Find all the online slots reviewed and available for play at Slots Online Get live college football lines and the best bonuses including: Bookmaker bonus code, Betus bonus code and Sports Interaction bonus code
Find your Michigan football tickets, the Red Wings schedule, plus UFC tickets, MLS soccer tickets, Preakness Stakes tickets and Belmont Stakes tickets.
Online Casinos Elite
Onlinecasinoselite.com is the best bonus casino directory where to find an huge archive of the most trusted casino brands, a complete guide to all popular casino games like blackjack, roulette, bingo, poker, casino mobile for your phone and a reserved section for slot machines and videopoker fans. Plus the top casino reviews of the best usa online casinos.
Compare online slots games or play for big cash prizes.
Slots Galore
|
By Ace Anbender
A brief explanation of my other picks:
- Boise State could easily have made it into my top five, as they return more starters than any other team in the country, but I want to see how they respond to a early-season tests against Virginia Tech and Oregon State before I hop on that bandwagon. That may not be totally fair, but running through the WAC just doesn’t impress me as much as teams that have to face top-level talent week in and week out.
- I dropped USC a fair amount since my first draft — Lane Kiffin still has to prove to me that he can actually coach a good football team at any level, and pulling together a team hit by major NCAA sanctions is no easy task for any coach. They have as much talent as any team in the country (save Alabama and Florida), but also more off-field distractions than any other squad.
- Wisconsin above Iowa? Believe it. Wisconsin returns every major contributor from the Big Ten’s No. 1 offense in total yardage and points per game, while the Hawkeyes have to replace three offensive linemen and a couple standout linebackers from one of the luckier teams in the country in 2009. Both teams should challenge for the Big Ten title if Ohio State falters, but I like the Badgers more than the Hawkeyes at this point.
- Pitt and Arkansas are two teams I will be very interested in watching this year. Both squads have the potential to put up a ton of points, and each boasts a Heisman Trophy candidate (running back Dion Lewis for Pitt, and former Wolverine Ryan Mallett for Arkansas), but both squads will have to shed the dreaded “preseason dark horse” label (think Ole Miss last year) and prove that they can live up to the hype. For now, I’m putting them right around the middle of the Top 25 pack, but they could shoot up the rankings with impressive performances early in the year.
- Penn State dips down slightly from my draft, as it now appears true freshman Robert Bolden or walk-on Matt McGloin will start at quarterback as sophomore Kevin Newsome has not lived up to expectations in the spring or fall camp. Add that to a defense that must replace five starters along the front seven, and this could be an up-and-down year for the Nittany Lions.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
I will be voting in the Blogpoll once again this season, so I thought today would be a good time to throw out an early top five before unveiling my full preseason ballot later this month. Part of the reason for doing this is that I disagree with the majority of the preseason polls, where Alabama sits atop the standings almost across the board. Who do I think is the legitimate preseason number one? Michigan fans probably won’t like the answer…
- OHIO STATE: While most of the preseason attention has focused on whether or not Terrelle Pryor can build on his Rose Bowl MVP performance in January, many are overlooking the tremendous collection of talent Jim Tressel has placed around the former number-one recruit. Ohio State returns 15 starters from last year’s 11-2 squad, and both sides of the ball are chock full of upperclassmen — the offensive line boasts two seniors and three juniors, and as many as seven seniors could start on defense. The truth is, Pryor doesn’t need to have a Heisman-level season for this team to run the table — remember, this is a program that won a national title with Craig Krenzel starting at quarterback. If Pryor can turn in a breakout performance, this team will be tough to beat for any team in the country.
- FLORIDA: It’s amazing that a team coming off a 13-1 season in the nation’s toughest conference could fly under the preseason radar, but that’s exactly what is happening with the Gators this year. Yes, Tim Tebow is gone, but junior John Brantley was Rivals.com’s No. 3 overall quarterback in the class of 2007 and should be more than capable of leading a talented Florida offense. That offense still features speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey and former blue-chip receiver Deonte Thompson as well as an impressive collection of offensive line talent. The defense must replace a lot of talent, but Florida has the players to reload along the front seven, and they return three very good defensive backs in SS Ahmad Black, FS Will Hill, and CB Janoris Jenkins. Getting past Alabama will be tough, but I think Florida will be right back atop the SEC standings this year.
- OREGON: Forget the offseason turmoil, and even the loss of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli; this is still a very talented team that has appeared to surpass USC as the class of the Pac-10. The loss of Masoli certainly hurts, but redshirt senior Nate Costa actually beat Masoli out for the starting job prior to the 2008 season before suffering a season-ending knee injury — the dropoff there shouldn’t be that big. With 1500-yard rusher LaMichael James joining him in the backfield, a solid receiving corps, and a line that returns all five starters from a unit that allowed just 13 sacks in 2009, Costa and the offense should have no problem putting points on the board. The big question mark is the defense, a unit that turned in a very inconsistent 2009 season — they held seven opponents to 21 or fewer points, but allowed 33 or more four times, including a 51-42 loss to Stanford. With seven returning starters, including all three linebackers (led by All-Pac 10 selection Casey Matthews), expect a better performance from a defense that should be entirely composed of juniors and seniors.
- ALABAMA: Based on sheer talent, I couldn’t justify dropping the Crimson Tide any further, but with just two starters returning from last year’s stifling defense I expect to see Alabama struggle a bit more than their preseason rankings suggest. In fact, Alabama will likely have to look to rely on the offense, which features Heisman winner Mark Ingram, QB Greg McElroy, and receivers Julio Jones and Marquise Maze, to carry the team while the nine new starters settle in on D. Alabama should put up points in bunches, and I expect the defense get stronger as the season goes on, but with so much uncertainty around the defense and true freshmen likely to handle kicking and punting duties, ‘Bama looks ripe for an upset or two in 2010.
- TEXAS: Last year’s runner-up will attempt to reload after losing stars Colt McCoy (QB), Jordan Shipley (WR), Sergio Kindle (DE), and Earl Thomas (FS), but with 14 returning starters and blue-chip talent at every position, Texas should find themselves in the national title hunt once again. Sophomore QB Garrett Gilbert had a crash course in High Pressure 101 when he had to replace an injured McCoy in the national title game, and that experience should only help the former five-star prospect in his first season as the starter. He’ll have a stable of talented running backs to help move the ball behind a line that will feature four seniors, and receivers Malcolm Williams and James Kirkendoll have big-play ability. Despite the loss of Thomas, the secondary should be strong with three returning starters, while DE Sam Acho anchors a line full of former top recruits and outside linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho (Sam’s brother) should keep the front seven strong. Add in blue-chip freshmen in DE Jackson Jeffcoat and LB Jordan Hicks, and Texas will be tough to beat in the Big 12.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll have a full top 25 coming in the near future.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
[end_columns]
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
Dropped Out: Southern Cal (#17), California (#19), Houston (#20).
Well, there it is — my final ballot for the regular season. I honestly had a tough time with my #2, since somehow Texas, Cincinnati, and TCU played similarly difficult schedules (especially when it came to ranked wins), and I really wasn’t impressed with the Longhorns on Saturday night. Unfortunately for those (like myself) hoping for some BCS-busting action, Cinci barely eked out victories over its two toughest opponents (WVU and Pitt) and TCU’s signature wins came against BYU and Utah — neither was enough to merit a jump over Texas.
As always, leave your thoughts in the comments — if there’s something that needs to be changed, I’ll have a final ballot in on Tuesday night.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
Dropped Out: Clemson (#15), Mississippi (#18), North Carolina (#25).
Yeah, it’s a total mess. I might as well have picked the bottom of the ballot out of a hat. So, please leave your thoughts in the comments, and hopefully my final poll will be a little less messy.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
Dropped Out: Wisconsin (#17), Nebraska (#25).
The top ten has settled out pretty well, but making sense of the bottom half of this ballot is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while downhill skiing. Yes, Cal beat Stanford, and Stanford beat USC, but USC also beat Cal earlier this season. Ole Miss beat LSU, but do they really deserve to vault from unranked to #18 because Les Miles lost his mind in the final minute of their game? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments, and I’ll have a final ballot in on Tuesday night.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
Dropped Out: Houston (#16), Arizona (#19), South Florida (#22).
Here’s my first crack at this week’s ballot. Stanford is your big mover after their blowout win over USC. Have I ranked them too high? Too low? Any other glaring mistakes? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
Dropped Out: California (#20), Notre Dame (#21), Oklahoma (#24), Auburn (#25).
Just did this draft in the Ft. Lauderdale airport, and to be honest I wasn’t able to catch much football this weekend — weddings take first priority, especially when they’re in Miami and you’re from Michigan. Not sure if I like this ballot or not, so leave your thoughts in the comments and I’ll have a final one in on Tuesday.
EDIT: It was pretty inevitable that I would do something stupid, and this certainly qualifies: USC by no means should be ahead of Oregon, by virtue of the Ducks completely annihilating the Trojans in their head-to-head matchup. How quickly we (well, I) forget. This will be fixed for the final poll.
Similar Posts:
By Ace Anbender
Dropped Out: West Virginia (#20), South Carolina (#21), Mississippi (#23), Central Michigan (#24).
Didn’t get to a draft on Sunday, so this will serve as both my draft and final ballot; changes can be made until tomorrow morning, so if I made an egregious error, make your case in the comments and I’ll make changes this evening.
Moving Up (and In): Yup, there’s a change up top, even though Alabama was sitting at home on a bye week. I think Florida and Texas have both been more impressive over the recent stretch of play, so UF and UT move up a spot as the Crimson Tide drop to three. Oregon obviously jumps after a (very) impressive victory over USC — I was considering moving them above Iowa, but undefeated is still undefeated (at least when you’re in a major conference).
With several teams exiting the poll, Arizona and Notre Dame move up at the bottom, and Cal, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Auburn reappear on the ballot. There’s little rhyme or reason to my rankings down there — we’ve reached a point where pretty much every team at the bottom is very uninspiring, but I sure as hell wasn’t ranking BYU again.
Moving Down (and Out): USC’s drop mirrors Oregon’s rise, which seems about right. Virginia Tech plummets to the bottom of the poll, but as noted above, there’s a huge dropoff between the teams barely hanging on to a spot and the guys on the outside looking in, so they stick around at 23. West Virginia, South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Central Michigan (I knew I shouldn’t have ranked them) exit after losses.
Games Watched: Honestly, between Halloween festivities and post-Michigan game depression, I didn’t watch a whole lot of football this weekend. Michigan-Illinois, UNC-Virginia Tech, and bits of Oregon-USC pretty much covers my weekend viewing. If anything I did above seems idiotic, blame that, and leave your thoughts in the comments.
Similar Posts:
|
|
Alex on 
JL on 
Ace Anbender on 
Steve on 
Loading ...
Email This Post
1
4