View From Bennett Avenue

Let me begin by stating that I am not a fan of preseason polls. That said, this is a blog covering college football so I had better comment on the recently released The USA TODAY/Coaches Poll. And so...Florida State? Why do the Seminoles have to be ranked every August. Just as writers covering the NFL must select the Dallas Cowboys as the favorites in the NFC East every year, so too must their college football brethren swoon for the Noles.

But Florida State is only ranked 20th and will disappear once Oklahoma blows them out in September. So let's discuss the top ten, featuring Alabama as no. 1. The Crimson Tide do return a boat-load of starters, although they did lose LB Rolando McClain, NT Terrence Cody and DB Javier Arenas from their defense and G Mike Johnson from their offense. They are trying their best to keep DE Marcell Dareus eligible as not only does he project to have a huge season but his four career starts are two more than any other member of the defensive line.

Ohio State, with many expecting QB Terrelle Pryor to explode this season, Florida and Texas round out the top four of national powers. These schools are perennial members of the preseason top five, even when they lose the type of future Hall of Fame QB that both the Gators and Longhorns lost.

The big news was with the five hole, occupied by Boise State. The Broncos play no. 6 Virginia Tech on Labor Day and so we will know a great deal about their chances of gaining a BCS title spot in week one. Trailing the Hokies by one spot is another non-BCS team in TCU, who also have a tough test week one in Oregon State. Good friends Oklahoma and Nebraska fall eight-nine, and that would be a great Big 12 conference title match-up in Nebraska's final season of conference play. Iowa completes the top ten; the Hawkeyes are the second of four Big Ten teams to be ranked in the top 14 with Wisconsin--my pick for the conference crown--coming in at 12 and Penn State opening at no. 14.

I feel that Auburn at 23 and Utah, tied for 24, are too low while Notre Dame is not ranked at all. They will finish the year in the top 20, mark my words. I also am bullish on Connecticut, Arizona and Missouri, who will all need to win in September to woo voters.

But that is enough already on preseason polls.