It's interesting to see all the experts picking their way too early top 5 or 10 lists. I wanted to get some opinions on who might be some the top overrated teams. A top 3:
3. Texas A&M... Yes they are really solid and J. Football is great but I put them here more for the schedule which looks like they could easily lose 3 games... and those SEC D's will all focus a lot more on Manziel and A&M in there 2nd year in the league.
2. Clemson... Some have them in the top 5 but they seam to disappoint every time they are supposed to break thru.
1. Louisville... Seeing them in the top 10 in polls but it seems like it's based entirely off the bowl game and a weak schedule. Don't think the talent outside of Teddy is any better than a bottom half BIG 10 team.
Who you got?
FSU!
Agreed!
D. Anthony
Disagree on Louisville... you don't get up on a team like Florida by 20 points unless you have talent.
Let's call them team X (or Ohio State) and just note that they lost to Sryacuse and UCONN last year. Whose ranking them in the top 10-15 for 2013?
D. Anthony
That's true, but they won 11 games, beat Florida, and return 18 starters.
No kidding!
Add in the fact that their schedule is full of cupcakes, and they might be a better bet than any team that's got to run the SEC or Big 12 gauntlet
Alabama!!
Before I get blasted: Winning 2 straight and 3 of 4 BCS titles does 'earn' you some points with voters but the last 2 years they were only playing in those games by default. Had Oregon not choked it away in 2011 or the Buckeyes been eligible in 2012 the Tide doesn't play in either game.
“Right now, Michigan is not at the pinnacle of college football, and that’s all Urban Meyer cares about...He’s been there and knows what it takes to get there.”
If if if if, if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their asses when they jump.
Alabama lost one game both of those seasons, if it hadn't it would have made it. I don't see your point.
But look what Bama did in those two championship games against LSU and ND. They put two monstrous exclamation points on their case for deserving to be there and their case for being the best team in the country.
They didn't let LSU cross the 50 yard line until the second half!!!!! Until ND actually scored, they had gone EIGHT STRAIGHT scoreless quarters in national championship games. That is ridiculous beyond belief. They made ND look like a high school team. They're defense ends up like first in the country in so many defensive stat categories this year.
Sorry, Bama is the least overrated team in my opinion. They deserve every bit of the hype. Their players somehow look much bigger than others at every position- yet they're ALL fast and athletic.
First, I think this is an excellent thread. I think it is wise to look beyond wins-losses and try to contextualize success and failures before ranking teams. I like this topic.
Second, I agree with Avail. Alabama has earned the benefit of the doubt. They are a very well-oiled, well-designed and well-coached machine. And, there is no reason to expect massive talent drop-offs. From 2010 to the current 2013 Rivals recruiting standings, they have had top 5 classes each year. (#1 Rivals classes in 2011 and 2012 will form the core of their team in 2013.)
Even in 2010, their non-BCS championship year, they still won double-digit games and blasted a Big Ten co-champ into oblivion in their bowl game. They may have been "overrated" in the literal sense that they were preseason #1 and didn't make the BCS Championship game, but they were still a great top 10 team that waged some epic battles that year. Even in down years, the Tide's hype seems deserved.
1. Texas A&M....I do have a ton of respect for Sumlin.
2. Louisville
3. Stanford
I'm somewhat surprised that Notre Dame isn't in the top 10. I'd put them ahead of Florida, Texas, and Louisville. Maybe even Clemson.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I can definitely see a come-down year for Golson (who wasn't always lights out in this, his breakthrough year), and though I think the D will be strong again (Kelly has done a great job in this dept.), I can see a letdown. I wouldn't be shocked if they slip back to a three-loss year.
I don't know, I think A&M will be good again. Nothing I saw from Manziel suggested luck like I saw with Golson at times.
Possibly replacing that O'Line could be a problem for A&M.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I actaully think Texas A&M will be pretty good next year. I think Clemson will be overrated.
I don't think A&M can pull it off when they lose both starting offensive tackles whom are predicted to go in the early-mid first round of the draft.
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.
JACK TATUM
Yup, you beat me to it, though I think their skill positions will be stronger, as we see the impact of these past two recruiting classes
4-6 seconds of relentless effort
Matthews is returning I believe.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
Correct, he announced a day or two ago.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
I am just going to go ahead and put Oklahoma and Texas on the list, just because they always are overrated....
Oklahoma is ranked 17th. That's not really overrated.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
They have the 2nd coming of Tim Tebow at QB!
/Duff'd It
Collin Klein?
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Blake Bell
/Duff'd It
He would be the 3rd then.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
TAMU us an interesting case. Johnny is good, but he feasted on teams with weak offensive lines. LSU and Florida both contain him. If you're rushing 4 who can't shed tackles, he can really burn you. Alabama didn't have a really good defensive line this year. They had good, but nowhere near Florida or LSUs line depth. If TAMU loses both tackles, they are overrated. I'd add LSU also considering all their underclassmen declaring early
This is soo weak dude, seriously?
LSU, Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma(tradionally). No schools produce more D-line talent then those right there. Also, he had two first round O-tackles to help hold off those lines..so I wouldn't be so quick knock his amazing ability.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
Louisville. If you watched any of their games this season you will know why. They are good, not top 5 good. The bowl game was a prime example of a team thinking they would dominate and took a month off essentially
Call me crazy, but I think TTUN will be overrated. That is mostly based off the fact I hate them. But also, Shane Morris is going to be there, and overrated and Shane Morris seem very synonymous
Shane Foricer errr I mean Tate Morris... Whatever the dudes name is.... Is overrated.
I think louisville will be most overrated. They're getting hype for beating florida but fla was extremely overrated imo. Their offense was atrocious as soon as they gave up a pick 6 fla was I. A lot of trouble
O'Deez330
stark county football
Year in and year out you can always count on Virginia Tech being overrated.
along with texas
Yes...VA Tech always overrated. It's weird that are always ranked high at the beginning of the season and always disappoint.
It seems to me that everybody kind of disagrees A&M will be over rated. I think they are going to be a mess next year. yeah johnny football is a great player dont get me wrong but who do they lose for next year?
They lose their center, and one tackle has said hes going NFL, other hasnt decided but I think he is supposed to go. (3/5 OL)
They lose their 2, 3, 4, and 6 leading recievers.
They lose 5 starters on defense.
They lose their punter.
Personally I think Johnny Football was so good because of his offensive line. he had so much time on what seemed like every play to do whatever he wanted. Next year without that OLine and when teams get pressure on him and he doesnt have the recievers that he has now to get open like they did I think Johnny Football is in trouble. Braxton will definitely put up better numbers.
They are also losing two assistant coaches, Kliff Kingsbury to Texas Tech and their special teams/TE Brian Polian to Nevada. Polian was big with their recruiting success, so it will be interesting to see how it goes from here. A&M has a TON of momentum, particularly in the state of Texas. JF just won a Heisman, they beat Oklahoma in a bowl game and they're in the SEC. Texas has been down the last couple of years and Mack Brown's recruiting classes are really underperforming. It will certainly be interesting what happens down in Texas the next few years.
Help is on the way.
Michigan - wherever they're ranked
Texas and USC are my top 2 by far
I can't speak to the Louisville comment, but you're way off base with the Clemson and Texas A&M comments.
I always think the SEC is a tad overrated just because of the hype that ESPN gives them. Take away Bama and their bowl showing this year was average at best. If the SEC wins the coming playoff every year I might be easier on them, but right now I think the preferential treatment the conference gets contributes to them being in a position to win the title every year rather than them earning it. This is why I am praying really hard that when the playoff does come that they dont just fill it with 3 or 4 SEC teams. I've never had a problem with Duke or UConn in basketball when they win multiple national titles because THEY EARN IT.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Penn State isn't exactly ranked or being hyped but I think Bill O'Brien is going to have a hard fall this year. Last year they rode the "us against everyone" mentality for a long time and I don't think they are going to have that this year. I could very easily see 5-6 losses next year for the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Agree. McGloin is no all star, but his replacement is going to get rocked
ACC or soon to be ACC schools all can go in that category. I mean how many times does FSU have to freakin stink until the coaches and media stop giving them top 5 and top 10 preseason rankings.
Texas A&M I thought about for a second, but if you look into their talent on that roster and the schedule they play next year (I don't know if getting to play 'Bama at home is any better than on the road, but hey...they claim to have that 12th dude waiting) they might actually be a 10-2 or 11-1 type team again if things go their way a few times and Johnnny 'I have too many stupid knicknames' Manzel doesn't get a paper cut.
"...they're midgits!"-Coach Kerry Coombs
South Carolina and USC. I know SC is good without Lattimore, but they aren't as good as people think. They would have lost to Michigan if it weren't for the Clowney hit and USC...do I really need to explain after this abysmal season.
I can see Johnny Football being sent to prison this offseason. Not impossible by any means.
/Duff'd It
In that case I see the nick-name train still chugging....
"...they're midgits!"-Coach Kerry Coombs
T A&M was a team I made money betting against for years, always thought they were overrated. I don't think that now.
Can A&M have sustained success in the SEC, that is the question. The SEC, especially the top-tier teams, are known for their defense. They all now have an entire offseason to plan for Manziel. What makes the SEC so tough is there are 4-5 legitimate conference champions each year, so it is hard to sustain it year-over-year.
No doubt A&M will be good, but the trend in that league is for teams to take turns at the top. I realize they didn't win the league this past season, but after stumbling out of the blocks, they essentially were the best the SEC had to offer by the end of the season (yes, that includes Alabama).
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"