2009 College Preseason Rankings

With just about two months left before the start of the college football season, it seems as good a time as ever to make some predictions. Without any further ado, here's a glimpse at the Top 25 teams in the country according to me.

No. 25
Texas Tech
Texas Tech is in total rebuilding mode, but the offense still could be one of the better passing teams in the country. The real question lies in whether or not the defense will be able to stop anybody.

No. 24
Pittsburgh
Pitt boasts one of the best defenses in the nation. The offense is lacking after the loss of LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling, but should be sufficient for a team that will be in the hunt for the Big East title.

No. 23
Nebraska
The defense was greatly improved last season - one of the best in the Big XII and figures to continue that trend. The quarterback situation could be problematic.

No. 22
Florida State
Questions remain about whether or not the Seminoles' defense can rebound from some key losses. Still, it's a solid unit all around.

No. 21
Miami
The 'Canes return a ton of young talent from last year's squad on both sides of the ball. Outside of Oklahoma, no team on the schedule is clearly dominant and if they show discipline, there's no reason to think they won't compete for the ACC championship.

No. 20
North Carolina
UNC surprised early, but proved late they were a legit contender in the ACC. T.J. Yates provides seasoned leadership for an explosive offense.

No. 19
Iowa
The team returns 15 starters from the 2008 team that finished the season ranked 20th. The defense, ranked 12th last season, should once again be one of the best.

No. 18
Georgia
The defense should remain strong, but this is one of many teams that will try to recoup after losing a star quarterback. Injuries on the line made life very hard on the offense and it will need to prove it can stay healthy.

No. 17
TCU
The Horned Frogs always play tremendous defense and even though they lost a lot from last year's squad, there's no reason to think they suddenly are going to fall off the table.

No. 16
California
The Golden Bears will be hard to throw against with a very strong secondary and one of the best pass-rushing defenses in the league last year. Jahvid Best should be a Heisman candidate, but the rest of the offense needs to help him out.

No. 15
Notre Dame
The Irish have a boatload of talent returning to the roster with no real key losses. Three new coaches and a renewed commitment to the run will give the Irish a fresh look. The schedule is certainly manageable.

No. 14
Oregon
The Ducks are rebuilding in a lot of areas, but quarterback should not be a problem for them as Jeremiah Masoli returns with his 23 touchdowns from last season. The defense was one of the worst in the country last year and doesn't figure to be much better this year, so Masoli and LeGarrette Blount will be asked to do a lot to pace an offense that scored nearly 42 points per game last season.

No. 13
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys could have one of the best offenses in football this year, but with Texas and Oklahoma still at the top of the Big XII, it's hard to see this team being considered one of the elite.

No. 12
Georgia Tech
Boasting one of the best running attacks in football, the Yellow Jackets figure to be one of the teams beating up on each other for the ACC championship. The X factor remains if they can rebound from the loss of basically the entire defensive line.

No. 11
Ohio State
Simply because of the conference it plays in, Ohio State will get more than its share of wins and as a result, be in the running for the Big 10 championship. Too much talent was lost on both sides of the ball last year to expect them to run away with even the mediocre conference.

No. 10
Ole Miss
A solid quarterback and two good receivers will pace the offense, but the front seven will remain the strength for a team that proved it has the ability to beat the elite in 2008 by knocking off Florida.

No. 9
Penn State
Joe Paterno may not know what the BCS is, but he still almost ended up in the BCS championship last year. The team was first in the Big 10 in total offense last year and with most of the talent returning at the skill positions, it should be a similar story this year.

No. 8
Boise State
The boys who play on blue turf get little love at the beginning of the season and then get their butts kissed come the end of the season. This year should prove to be no different. The WAC is getting stronger, but not strong enough to prevent the Broncos from going undefeated in the league and taking home some more hardware. Oregon at home is the toughest game on the schedule, so an undefeated season isn't out of the question.

No. 7
LSU
Charles Scott and Jordan Jefferson are the key to an offense that struggled to find its identity last season. With the amount of talent they have, especially on defense, the Tigers look on paper to be one of the tops in the SEC.

No. 6
Alabama
In what seems to be a recurring theme this season among the Top 25, Bama is breaking in a new quarterback. As long as he can keep the ball in the Crimson Tide's hands, the defense should be able to take care of the rest.

No. 5
West Virginia
A young defense that ranked 11th in points allowed returns the bulk of its starters. That's always a good start when you're looking for keys to success. That defense will need to be just as stout this season as WVU tries to replace Pat White, or at least find out if they have a half-way decent replacement in Jarrett Brown.

No. 4
Southern California
The Trojans go through quarterbacks like paper towels, so moving on without Mark Sanchez shouldn't be much of an issue at all. What may be an issue is the Trojans' defense. Talent-wise, USC looks strong, but the defensive unit lacks experience and that could end up biting them.

No. 3
Texas
More like a No.2-A, Texas returns its leader in Colt McCoy, who was largely responsible for the Longhorns' No. 9 ranking in offense last season. The Big XII South remains loaded with offensive firepower, which could ruin a shot at a perfect season, but Texas is very much a condender for the national title.

No. 2
Oklahoma
Another team that is very glad to have its starting quarterback return, Oklahoma figures again to be one of the absolute best offensive teams in the country. Bob Stoops still remains one of the biggest choke artists in college sports and it remains to be seen if he can put his team over the top.

No.1
Florida
Say what you will about Tim Tebow and whether or not he's the best player in college football. He's the best when it comes to the one most important thing - winning.

Selig, MLB Have To Promote Pujols

Coming out of the steroid era, there were certain players we seemed to just accept were not juicing. We were looking for that white knight to lead baseball out of the dark

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

shadow had cast itself in.
The most prominent was Alex Rodriguez. He seemed to be a natural. A pure swing without the obscenely apparent ripped bodies of the likes of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds. Then it all came crashing down with the report of a failed test, some nonsense about a cousin (It's always the cousin, isn't it?) and the nation was left grasping at straws in regards to who it could look to.

Manny Ramirez? Oh. Nevermind.

In such a time, MLB needs to pray that the testing policy works and that it never turns up anything on a slugger that wears the same uniform McGwire did when he cheated his way to a short-lived home run record. That record, if you don't recall, was broken by another cheater.

Albert Pujols gets little love outside of fantasy baseball circles because he plays in the NL Central. He even has a ring and no one seems to notice. But baseball needs this man more than any other in the sport right now.

Not sure if you're quite convinced? Let's take a look at the resume and get to know Prince Albert a little better.

Image via Wikipedia

Pujols is 29 years old. That's according to him. You never can tell with players from certain parts of the world. In any event, let's assume he's telling the truth. At 29 years of age in his ninth major league season, Pujols has a .334 batting average, good for first on the active career list. The Dominican-born slugger has 345 home runs, which is 13th on the active list and currently gives him the most home runs by a player under 30. His 1045 RBIs also are the most among ballplayers under 30 and 22nd among active players. Mathematically speaking, an average season for Pujols goes a little something like this: .334 batting average, 200 hits, 43 home runs, 129 RBIs, 124 runs scored.

He's a seven-time (soon to be eight-time) All Star. As for hardware, he's got the 2006 World Series ring, two MVP plaques, four Silver Slugger Awards and was Rookie of the Year. Oh, he can play the field, too. He's got a Gold Glove to attest for that.

He's played and produced, even through injuries, including a nagging elbow problem that could have shut lesser players down for the season.

Before it's all said and done at his current pace, if Pujols calls it a career at 40 years of age he'll have surpassed 800 home runs - 818 to be exact. Barry Bonds reached 762 at age 42. For those of you who don't buy Bonds' record as legitimate, Hank Aaron was also 42 when he ended his career with 755.

Despite a putrid lack of exposure to the masses by the marketing department of Major League Baseball, Pujols is in the lead for the starting spot at the 2009 All Star game. Coincidentally, the show is being held in St. Louis this year. In any event, this is the time for Bud Selig and his cronies to do the right thing and properly introduce Albert Pujols to the world. He's a world-class athlete playing in one of the biggest sports spectacles in the world in front of his hometown fans. Tell the story of Pujols. Or better yet, let him tell it himself.

Image by lscan via Flickr

The cloud of suspicion has always seemed to pass Pujols by. That could also be because he remains a relatively well-kept secret to the masses. Those who follow baseball closely know just how good he is. Those who follow as an average fan, however, don't see him in quite the same light.

Why hide him in relative obscurity? Why not put him out there? Is it because baseball is afraid to glamorize another superstar only to have it blow up in their faces? If that's the case, the MLB can't have it both ways. If they want to claim they have a strict testing policy, they need to be ready to accept it when a good player fails. This is a sport that needs a hero once again and if they trust Pujols, they need to celebrate him on a national stage. Then they have to pray it doesn't come back to bite them.

Notre Dame's Schedule Is Not All That Easy

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Everyone has said it, so I might as well join the choir.

This is a make or break season for Fighting Irish football.

The dismal 3-9 season was a hard one to swallow for fans, but too many - including Charlie Weis - expected the world from true freshman Jimmy Clausen and when he didn't work out, Weis had no answers.

2008 could have been a bounce-back year for the Blue and Gold, but a seeming lack of leadership and maturity plagued the team. An inexcusable loss to Syracuse and a terrible performance against a beatable Boston College team illustrated that point. Throw on top of that a heartbreaking four-OT loss to Pittsburgh in which they held a two touchdown lead going into halftime and you have the perfect recipe for mediocrity. Even if they won two of the three, they would have headed into the bowl season at a respectable 8-4.

This year's team and schedule both remain basically the same. The Irish return a boatload on both sides of the ball, but specifically on offense, returning all three running backs, Clausen at quarterback, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd as arguably one of the best receiving tandems in college football and four starting offensive linemen.

While some claim the schedule is remarkably easier than last year, the bulk of the schedule is unchanged. Notre Dame returns USC, Michigan State, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Navy, Purdue, Washington, Stanford and Boston College. Five of these teams (USC, Michigan State, Pitt, Navy and BC) made it to bowl games in 2008. Washington State, UConn and Nevada are the newcomers as North Carolina, San Diego State and Syracuse exit. Nevada and UConn are also coming off of 2008 bowl games.

It's a schedule that is certainly manageable, as was the schedule a year prior. And it certainly doesn't start out easy for the Irish, who open the season at home against...

Nevada
Nevada doesn't get a lot of attention because they play in the WAC, a conference where you're not going to get any love unless you play for Boise State. Ending the season 5-3 in the WAC isn't anything really exciting, but when you have last year's fifth-ranked offense in football and two of the league's three top rushers and one of them is your quarterback, you've got a pretty decent team. Signal caller Colin Kaepernick is quite the double-threat, piling up nearly 4,000 total yards (2849 passing, 1130 rushing) and 41 touchdowns (22 passing, 17 rushing). Throw on top of that a running back that also topped 1,000 yards for the season and added 14 TD's and you have a formidable opponent for an Irish team that was not all that strong against the run last season.

Michigan
Michigan is coming off a disastrous 3-9 season and have a lot of uncertainties heading into this year, not the least of which is the quarterback situation. Most likely the team will be relying on true freshman Tate Forcier, who is talented, but Notre Dame fans can tell you how quickly a talented freshman can turn into a mess. The Wolverines fumbled seven times, losing four and turned the ball over a total of six times in a 35-17 loss in last year's meeting of teams holding college football's two best winning percentages. Still, no game played at The Big House can ever be looked upon lightly. Michigan has an 11-7 record against the Irish at home.

Michigan State
Javon Ringer is no longer a Spartan, so the Irish can breathe easier after he scorched them for 201 yards and two touchdowns in last year's meeting. Michigan State also still needs to work out its quarterback situation, but there's no reason to think that the preseason No. 24 team in the country is going to be a slouch. The Spartans are stocked with young talent at the skill positions and return almost all the key pieces of the defense, including All-Conference selection Greg Jones. Michigan State has also won three straight games at Notre Dame Stadium.

After this, things get a tad easier with...

Purdue
It will be interesting to see how the Boilermakers handle the Irish's three-headed running game of Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and James Aldridge, especially with Notre Dame being more committed to the run this season. Purdue was devistatingly bad at stopping the run last year, allowing about 175 rushing yards per game and don't figure to be much better this season.

Washington
Washington, once a PAC-10 powerhouse, has slipped so far and it's really sad to see. They finished winless last season at 0-12 and ranked 176th in the nation in defense, allowing 38.6 points per game. Jake Locker is an athletic quarterback who should improve the offense, but there's no reason to think this team is going to be good anytime soon.

Then things get a whole lot tougher in the form of...

USC
USC is the only team on Notre Dame's schedule that is clearly head and shoulders above it. Like a lot of teams on the Irish's schedule this year, the Trojans will be breaking in a new quarterback, but that never seems to be much of a problem for them. Notre Dame actually leads the all-time series, but hasn't beaten the Trojans since 2001. Since then, USC has taken seven straight, although some still believe the 2005 victory was stolen from the Irish.

Then back down to earth again to host...

Boston College
Boston College is a mess heading into the 2009 season and it's not all its fault. The Eagles hit a pretty crummy stretch of luck in the offseason. First, head coach Jeff Jagodzinski was fired after ignoring an ultimatum from AD Gene DiFilippo and interviewed for the New York Jets' head coaching position. Then ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with cancer. Then to top it all off, projected starting quarterback Dominique Davis announced he was transferring after getting suspended for academics. The defense was the Eagles' strong point last season and now they will move on without their two best players (B.J. Raji graduated and was drafted and Herzlich is out indefinitely). Offensively, BC has a mess at the quarterback position with their best option being Codi Boek, a junior college transfer. Boek was actually converted to fullback last year, which speaks to his athleticism, but can't inspire much confidence in his abilities as a signal caller. Still, it's Notre Dame and BC and the Eagles have caused the Irish fits, including going 4-1 in their last five meetings in South Bend. This could possibly be the Eagles' last trip to Notre Dame Stadium for some time, as the contract expires in 2010 and contractual obligations with the Big East are making it hard to schedule future meetings.

And if things go bad there, there's no better cure than...

Washington State
Another PAC-10 cellar dweller, Washington State finished the season at 2-10 with an average margin of defeat of 41.9 points. The team was 184th in the country in defense, allowing 43.8 points per game and the offense was shut out three times (USC, Stanford, Arizona State). The one thing they have going for them is both of their wins did come at home and they play host to the Irish.

Then the rivalries continue on with...

Navy
Navy went a respectable 8-5 with an Independent schedule last year and is probably about the same calliber team this season. The current coach runs the flexbone offense, just as his predecesor did and that can always cause problems for the Irish, who need to figure out how to be more stout against the run. Notre Dame had won 43 straight before the Midshipmen beat the Irish in 2007. Last year, however, the Blue and Gold resumed its dominance over the series with a 27-21 win.

Then the season ends with winable games against...

Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh still boasts one of the best defenses in the country, so it will be interesting to see how Notre Dame's more than capable receivers handle it. Remarkably, last year's matchup between these two teams featured zero turnovers by Jimmy Clausen and the Irish, but they still blew a 17-3 halftime advantage and Pitt tied the game and sent it to overtime. Unable to score a touchdown in three prior overtimes, Charlie Weis sent out Brandon Walker to kick a fourth field goal - a 38-yarder, which he missed, giving Pitt the opportunity to win. Both teams return in similar shape as last season, with Pitt maybe even being a little better than last year, so it could shape up to be another classic.

UConn
At least once a season the Irish seem to fall asleep against a team they should beat. Could this be that game in 2009? A team like UConn ends up on Notre Dame's schedule every year because of the contractual obligation to play three Big East teams. The Huskies were somehow selected to a bowl game after going 3-4 in a very weak conference and have never done much to garner much attention since moving up from the Championship Subdivision. UConn, by the way, never won a championship at the Division I-AA level. In fact, they never made it to a championship game.

Stanford
Jimmy Clausen had the best game of in his career to that point against Stanford last season (he then bested those numbers at the Hawai'i Bowl) and yet Stanford still managed a fourth-quarter rally to make a game of it. Stanford is itching to give redshirt freshman Andrew Luck a chance to start, so if Tavita Pritchard struggles at any point this season, it could be another young quarterback the Irish face in its final game.

So it's a schedule full of winable games, but one where it wouldn't be all that surprising to see them drop a few. The one big plus about the layout of the schedule is it seems set up to prevent any serious losing streaks. Just as last year, it comes down to maturity and how to find a way to finish off games. Can Jimmy Clausen manage to find some composure? Some of that lies in how much the offensive line has matured. If the line shores itself up and the Irish can commit to the run the way they want to and take some of the pressure off of Clausen, there's no reason this team couldn't be a BCS contender at season's end. But beware of calling the schedule easy. It's anything but. For every Washington State, there's a Michigan State, for every Washington, a USC.