. I know Phil Steele has a rep for accuracy, but reading it is tedious, too many stats from previous years.

The pre-season mags are worth about....an hour of reading time at the beach. A small appetizer for the season.

 

[AWS1022]

The pre-season mags are worth about....an hour of reading time at the beach. A small appetizer for the season.

Predicting college football these days is pretty easy...you’ll get 75% of the CFP teams pretty much automatically.

 

[Locolion]

1,3,6,2,4,5

We should not walk into the same bar together- same order as mine.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Assuming a realistic best case scenario, I think #19 is about right. Most expect the defense to take another step back and the offense returning to 2019 form with a new OC and scheme better suited to the college spread talent on hand the the West Coast KC preferred. Losses to Ohio State and two from Wisconsin/Iowa/Indiana/Auburn is reasonable and worthy of #19. That matches my reasonable best case prediction. A reasonable worst case would be all five plus plus one or two from Michigan/Michigan State/Maryland.

 

[wilbury]

What a surprise. Top 2- Alabama and Clemson. The rest of the preseason top 4- Oklahoma and Ohio St. Who saw that coming?

Not sure I buy Iowa State, and Cincinnati in the top 10 but it’s preseason.

Notre Dame in at #12. Michigan isn’t in the top 30.

if it was the mid 90's you could have picked Florida, Florida State and Nebraska. Things cycle from decade to decade but it's always a small predictable list at the top.

 

[bvillebaron]

Why would we lose to Auburn, a team that replaces its coaching staff, playing its first road game in a Whiteout?

BINGO.

 

[BobPSU92]

It's a good thing we have to actually play the games.

Is it?

 

[blion72]

Last year was pretty much a wash for most Big 10 teams. They weren’t even planning on having a season. I don’t know much about Morgan, but I will say Clifford is not as bad as he showed last year.

I would agree with that. not sure what to make of last year for most teams. The thing that caught me was where they put the OSU QB rating given none have any experience. Indiana should be rated about OSU at QB based on results.

 

[Larryrise]

Meaningless. We went 4-5 last year and have no business in anyone's top 25

 

[PSUALREADYKNOW]

Who also won 11 games as a sophomore.

Don't be logical here sir. He's horrendous, and having a full season to prepare with arguably the premiere offensive coordinator and no pandemic can do little to help. I'm ALSO sure he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder. I'm also sure our best wide receiver didn't come back because he knows his quarterback is that bad. With "fans" like this, who needs OSU or MSU, or Mich-we hate ourselves MORE than they ever could!

 

[NittanyIllinois]

PSU #25 in the preseason Sporting News poll.

Of note:

Don't be logical here sir. He's horrendous, and having a full season to prepare with arguably the premiere offensive coordinator and no pandemic can do little to help. I'm ALSO sure he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder. I'm also sure our best wide receiver didn't come back because he knows his quarterback is that bad. With "fans" like this, who needs OSU or MSU, or Mich-we hate ourselves MORE than they ever could!

You know, it is okay to admit that the 2020 season happened, we were not very good, and Clifford in particular really struggled.

Alternatively, we could all be mindless homers and throw objectivity to the wind, although that doesn't make for particularly interesting discussion.

Clearly the major press outlets see the same question marks that many here have mentioned. Otherwise, we wouldn't be projected as an 8-4 type of team. Fact is, our opponents in 2020 had the same amount of preparation we did -- despite the "but we didn't have time to prepare!" argument. Last year exposed some pretty big flaws, and those flaws don't just disappear because somebody proclaims 2020 a mulligan.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

I would agree with that. not sure what to make of last year for most teams. The thing that caught me was where they put the OSU QB rating given none have any experience. Indiana should be rated about OSU at QB based on results.

Yeah, it is a bit curious.

However, if they're projecting which QB is going to have the biggest impact, it very well could/should be OSU's QB -- whichever of the 5* guys wins the position (probably CJ Stroud).

He'll have a pair of future 1st round WRs, one of the top TEs in the country, a top-3 OL, a loaded RB room, and Ryan Day running the offense. Unless he just totally chokes and proves a bust, it's pretty hard for a 5* to walk into that situation and not put up elite stats.

I'm really interested to see how Penix bounces back from injury. That will determine IU's season.

 

[ram2020]

Don't be logical here sir. He's horrendous, and having a full season to prepare with arguably the premiere offensive coordinator and no pandemic can do little to help. I'm ALSO sure he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder. I'm also sure our best wide receiver didn't come back because he knows his quarterback is that bad. With "fans" like this, who needs OSU or MSU, or Mich-we hate ourselves MORE than they ever could!

Bravo!! Lot of people didn't expect that year to be an 11 win team. I want to be rooted in reality, but boy, its no fun being pessimismistic about my favorite teams outlook before the season. As my coach used to say "1-0." Beat Wisconsin on the road, cant wait for that auburn game. Tough schedule no doubt, I expect a lot of uncertainty and surprises this year.

 

[AWS1022]

PSU #25 in the preseason Sporting News poll.

Of note:

You know, it is okay to admit that the 2020 season happened, we were not very good, and Clifford in particular really struggled.

Alternatively, we could all be mindless homers and throw objectivity to the wind, although that doesn't make for particularly interesting discussion.

Clearly the major press outlets see the same question marks that many here have mentioned. Otherwise, we wouldn't be projected as an 8-4 type of team. Fact is, our opponents in 2020 had the same amount of preparation we did -- despite the "but we didn't have time to prepare!" argument. Last year exposed some pretty big flaws, and those flaws don't just disappear because somebody proclaims 2020 a mulligan.

But posters on here see the same weaknesses every year. It’s the same chatter every season...it’s like we’re the only team that loses players to graduation or the NFL. You would think we have the worst recruiting in the Big if you just read these boards. Franklin wins over 40 games in four years then has one bad season with a pandemic and posters here act like that’s the norm. Yes, it’s okay to admit the 2020 season happened, but it’s also okay to admit the four seasons before that happened as well.

 

[Larryrise]

Yeah, it is a bit curious.

However, if they're projecting which QB is going to have the biggest impact, it very well could/should be OSU's QB -- whichever of the 5* guys wins the position (probably CJ Stroud).

He'll have a pair of future 1st round WRs, one of the top TEs in the country, a top-3 OL, a loaded RB room, and Ryan Day running the offense. Unless he just totally chokes and proves a bust, it's pretty hard for a 5* to walk into that situation and not put up elite stats.

I'm really interested to see how Penix bounces back from injury. That will determine IU's season.

Again, who would you rather have, Stroud or Clifford. Disregard the o lines and receivers. Simple...Stroud or Clifford?

 

[ram2020]

Again, who would you rather have, Stroud or Clifford. Disregard the o lines and receivers. Simple...Stroud or Clifford?

Clifford. 23 years old, ton of game experience, leader of the program next to Franklin. Very simple

 

[Larryrise]

Clifford. 23 years old, ton of game experience, leader of the program next to Franklin. Very simple

Excellent! Thank you for your honesty. It does seem odd though what a difference 8 months make. Last November this board was nearly unanimous in its negative reviews on Clifford. Frankly I have mixed emotions on him: I think he is capable and he HAS won big games, but he took 2 steps backwards in his development last year. Can Yancich work his magic with him? We will see I guess.

 

[ram2020]

Excellent! Thank you for your honesty. It does seem odd though what a difference 8 months make. Last November this board was nearly unanimous in its negative reviews on Clifford. Frankly I have mixed emotions on him: I think he is capable and he HAS won big games, but he took 2 steps backwards in his development last year. Can Yancich work his magic with him? We will see I guess.

I can't comment on other posters, but I have always maintained my confidence in Sean Clifford. I have had issues with the way he has been used throughout his career, as our premier running option last year and the unrelenting focus to get his 40 time faster. He has had 3 OC's and taken a beating throughout the years. That doesn't excuse his mind numbing decision making at times and his proclivity for missing targets high, especially early in games. That said, I think if he spent more time on mechanics and accuracy and less on reading the D-end and "tucking and running" he could really have a big year.

 

[Ward Hog]

Michigan not being ranked makes it an invalid poll. They should always start the year ranked in the top ten so they can drop all the way out of the top 25 by the end of the year. I thought everyone knew this. It makes everything feel balanced and proper as this is just the way things are supposed to be.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

Again, who would you rather have, Stroud or Clifford. Disregard the o lines and receivers. Simple...Stroud or Clifford?

Seeing as though Stroud has never thrown a pass in CFB, it's a hard question to answer.

If they all play up to their potential, then I'd take McCord over either of them. Kid has a big time arm, and is very, very accurate. But kids fail to play up to their potential all the time, so who knows.

 

[Larryrise]

Seeing as though Stroud has never thrown a pass in CFB, it's a hard question to answer.

If they all play up to their potential, then I'd take McCord over either of them. Kid has a big time arm, and is very, very accurate. But kids fail to play up to their potential all the time, so who knows.

By the time we play them I think it will be McCord anyway. 1 loss won't cut it over there and this is the year they get 2. Just a hunch.