Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

maybe, maybe not

Saying a coach or group is without peer because their teams finished well in the polls sounds circular to me.  They likely aren't horrible coaches of course.  The best coach could be at some place like K State.

Pages 52 – 59

52: Player Ratings: DL:

DTs: 1. Glenn Dorsey 2. Sedrick Ellis, USC 3. Eric Foster, Rutgers 4. Andre Fluellen, Florida St 5. BJ Raji, Boston College 6. Frank Okam, Texas 7. Keilen Dykes, West Virginia 8. Mitch King, Iowa 9. James McClinton, Kansas 10. Terrill Byrd, Cincinnati

DEs: 1. Calais Campbell, Miami 2. Derrick Harvey, Florida 3. Quentin Groves, Auburn 4. Chris Long, Virginia 5. Bruce Davis, UCLA 6. Tommy Blake, TCU 7. Lawrence Jackson, USC 8. Matthew Shaugnessy, Wisconsin 9. Vernon Gholston, Ohio State 10. Tyson Jackson, LSU

King – “Not heavy – 264 lbs but looks like best interior lineman in Big Ten”

Shaugnessy – “Two years after knee surgery, he’ll start putting up bigger numbers.”

Gholston – “Only returning starter on line will get plenty of blocking attention.”

53: Player Ratings: LBs

Inside LBs: 1. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State 2. Dan Connor, Penn St 3. Vince Hall, Virginia Tech 4. Rey Maualuga, USC 5. Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina

Outside LBs: 1. Keith Rivers, USC 2. Ali Highsmith, LSU 3. Alvin Bowen, Iowa State 4. Erin Henderson, Maryland 5. Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky 6. Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech 7. Bo Ruud, Nebraska 8. Ian Campbell, Kansas St 9. Malik Jackson, Louisville 10. Spencer Larsen, Arizona

Laurinaitis – “Wrestler’s son won Nagurski Award as first-year starter.”

Connor – “Moving from outside spot and into spotlight vacated by Paul Posliszny.”

Ruud – “All-Big 12 hometown kid once committed to NU nearly two years early.”

54: Player Ratings: DBs

CBs: 1. Antoine Cason, Arizona 2. Dwight Lowery, San Jose St 3. Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech 4. Aqib Talib, Kansas 5. Paul Oliver, Georgia 6. Simeon Castille, Alabama 7. Malcom Jenkins, Ohio State 8. Tony Carter, Florida St 9. Terrell Thomas, USC 10. Jack Ikegwuonu

Safeties: 1. Kenny Philips, Miami 2. Jonathan Hefney, Tennessee 3. Tom Zbikowski, Notre Dame 4. Derek Pegues, Miss St 5. Chris Horton, UCLA 6. Josh Barrett, Arizona St 7. Eric Wicks, West Virginia 8. Taylor Mays, USC 9. Jamal Lewis, Georgia Tech 10. Myron Rolle, Florida St

Jenkins – “Worthy of carrying the banner for Ohio St’s great cornerback tradition.”

Ikegwuonu – “First-team All-Big Ten has height and serious recovery speed.”

Zbikowski – “Fifth-year senior came back to improve on disappointing junior season.”

55: Player Ratings: Special Teams

All-Purpose: 1. DeSean Jackson, Cal 2. Percy Harvin, Florida 3. Rafael Little, Kentucky 4. CJ Spiller, Clemson 5. Damon Nickson, Middle Tennessee

56 - 57: Unit Rankings: Offense:

Top 10 Backfields 1. West Virginia 2. Michigan 3. USC 4. Texas 5. Tennessee 6. Texas A&M 7. Louisville 8. Kentucky 9. Boston College 10. Missouri

Michigan – “In just about any other year, QB Chad Henne and RB Mike Hart would be the top backfield.”

Texas – “Baby-faced Colt McCoy channeled the spirit of a grizzled veteran last season, throwing for a school-record 29 touchdowns as a freshman.”

Top 5 Receivers: 1. Louisville 2. Florida 3. Cal 4. Oklahoma 5. Hawaii

Florida – “Urban Meyer has the do-it-all receivers to go along with the do-everything quarterback, who make the shotgun-spread so much fun to watch: Andre Caldwell, Percy Harvin, Jarred Fayson, Louis Murphy.

Top 10 Offensive Lines: 1. Michigan 2. USC 3. Texas A&M 4. Oregon St 5. Rutgers 6. Alabama 7. Oklahoma 8. Louisville 9. Florida 10. Ohio State

Michigan – “This ranking made possible by LT Jake Long’s return for his senior season.”

Ohio State – “The Buckeyes have bookends – tackles Kirk Barton and Alex Boone – who will be vying for all-conference honors.”

58 – 59: Unit Rankings: Defense:

Top 10 DLs: 1. USC 2. LSU 3. Rutgers 4. South Carolina 5. Auburn 6. Iowa 7. Florida St 8. UCLA 9. TCU 10. Wisconsin

Iowa – “Slowed by injuries last season but each starter is entering his third season as a starter. With Better luck in the health department, this will be the best pass-rushing unit in the Big Ten.”

Wisconsin – “Three starters from a line that allowed only four opponents last season to gain more than 300 yards.”

Top 10 LBs: 1. USC 2. Virginia Tech 3. Ohio State 4. South Carolina 5. Penn State 6. LSU 7. Oregon State 8. Tennessee 9. Nebraska 10. Iowa

Ohio State – “The defense rallied around middle linebacker James Laurinaitis last season…”

Nebraska – “The high-level play of senior Bo Ruud is a given, and Steve Octavien and Corey McKeon just need to stay healthy. Octavien will be used as a pass-rusher supreme.”

Iowa – “Mike Klinkenborg picked up last season where Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge left off in 2005.”

Top 10 DBs: 1. USC 2. Oklahoma 3. Miami 4. Georgia 5. Arizona 6. Virginia Tech 7. Florida St 8. LSU 9. Rutgers 10. South Carolina

Pages 68 - 83

SEC Preview:

Projected MVP – RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas; Offensive Player of the Yr – QB Erik Ainge, Tennessee; Defensive Player of the Yr – DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU; Best Newcomer – S Eric Berry, Tennessee; Strongest Arm – QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia

Top NFL Talent: RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas; DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU; CB Paul Oliver, Georgia; LB Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina; DE Quentin Groves, Auburn

1. (#2 Nationally) LSU – “The loss of the No. 1 pick in the draft, QB JaMarcud Russell, paves the way for fifth-yr SR Matt Flynn to take control.”

2. (#7) Tennessee – “The Vols are eager to reclaim their spot among the elite. The schedule is tough early – at Cal and at Florida in the first three games – but a senior QB like Ainge can get Tennessee through that and onto a major run near the top of the polls.”

3. (#11) Florida – “Meyer has assembled top-five recruiting classes the past two years, so there is certainly talent in Gainesville. It’ll just take some time for it to grow. Can the playmakers on offense carry the Gators back to the SEC East title? Sure, but any bigger prizes might have to wait until 2008.”

4. (#14) Arkansas

5. (#17) Georgia – “A year ago, Matthew Stafford was locked in a four-way battle for playing time as a true freshman. Now he’s locked in as the undisputed starter. But the most exciting runner might be redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno. He lived up to his hype in spring practice rushing for two touchdowns in the spring game.”

6. (#23) Auburn

7. (#34) Alabama – “The hiring of Nick Saban raised eyebrows all over the country – and hopes among Alabama fans everywhere. So what changes will college football’s first $4 million-a-year coach make? Given how Saban controls information, no one will know until fall.”

8. (#40) South Carolina – “Spurrier believes the Gamecocks can contend for an SEC title, but the schedule suggests otherwise. The Gamecocks have better talent than last season, but getting past eight wins won’t be easy.”

9. (#48) Kentucky

10. (#70) Miss State

11. (#77) Ole Miss – “Orgeron’s ongoing quest to stockpile talent and bring a winner to Oxford enters its third year. There’s no doubt Orgeron – regarded for his recruiting prowess – has helped the talent level rise, but depth remains a big question.”

12. (#78) Vanderbilt

Moreno had a solid year as a RS freshman.  The fact he red shirted is notable.  Stafford was very talented but still erratic.  I think they started the next season ranked #1, and then got blown out by Alabama.

Pages 84 - 99

Big Ten Preview:

Projected MVP – QB Chad Henne, Michigan; Offensive Player of the Yr – WR Mario Manningham, Michigan; Defensive Player of the Yr – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State; Best Newcomer – WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois; Strongest Arm – QB Chad Henne, Michigan; Best Scrambler – QB Juice Williams, Illinois; Toughest to Bring Down – RB PJ Hill, Wisconsin; Best Hands – James Hardy, Indiana; Best Blocker – OL Jake Long, Michigan; Best Pass Rusher – DE Willie VanDeSteeg, Minnesota; Best Cover Corner – CB Malcom Jenkins, Ohio State; Special Teams Demon – Marcus Thigpen, Indiana

Top NFL Talent: 1. OL Jake Long, Michigan 2. WR Mario Manningham, Michigan 3. LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State 4. LB Dan Connor, Penn State 5. OT Kirk Barton, Ohio State

1. (#3 Nationally) Michigan – “Michigan’s schedule is loaded with 8 home dates, where coach Lloyd Carr is 69-9 in 12 seasons. Only one road game is against a preseason Top 25 opponent – Wisconsin. With a favorable schedule and a core of offensive players who rank with the Michigan greats, all signs are pointing to this being THE year for the Wolverines.”

2. (#6) Wisconsin – “The first real test will be consecutive trips to Illinois and Penn State in early October. If the quarterback position is stable by then, Wisconsin can reach lofty expectations.”

3. (#13) Ohio State – “RB Chris Wells will be the main focus on offense coming off a year in which he rushed for 576 yards and seven TDs as a freshman. Wells specialized in short-yardage situations and battled fumble problems that led to four turnovers. Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline replace Ginn and Gonzalez.”

4. (#27) Iowa – “The Hawkeyes enter the season with a four game losing streak. The team needs a new QB, needs to find at least two new starters on the offensive line and has four returning starters on a defensive line that has something to prove.”

5. (#36) Penn State – “Anthony Morelli has a big-time arm, a year of experience and a veteran receiving corps. On defense, LBs Dan Connor and Sean Lee cover a lot of ground and make a lot of plays. Justin King and AJ Wallace might be the two fastest corners Penn State has ever had.”

6. (#49) Illinois – “Zook has added a splashy recruiting class to an improving foundation. There is good reason for optimism. The defense is respectable, and if Juice Williams can make strides, the offense has potential. For a team that has won eight games in the past four years, it’s time to turn potential into a bigger victory total. The Illini is ready to do just that.”

7. (#51) Purdue – “The Boilermakers are stocked with very good skill position players, so they should be better than a year ago.”

8. (#57) Northwestern – “Northwestern has had time to digest a troubling year that included Randy Walker’s sudden death, a quick coaching transition and a protracted QB competition. 2nd Yr coach Pat Fitzgerald can now shape his team. With a facorable schedule featuring seven home games, the Wildcats can reclaim its place in the middle of the Big Ten and return to a bowl game.”

9. (#59) Michigan State – “After three consecutive losing seasons, just the sniff of a bowl game would make many in East Lansing happy. The schedule includes seven 2006 bowl teams in the final nine games, so winning three straight at home to start the season is important.”

10. (#68) Minnesota – “The offense has two proven tailbacks in Amir Pinnix and Jay Thomas. The defensive line had no depth last season, but should be much improved.”

11. (#76) Indiana – “The non-conference schedule could – should – yield four victories, putting Indiana close to bowl eligibility. Thanks in large part to quarterback Kellen Lewis and what could be a potent offense, expectations and excitement are on the rise. Unfortunately, that’s the case for much of the Big Ten, so making the final steps toward the postseason won’t be easy.”

Page 99: Sixth full page sports betting Ad

I am pretty sure ELA does better than any of these year after year.  I am certain I get better info around here overall.

Nobody here pumps up their team unrealistically, that I've seen, in ages, since Crunch left.

I wonder how Crunch is doing.  He's probably a multibillionaire and banned from playing roulette now.