Rivals Preseason Rankings: Yes OSU is ranked higher than us
by millzners on Jan 11, 2009 4:13 PM EST
27 comments
Every season Ohio State is given the benefit of the doubt and we are not. Next season they lose many big names on offense and defense. They're ranked 6th. We lose many big names on offense, and now a few on defense. We're 13th. Last season was the same story: we return a ton of starters, they return a ton of starters. They were top 5, we couldn't crack the top 20.
Now don't let this surprise you, this is Rivals, and they're madly in love with Ohio State. And honestly, #13 is pretty good and nothing to scoff at. But my point isn't the actualy rankings but the fact that we are never expected to be better than Ohio State ever despite being 2-2 in the last 4 years.
Thanks for the fanpost! Please do not post any content from a premium site that requires a subscription. Also, if you just want to share a link consider using fanshots instead. Thanks.
0 recs |
27 comments
Email
Print
Comments
Ugh
Virginia Tech, Ok State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Boise all in front of us?
Preseason rankings, particularly rankings done immediately after the bowl season, are a joke.
Luring recruits with my new "Posting HD" scheme since '08.
by 06Lion on Jan 11, 2009 4:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Doesn't Matter
they will lose and we will jump up.
Playing Monsters like Akron, Temple, Syrcause, and Eastern Ill during the first 5 weeks will help our cause!
PSU Softball
by QBsneak12 on Jan 12, 2009 10:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
(Derisively) Preseason rankings. (More derisively) Preseason rankings.
"They haven't played us yet."
by ReadingRambler on Jan 11, 2009 4:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I just can’t wait to welcome Pryor back to PA.
by millzners on Jan 11, 2009 4:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Recruiting...
While I absolutely agree that preseason rankings are largely a joke, and even more unfair to small programs like Utah and TCU, we need to keep in mind that recruiting classes from 1-4 years ago are also taken into account. Ohio St. has, according to most recruiting services, out-recruited PSU for the most of the last 4 years. True the star system is flawed to an extent, but it can’t be completely ignored when 5-star monster USC flat out beat us with a much more athletically gifted football team. College football has so much turn over, what more can you go on for preseason rankings than returning players and recruiting?
by Domin8ing the Big Ten(11) on Jan 11, 2009 4:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Very good point
and one that I haven’t seen mentioned yet. Ohio State could have had better players than Penn State this year. We’ll never know. When preseason rankings are based on nothing more than connecting the dots of which players will fit where, and how teams have done in the past few seasons, and not at all based on performance of the season in which they’re being ranked…you have to take it with a grain of salt. What this ranking says to me is that Penn State has had two 11-win seasons and two 9-win seasons the past 4 years, while Ohio State has gone to 4 BCS bowls including the title game twice…much safer bet for a top 5 and not necessarily based on anything more in depth.
by jimbo2psu on Jan 13, 2009 8:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
bothers me
when they put in the schedule as justification for a preseason ranking, “Notre Dame has talent, the schedule is navigable…”
by jigalion on Jan 11, 2009 5:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This bothers me also.
If you are trying to predict how the actual AP poll will look at the end of the season, that’s one thing, but to justify a high ranking on a “power poll” that is suppose to be based entirely on talent, it makes zero sense.
Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries
by Kevin HD on Jan 12, 2009 9:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
I don’t get the Ohio State love. Virginia Tech too for that matter.
by speedomike on Jan 11, 2009 5:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
i am so not surprised
it’s sad…but not surprised at all. and what the guy wrote, it’s almost as if he had to justify ranking PSU that high.
by amandakt on Jan 11, 2009 7:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Who cares, were we even ranked going into last season
As attentive fans we know pretty well how our team is going to do. I think we all suspected that we would be a good team this year and I think when it rolls around we will probably beat a one dimensional Ohio State team. I remember years when I felt we were ranked too high (Lavar on the cover of SI with PSU #1), and unfortunately I was right then, so don’t sweat the rankings, they make as much sense as the BCS.
We just needed a couple players, a couple people to buy in to the fact and we were able to do it. --A.Q. Shipley
by psu on Jan 11, 2009 9:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
OMG AAY JAY CEE BOZO
Yet another example of why I can’t stand the AJC’s sports section:
Hardly a scientific poll, or one that even matters one Iota, but I thought it was quite amusing that not only is OSU ranked above us, but PITT is higher than OSU.
by MsYvone on Jan 12, 2009 9:18 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
LOL
That is too rich.
"They haven't played us yet."
by ReadingRambler on Jan 12, 2009 9:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And thoughtful.
10. Pittsburgh (10-3): With running back LeSean McCoy and seven starters on defense coming back, the Panthers should be the best team in the Big East. The big question mark is at quarterback, where 2008 starter Bill Stull returns but may lose his job in the spring. Pitt has to get better play at quarterback.
This was published on the 9th, a day after this.
Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries
by Kevin HD on Jan 12, 2009 10:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If its not EES EEE CEEE or ACC
These AJC reporters have their heads up their arse. Strike that.
They always have their heads up their arse.
by MsYvone on Jan 12, 2009 10:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dyslexic again...
But Pitt ranked JUST below OSU.? what’s with that? and we’re 21?
by MsYvone on Jan 12, 2009 9:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
either way...
WTF?!?! i can see (not agree w/ but see) why OSU may be ranked higher than us. but Pitt? Pitt?
and isn’t mccoy entering the draft?
by amandakt on Jan 12, 2009 9:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Pre-Season rankings do mea something
If you are ranked high and loose a game you can work your way back up. If you start low and work your way up then loose a game you have virtually no shot to get back to a championship. Look at this year as an example. I know our schedule is used as the example of why we were not top rated..But, if you look at some of the top teams that were up there…Alabama comes to mind, there schedule was not any better than ours. In fact, I think their’s was worse.
I think 13 is about right for us this year, perhaps even a bit lower being that we are rebuilding our entire offensive line. This past year they totally missed the boat on Penn State.
Peter
by psuboy on Jan 12, 2009 9:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Thank Clemson
Clemson was waaaay overrated in the preseason polls as a top ten team. When Alabama destroyed them the Tide went from being unranked to #12 overnight. As the season wore on Clemson was proven to be a fraud, but Alabama still benefitted from that win because they kept winning and didn’t give the voters a reason to drop them.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
by BSD on Jan 12, 2009 10:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Really they stack the deck ahead of time
Based on the preseason rankings, barring a meltdown, you were guaranteed an SEC Big 12 Title game.
When you load the top 8 with SEC and Big 12 teams, you’ve decided the outcome of the season:
1. One of the teams picked that high will go on to have success, and losing a game or two still keeps them in the rankings because they’re always first in line when another higher team loses (see Florida and Oklahoma from this season). They rebound extremely well even from terrible upset losses (like USC).
2. Another team, preseason unranked, goes on to beat all the preseason top 10 teams thus giving them an artificially inflated SoS. Those teams were very over-rated and go on to have mediocre seasons (Georgia, LSU) but not before giving the huge bump up to the teams that beat them first (like Alabama).
by millzners on Jan 12, 2009 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
polls this early are meaningless
we don’t even know who’ll declare for the draft yet
by Cairo on Jan 13, 2009 10:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
or sometimes, like with the AJC
you do know some players (Shady) that will declare, and still get it wrong.
by The JuggerNitt on Jan 13, 2009 10:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Still,
Here’s one from a year ago – January 8th, 2008 to be specific:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3186264
Oklahoma and Florida were ranked #2 & #3, USC & Texas #5 & #7, Utah was unranked. Some misses, but not a bad job of predictions with all things considered.
by Cairo on Jan 13, 2009 5:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Relax
everyone hates the Big XI. Pitt sucks balls (even though they beat my team this year – hanging my head in shame). There ought to be backlash against this conf next year, with only 1 BCS team, and a 9-3 tOSU. If conf champ is you all, at worst that’s the Rose and at best the NC game. (However, if the latter is v. FL with a senior St. Tebow of the Fellating Fox channel, playing his last college game, my feeling is I’d rather rip out my eyeballs than be in that no win situation.) Not looking ahead, but if you all take care of business you’re, what, at worst, a 1 loss team? That being the case, I’d take my chances.
by txhawkeye on Jan 13, 2009 6:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
