College Football Preview

With the college football season kicking off next week, here is a conference by conference preview, starting with the Big East, Big Ten, and Pac 10.

Big East
OVERRATED TEAM: Pittsburgh Panthers
Pitt lost their best player from last year, workhorse running back LeSean McCoy. Their QB is still Bill Stull who has been absolutely dreadful at times.(See 3-0 Sun Bowl loss to Oregon State for proof) And Dave Wannstedt is shaky as a coach and he has underperformed when compared to previous coach Walt Harris. For a team that last year finally broke a 3 year drought without a bowl appearance I don't see how the talent level is there to warrant Pittsburgh being picked in the preseason media poll as the Big East favorite.

UNDERRATED TEAM: Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut program has flown under the radar for several years now and they continue to field a competitive and gritty team without the talent level that many Big East schools have. Not many people realize that Uconn won a share of the Big East title with West Virginia in 2007. Coach Randy Edsall has done a masterful job building this program up from a Division 1-AA school to a formidable Big East program. This year's team loses their best player in school history, first round NFL Draft pick Donald Brown, but the defense is strong enough to keep the team in games and I think this team will surprise people as they so often have done during their 5 years as a Big East member.

PROJECTED STANDINGS (projected conference record):
1. Rutgers (5-2)
2. Cincinnati (4-3)
3. West Virginia (4-3)
4. Connecticut (4-3)
5. Pittsburgh (3-4)
6. South Florida (3-4)
7. Louisville (3-4)
8. Syracuse (2-5)


Big Ten
OVERRATED TEAM: Penn State Nittany Lions
Last year's Big Ten Champions begin this year with high expectations, ranked 8th in the Preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll. I don't see the offensive firepower there to warrant such a high ranking. Quarterback Daryll Clark has been serviceable at the position and I do not think he will be able to carry a Penn State team that lost a lot of talent from last year's team including 4-year starting wide receiver Derrick Williams. Joe Paterno's team will take a step back this season.

UNDERRATED TEAM: Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern has a typical Northwestern team again this year- undersized and less talented than its peers, yet tough, gritty, and competitive. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald took over the Northwestern program as the youngest head coach in college football and he has molded the Wildcats into a scrappy bunch, similar to how Fitzgerald was as star linebacker of Northwestern's 1995 Rose Bowl team. Northwestern catches a little break this season in that they do not play league favorite Ohio State. We saw flashes of Northwestern's potential last year when they outplayed Missouri in the Alamo Bowl before losing in overtime. I think this year's team will surprise people by making an appearance or two in the top 25 during the season.


PROJECTED STANDINGS (projected conference record):
1. Ohio State (8-0)
2. Illinois (5-3)
3. Penn State (5-3)
4. Michigan State (5-3)
5. Iowa (5-3)
6. Northwestern (4-4)
7. Minnesota (4-4)
8. Wisconsin (3-5)
9. Michigan (3-5)
10. Indiana (1-7)
11. Purdue (1-7)


Pac - 10
OVERRATED TEAM: California Golden Bears
Every year over the past four seasons, Cal has started the season with high expectations only to fall flat and fail to meet those expectations. I myself will not get suckered into drinking the Cal Kool Aid this year. Cal has high expectations again this year as they were picked to finish 2nd in the Pac-10 preseason media poll behind USC. Cal does have some talent including darkhorse Heisman candidate running back Jahvid Best, but this team does not have the mental toughness needed to win a big game (i.e. beat USC) or avoid the road upset that has plagued them year after year.

UNDERRATED TEAM: Stanford Cardinal
For a Stanford team that hasn't played in a bowl game since 2001, a winning season would be a cause for celebration and I believe this year's team has a good chance to have a winning campaign. The highlight of 3rd year head coach Jim Harbaugh's tenure thus far has been the historic upset of USC at the Coliseum in 2007, but Harbaugh is aiming for bigger things for this program. Stanford has the pieces in place necessary to finish in the top half of the league. Keep an eye out for senior running back Toby Gerhart, who last year broke the school record for rushing yards in a season. Gerhart is a tough, hard-nosed player who is an absolute pleasure to watch play football. Guys like Toby Gerhart help make college football such a great game and I advise football fans to make sure to check this guy out this season.


PROJECTED STANDINGS (projected conference record):
1. Southern California (8-1)
2. Oregon (6-3)
3. California (6-3)
4. Stanford (5-4)
5. Oregon State (5-4)
6. Arizona State (4-5)
7. Arizona (4-5)
8. Washington (3-6)
9. UCLA (3-6)
10. Washington State (1-8)