The College Football Universe Preseason Top 126 is now released. The ranking is simply based on which teams I perceive as the best coming into the 2013 season. This is not a prediction of the final season rankings and it is not based on strength of schedule.
CFU Preseason Top 126 Rank, Team, Last Season's Record 1. Alabama 13-1
2. Ohio State 12-0
3. Texas A&M 11-2
4. Louisville 11-2
5. Stanford 12-2
6. South Carolina 11-2
7. Georgia 12-2
8. Oregon 12-1
9. Clemson 11-2
10. Notre Dame 12-1
11. Florida 11-2
12. LSU 10-3
13. Ole Miss 7-6
14. Oklahoma 10-3
15. Northern Illinois 12-2
16. Nebraska 10-4
17. Northwestern 10-3
18. Texas 9-4
19. Michigan 8-5
20. Michigan State 7-6
21. Oregon State 9-4
22. Boise State 11-2
23. UCLA 9-5
24. Miami (FL) 7-5
25. Florida State 12-2
26. Utah State 11-2
27. USC 7-6
28. Arizona State 8-5
29. Kansas State 11-2
30. Wisconsin 8-6
31. Virginia Tech 7-6
32. BYU 8-5
33. Vanderbilt 9-4
34. Cincinnati 10-3
35. Arizona 8-5
36. Washington 7-6
37. San Jose State 11-2
38. Oklahoma State 8-5
39. TCU 7-6
40. Mississippi State 8-5
41. Auburn 3-9
42. North Carolina 8-4
43. Arkansas 4-8
44. Penn State 8-4
45. Rutgers 9-4
46. Baylor 8-5
47. ULM 8-5
48. Tulsa 11-3
49. Fresno State 9-4
50. San Diego State 9-4
51. Tennessee 5-7
52. UCF 10-4
53. Toledo 9-4
54. Bowling Green 8-5
55. Kent State 11-3
56. Texas Tech 8-5
57. Pittsburgh 6-7
58. North Carolina State 7-6
59. Iowa 4-8
60. Missouri 5-7
61. Ohio 9-4
62. Western Kentucky 7-6
63. California 3-9
64. Washington State 3-9
65. East Carolina 8-5
66. Marshall 5-7
67. Indiana 4-8
68. Ball State 9-4
69. Navy 8-5
70. Minnesota 6-7
71. Syracuse 8-5
72. West Virginia 7-6
73. Nevada 7-6
74. Purdue 6-7
75. Air Force 6-7
76. Rice 7-6
77. Georgia Tech 7-7
78. Maryland 4-8
79. Wake Forest 5-7
80. Virginia 4-8
81. Louisiana 9-4
82. SMU 7-6
83. Iowa State 6-7
84. Houston 5-7
85. Utah 5-7
86. Arkansas State 10-3
87. Middle Tennessee 8-4
88. Central Michigan 7-6
89. Temple 4-7
90. Duke 6-7
91. Connecticut 5-7
92. Louisiana Tech 9-3
93. South Florida 3-9
94. Troy 5-7
95. Army 2-10
96. Illinois 2-10
97. Kentucky 2-10
98. Buffalo 4-8
99. Wyoming 4-8
100. Colorado State 4-8
101. Boston College 2-10
102. UTSA 8-4
103. Memphis 4-8
104. Miami (OH) 4-8
105. UAB 3-9
106. North Texas 4-8
107. Colorado 1-11
108. New Mexico 4-9
109. Texas State 4-8
110. Hawaii 3-9
111. UNLV 2-11
112. UTEP 3-9
113. Old Dominion 11-2*
114. Eastern Michigan 2-10
115. Western Michigan 4-8
116. Southern Miss 0-12
117. Tulane 2-10
118. Florida Atlantic 3-9
119. FIU 3-9
120. South Alabama 2-11
121. Kansas 1-11
122. Massachusetts 1-11
123. Akron 1-11
124. Idaho 1-11
125. New Mexico State 1-11
126. Georgia State 1-10*
*FCS schedule in 2012.
Other Articles: Follow College Football Universe on Twitter & Like us on Facebook.
 Last season was a historic year for the Southeastern Conference by topping an accumulated attendance of over seven million fans, first time ever for a conference. Expect the SEC attendance to rise further over the next couple years with additions by Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and LSU. By 2015, Texas A&M will have added on nearly 20,000 seats to its capacity. After the expansion, Kyle Field will be the largest capacity stadium in the SEC at 102,500 and will have the highest capacity in the state of Texas. Also if no other schools have further additions, Texas A&M will rank third overall nationally in capacity. In 2014, Mississippi State is also expanding the capacity of Davis Wade Stadium up to 61,337 and LSU is increasing capacity of Tiger Stadium to over 100,000. Despite a disappointing season, attendance for Missouri increased in 2012 when compared to the 2011 season. The Tigers went just 5-7 last year and failed to reach a bowl for the first time since 2004. The 2012 season was the first year in the SEC for Mizzou so that surely played a factor in their boost.
2012 Southeastern Conference Attendance Stats | Average Attendance Per Home Game
1. Alabama 101,722
2. LSU 92,626
3. Georgia 92,703
4. Tennessee 89,965
5. Florida 87,597
6. Texas A&M 87,014
7. Auburn 82,646
8. South Carolina 80,001
9. Missouri 67,476
10. Arkansas 66,176*
11. Ole Miss 57,066
12. Mississippi State 55,628
13. Kentucky 49,691
14. Vanderbilt 37,860
Accumulated home attendance: 7,371,125
Average attendance per home game: 75,216
| Capacity Percent
1. Texas A&M 105.36
2. Mississippi State 100.99
3. LSU 100.09
4. Georgia 99.95
5. Alabama 99.90
6. South Carolina 99.69
7. Florida 98.93
8. Arkansas 98.72
9. Missouri 95.03
10. Auburn 94.51
11. Ole Miss 94.20
12. Vanderbilt 93.37
13. Tennessee 87.81
14. Kentucky 73.50
| *Two home games played at Little Rock in lower capacity stadium.
Other Articles: Follow College Football Universe on Twitter & Like us on Facebook.
The hog mollies on the offensive line never seem to get enough attention in college football so here is a rundown of the best O-linemen in the nation for the 2012 season. The top 20 offensive linemen are ranked along with a summary of the top five and notes on the rest. The ranking is based on the best college football linemen not NFL prospects, but information on draft status is included. Bench, squat, and 40-yard dash numbers are provided for the top five. Four of the top five linemen have weight room numbers listed from high school and some of the other players have more recent weight room numbers posted.
1. C Barrett Jones, Alabama Crimson Tide | Barrett Jones comes into the 2012 college football season as a highly decorated veteran on the best offensive line in the nation. He is not the top athlete on the list, but more than makes up for it with his versatility and reliability. Jones won the Outland Trophy in 2011 and is a first team lineman on nearly every preseason team list for 2012. He is now listed as center, but has played four positions on the line while at Alabama. His solid play helped Alabama rush for 2,788 yards as a team which ranked 16th in rush yards per game while contributing to Trent Richardson's Heisman finalist season. He is a late first to second round NFL Draft prospect. | | 2. OT DJ Fluker, Alabama Crimson Tide Size: 6'6 335 poundsBench Max: 375 lbs Squat Max: 525 lbs 40 Yard Dash: 4.9 secs Stats: 22 career starts at right tackle Draft Rating: Early/Mid First Round DJ Fluker is a behemoth on the offensive line and is the top rated lineman on Mel Kiper's Big Board at six overall. He has played mostly right tackle for the Crimson Tide, but there is a chance that he could be a guard at the next level. His posted weight is actually less than it was in high school and he is currently listed as 335 pounds. Fluker may not be as accomplished as his teammate Barrett Jones, but there are high expectations for him due to his physicality alone. With a little refinement, he should easily maintain his NFL Draft stock. 3. OT Taylor Lewan, Michigan Wolverines Size: 6'8 302 lbs Bench Max: 335 lbs Squat Max: 450 lbs 40 Yard Dash: 4.72 secs Stats: Started 22 games in two seasons Draft Rating: Mid/Early First Round After a misfit freshman season that involved antics and penalties, Taylor Lewan came back strong and matured some as a sophomore. He is an athletic lineman that has good power for his build and incredible length with his 6'8 height to fight off defenders. The Wolverine lineman has definite first round potential for the NFL Draft coming into his junior season. Lewan started all 13 games last season at left tackle and his athleticism should translate well in the pros. 4. OT Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin Badgers Size: 6'6 322 lbsBench Max: N/A Squat Max: N/A 40 Yard Dash: 5.32Stats: Started all 14 games in 2011 and played in 38 games for career Draft Rating: Late First/ Early Second Round Ricky Wagner is a durable lineman that rose from walk-on to NFL prospect thus far in his college career. He was a consensus honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team for the past two seasons and is a first team preseason All-American on various lists for 2012. He performs well as a blindside pass blocker at left tackle and is consistently good all around in his play. Wisconsin has traditionally done a great job of prepping players for the NFL and Wagner should be the next. 5. OG Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Size: 6'3 300 lbsBench Max: 340 lbs Squat Max: 500 lbs 40 Yard Dash: 5.3 secsStats: 22 career starts and 36 games played Draft Rating: Second/Third Round Experienced right guard Omoregie Uzzi is a powerful run blocker for the Ramblin Wreck. He earned First Team All-ACC in 2011 and is a Second Team Phil Steele's 2012 Preseason All-American. His effort on the line helped his team rank second nationally in rushing yards last season with 316.5 yards per game and they ranked in the top four rushing yards in each of his three seasons. He is the most questionable of the top five due to a late season injury, but if he fully recovers, expect another strong season. Rest of the Top 20 Offensive Linemen There are a lot of good players on this list that could have placed in the top five and that may have higher NFL Draft potential. Luke Joeckel is a first round prospect, Gabe Ikard has had an outstanding college career, and Travis Frederick's weight room numbers are freakish. Here are the rest of the top 20 offensive linemen in college football for 2012 with their height, weight, and a note on each: 6. C Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma: 6'4 295 lbs, 88 knockdowns on 860 snaps in 2011 according to SoonerSports.com. 7. OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M: 6'6 310 lbs, First round NFL Draft potential at 16 on Mel Kiper's Big Board.
8. OG Travis Frederick Wisconsin: 6'4 328 lbs, school record 770-lb squat & benchs around 500 lbs. 9. OG Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina: 6'3 310 lbs, 2012 Phil Steele's All-American First Team. 10. OT Alex Hurst, LSU: 6'6 340 lbs, 71.5 knockdowns in 767 plays in 2011 according to LSUSports.net. 11. OG Chance Warmack, Alabama: 6'3 320 lbs, started 26 straight games. 12. OT Chris Faulk, LSU: 6'6 325 lbs, 500-lb squat & 73.5 knockdowns in 724 snaps in 2011 according to LSUSports.net. 13. OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M: 6'5 305 lbs, started all 13 games in 2011 & son of Bruce Matthews. 14. OG Alvin Bailey, Arkansas: 6'5 319 lbs, 2011 All SEC Second Team (Coaches), 440-lb bench press & 555-lb squat. 15. C Dalton Freeman, Clemson: 6'5 285 lbs, 36 career starts & 2012 Rimington Award Watch List. 16. OG Larry Warford, Kentucky: 6'3 336 lbs, 1 QB sack & graded 87.5 percent in 2011 according to NFLDraftScout.com. 17. OG Blaize Foltz, TCU: 6'4 310 lbs, 2011 All MWC First Team, posted 580-lb bench press & 800-lb squat. 18. C Khaled Holmes, USC: 6'4 305 lbs, 2011 All Pac-12 Second Team. 19. OG Mason Walters, Texas: 6'6 315 lbs, started 25 games in a row at right guard. 20. OG Marcus Martin, USC: 6'3 325 lbs, 2011 Freshman All-American First Team by various publications. Honorable Mention: OG Lane Taylor Oklahoma State ( 6'3 328 lbs), OT Oday Aboushi Virginia ( 6'6 310 lbs), OG Braden Hansen BYU ( 6'6 313 lbs), C Braxston Cave* Notre Dame ( 6'3 304 lbs), OT Morgan Moses Virginia ( 6'6 336 lbs), OG Chris McDonald Michigan State ( 6'5 299 lbs), OG Carson York Oregon ( 6'5 284 lbs), and OT Cameron Fleming Stanford ( 6'6 308 lbs). * Cave benchs 520 lbs. Select articles on College Football Universe are syndicated with GameDayr.com. Sign up on Gamedayr.com to share anything about gameday or college sports.
Here are Spring game quarterback statistics and notes for all SEC teams . Stats may be off some due to limited stat recording of Spring games. Top 5 Passing Yards1.Tyler Wilson Arkansas 467 2. Maxwell Smith Kentucky 353 3. Tyler Russell Mississippi State 312 4. AJ McCarron Alabama 304 5. Zach Mettenberger LSU 272 West- AlabamaAJ McCarron 29/42, 304 yds, 2 TDs, 3 Ints Phillip Sims, 9/12, 135 yds, 1 TD Philip Ely, 10/18, 83 yds, 1 TD *ESPN: "At the end of the day it's for the fans and we just want to kind of make it fun for them and make some crazy plays at the same time that we probably wouldn't do in a real game," McCarron said. "Coach always says, 'Just have fun,' and I had a lot of fun today." Arkansas Tyler Wilson 31/41, 467 yds, 2 TDs Brandon Mitchell 8/13, 72 yds (White), 30 yds, 1 TD (Red) *AP:The performance also left no doubt that the near future at Arkansas is in good hands with both Wilson and running back Knile Davis. Auburn Kiehl Frazier 7/9, 92 yds Clint Moseley 5/6, 62 yds Zeke Pike 5/11, 48 yds Tate O'Connor 0/1 *ESPN: Frazier finished 7-of-9 for 92 yards and showed off his ability to scramble around and make plays. Still, Chizik said the quarterback competition would extend into the summer. Clint Moseley was plagued by a sore throwing shoulder for much of the spring. LSU Zach Mettenberger 14/25, 272 yds, 2 TDs, 2 Ints *ESPN: "We're definitely going to be aggressive this coming season," Mettenberger said. "But we're going to do whatever we can to win ball games." Mississippi State Tyler Russell 24/43, 312 yds, 2 TDs Dak Prescott 295 yds, 1 TD *ESPN: It's obvious the Bulldogs have tweaked their offense to take advantage of Russell's ability to throw the ball from the pocket, and they threw it quite a bit this spring. Ole MissBo Wallace 16/26, 240 yds, 2 TDs, 1 Int Barry Brunetti 4/10, 62 yds, 14 rush, 136 rush yds *Bleacher Report: The quarterback position has been up for grabs this spring, but Bo Wallace grabbed control of the race Saturday afternoon.Texas A&MJameill Showers 20/31, 203 yds, 2 TDs Johnny Manziel 13/27, 154 yds, 1 TD, 1 Int *ESPN: Both quarterbacks had their moments, but there were also times when the offense stalled once it crossed the 50. Overall, sophomore Jameill Showers probably had the better spring, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said he wasn't ready to make a decision and that redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel remained in the hunt.East-Florida Jacoby Brissett 9/16, 233 yds, 2 TDs Jeff Driskel 12/14, 147 yds, 1 TD(Run) *AP: Florida's quarterback competition will continue in the fall - and without a front-runner - after Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel failed to separate themselves during four weeks of practice and Saturday's spring game.Georgia Aaron Murray 7/17, 112, 1 TD Christian Lemay 7/10, 154 yds, 1 TD Hutson Mason 9/12, 133 yds, 1 TD *GeorgiaDogs.com: "It was a great day for Georgia," Coach Mark Richt said. "I feel like everyone enjoyed the game. I thought there were a lot of offensive plays that were made today. When you look at it, the defense was scoring points, too. I thought both sides of the ball played well. It was exciting."Kentucky Maxwell Smith 29/45, 353 yds, 2 TDs, 2 Ints *UKAthletics.com: There were plenty of positive signs for the first team, both offensively and defensively. Sophomore quarterback Maxwell Smith had a big day through the air, throwing for 353 yards on 29-of-45 passing. With senior quarterback Morgan Newton sidelined due to a shoulder injury, Smith shined. MissouriCorbin Berkstresser 13/20, 187 yds, 1 TD, 1 Int *Bleacher Report: With Franklin out, all eyes were on redshirt freshman quarterback Corbin Berkstresser, and he had a solid afternoon. South Carolina Connor Shaw 6/7, 128 yds, 2 TDs Dylan Thompson 15/20, 168 yds Tanner McEvoy 8/12, 132 yds, 2 TDs *Bleacher Report: Collectively, they were 39-54 for 511 yards and six TDs. There were two INTs, but overall, the signal-callers looked good. Connor Shaw's day really stood out.Tennessee Tyler Bray 14/26, 157 yds, 1 TD *ESPN: Junior quarterback Tyler Bray also played much better than he did a year ago in a woeful spring game showing. He was 14-of-26 for 157 yards and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endMychal Rivera. Bray's added maturity this spring is what earned him the most points with his coaches. Vanderbilt Jordan Rodgers 14/29, 126 yds, 2 TDs Austyn Carta-Samuels 6/12, 47 yds Patton Robinette 3/9, 24 yds *VUCommodores.com: "Last year, we did (the Wildcat) with Zac Stacy, who did some nice things, but he also made (poor) decisions throwing," Franklin said. "With a guy (Josh Grady) that has played quarterback, I think that's going to help. He can run the ball and he's a legitimate threat to throw the ball. I think that's going to help us."
Here is a recap of the games I watched and the rest of the scores from last night’s games.
The game to kick off the college football season was Murray State at Louisville. The Cardinals started out strong with a 21-0 lead in the first half led by their quarterback Will Stein (226 yds 2 TDs) which is a good passer on the move. But then the game got sloppy with seven turnovers committed by both teams. Louisville allowed for it to be competitive, but they still came away with the win. Final score: Louisville 21 Murray State 9.
Villanova at Temple was broadcasted on ESPN3.com and I decided to catch it to see if there is any drop off in Temple after the departure of head coach Al Golden. Temple had no problem in their first game of the season and exuded their dominance over Villanova. Bernard Pierce appears to be a very talented running back that has speed on the edge. He finished with 147 yards on 20 carries. Final score: Temple 42 Villanova 7.
Mississippi State was the first SEC team to play this season and they traveled to the Liberty Bowl to play Memphis. As expected, the Bulldogs rolled over the Tigers in tallying their most points scored in a game since 2000. Vick Ballard had a dazzling performance racking up 166 rushing yards with three touchdowns on just 10 carries. Mississippi State’s specials teams return game does need to improve before SEC play. Final score: Mississippi State 59 Memphis 14.
UNLV may be the Running Rebels, but the Badgers were doing most of the running. Wisconsin rolled over UNLV with a strong ground attack with 241 rush yards and a good showing by quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson had 255 passing yards, 62 rush yards, and three total touchdowns in his first game as a Badger. The Running Rebels still had 146 rush yards against a Badger defense that seemed too lackadaisical at times. Final Score: Wisconsin 51 UNLV 17.
Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky was surprisingly closer than expected. The score was only a 7-3 with Kentucky leading after the first half. The Hilltoppers came into the game with a lot of moxy for a team just 2-10 a season ago and were not all intimidated by their SEC foe. Tailback Bobby Rainey managed to get over 100 rushing yards for WKU, but it took 28 carries to do so. Linebacker Andrew Jackson (6’1 255lbs) may have been the star of the game for the Hilltoppers with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. The Wildcats seemed a little lost without Randall Cobb, but quarterback Morgan Newton had a big 58 yard run and a huge throw late in the fourth quarter to secure the win for Kentucky. Final Score: Kentucky 14 Western Kentucky 3.
I ended up catching part of the fourth quarter and overtime of what ended up being the game of the night in Wake Forest at Syracuse. The Orange scored 22 straight points including a two point conversion to come back despite having a field goal blocked late in the fourth quarter and beat the Demon Deacons in overtime. Final Score: Syracuse 36 Wake Forest 29.
Here are the rest of the scores for Thursday night:
Central Michigan 21 South Carolina State 6
Florida International 41 North Texas 16
Toledo 58 New Hampshire 22
Georgia Tech 63 West Carolina 21
Rutgers 48 North Carolina Central 0
Utah 27 Montana State 10
Bowling Green 32 Idaho 15
Arizona State 48 UC Davis 14
SEC
West
Alabama (13-0) 21.35
Auburn (9-3) 14.475
LSU (8-4) 13.4
Mississippi State (7-5) 12.563
Arkansas (8-4) 9.835
Ole Miss (4-8/5-7) 9
East
Florida (11-2) 15.033
South Carolina (6-6) 10.2
Georgia (8-4) 8.811
Tennessee (5-7) 7.286
Kentucky (7-5) 6.853
Vanderbilt (2-10) -1.975
*Conference Championships are included in projections.
*Games against FCS teams were not projected. However, teams were given a win for FCS games to show a better depiction of the projected season record, but this does not help in accuracy since FCS teams do win some games.
*Bowl games are not projected.
This is the second set of the Burnette Power Rankings called the Preseason Momentum Rankings. This type of ranking is for preseason only and will be done again next year. I did not include the formula or process of the ranking due to its complexity and I plan to add further to it next year. However, the factors that determine the team’s Momentum score and projected record include:
· Five year trends for wins, points scored, and points allowed.
· Schedule Strength including home and away games.
· Recruiting during the offseason.
· Returning starters and returning quarterback.
· Coaches leaving (only successful coaches that left for desired positions or necessity are factored in but retirement does not qualify.)
The five year trends for wins, points scored, and points allowed are the most significant factors. I found in my extensive research of the last five college football seasons’ data that recruiting is a much more significant factor than returning starters or returning quarterbacks. Next year, I plan to do more research to see the effects of the coaching carousel. However, I noticed that the most glaring impact of a coaching change is if a coach leaves a program for a better job such as Brian Kelly did when leaving Cincinnati to go to Notre Dame. The Bearcats went from being 12-0 with Kelly in 2009 to 4-8 in 2010 without him.
This blog I just posted the SEC conference and I will post the other BCS conferences this weekend. I will also try to get some of the non BCS teams posted before the season starts. The first thing you may notice is that some teams have a higher Momentum score than teams with a better projected record. The projected record takes into account home, away, and neutral site scores that I developed. Also, teams may have a negative Momentum score as in Vanderbilt.
This is a non-bias formula ranking. For example, if I went by my own bias then I would have projected Arkansas with at least 10 or more wins since they are my favorite team, but they are projected at 8-4. However, from my analysis three of their four projected losses are close and any team from the SEC with a score above eight could have a chance to play in the BCS championship. Auburn came out of no where last season to win it. Overall, there were many closely projected games in the SEC. Ole Miss' record has two different projections due to their game with BYU being projected as a tie. Alabama is the only strong favorite. A couple of wins for Florida are projected to be very close and the same with a couple of the losses for LSU. The two big out of conference games in week one for the SEC in Boise State vs. Georgia and Oregon vs. LSU are both projected losses for the SEC.
|
RSS Feed
