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ESPN’s way too early top 25

Scottsdale.Sooner said:
What teams do you feel are better than OU and should be ranked before the Sooners? And why? I think #3 is a pretty good spot for us.
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At 9 months prior to the 2021 season, no one knows.
However, if one follows OU, you know that history has not been kind to OU in the postseason and especially in the playoffs.
And winning the Big 12 Conference six straight times has not put OU nearly on the same level as Alabama.
 
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The teams ahead of the Sooners will lose a bunch to NFL. Alabama and Ohio State are probably the deepest, and should be in the top 2 spots. Georgia and Clemson should complete the Top 5. However, as always there are always the surprise teams like Cincinnati this year. Sooners will have to run the table entirely to get the CFB Playoff invite. Our schedule is the softest in years with Iowa State likely the only ranked team we will play.
 
OU has lost Perkins and Stevenson, the two players that were the main factors of OU's resurgence after the ISU/KSU defeats.
OU since has also lost:
OT Ealy
Center Humphrey
WR Rambo
RB Pledger
QB's Mordecai and Morris
TE Conyers
DB's Norwood and Brown
LB's Terry and Barnes
All of these players were good contributors in 2020 and each had their moments of glory.

I know about how promising the younger players, both redshirts, newcomers, and those players gaining a year of experience and/or an extra year due to Covid-19 are.
And I like what Riley did in playing so many young players, especially in clutch situations. That should pay off big time.
But the jury is still out on reaching the level of the four teams mentioned, as well as what may be going on with Texas and its new HC. Personally, my view of Texas now is that of a sleeping giant now that Herman is gone.
 
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CTOkie said:
OU has lost Perkins and Stevenson, the two players that were the main factors of OU's resurgence after the ISU/KSU defeats.
OU since has also lost:
OT Ealy
Center Humphrey
WR Rambo
RB Pledger
QB's Mordecai and Morris
TE Conyers
DB's Norwood and Brown
LB's Terry and Barnes
All of these players were good contributors in 2020 and each had their moments of glory.

I know about how promising the younger players, both redshirts, newcomers, and those players gaining a year of experience and/or an extra year due to Covid-19 are.
And I like what Riley did in playing so many young players, especially in clutch situations. That should pay off big time.
But the jury is still out on reaching the level of the four teams mentioned, as well as what may be going on with Texas and its new HC. Personally, my view of Texas now is that of a sleeping giant now that Herman is gone.
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We’ve been hearing about the sleeping giant theory even before Mack left. My opinion is the giant is too lazy to get its ass out of bed. Sark will shows signs of improvement but he can’t change the booster culture at Texas. That works against him having long term success against OU.
 
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Oklabama said:
We’ve been hearing about the sleeping giant theory even before Mack left. My opinion is the giant is too lazy to get its ass out of bed. Sark will shows signs of improvement but he can’t change the booster culture at Texas. That works against him having long term success against OU.
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Bama, believe me, I want Texas to continue its suckage, at least as it applies to OU.
But the successes and failures of teams, I have noticed throughout my life, run in cycles. It's happened to all great teams.
So I feel that Texas may someday rise from its current stagnation and I wonder if Sarkisian will bring in elite quarterbacks to the Texas program (something has really plagued UT) and somehow purge Texas of its golden boy, frat-rat, "Renaissance man" Mathew McConaughey self-entitlement influence. I don't want Texas to win another game...ever.
 
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CTOkie said:
Bama, believe me, I want Texas to continue its suckage, at least as it applies to OU.
But the successes and failures of teams, I have noticed throughout my life, run in cycles. It's happened to all great teams.
So I feel that Texas may someday rise from its current stagnation and I wonder if Sarkisian will bring in elite quarterbacks to the Texas program (something has really plagued UT) and somehow purge Texas of its golden boy, frat-rat, "Renaissance man" Mathew McConaughey self-entitlement influence. I don't want Texas to win another game...ever.
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CT, you or anyone on the Sooner wanting Texas to win against Oklahoma never crossed my mind. I understand what you mean about schools having winning/losing cycles but I know what the culture is at UT when it comes to big boosters like Red Combs. There’s a dozen just like him and each one gets in the ear of the head football coach routinely. Darrell Royal pretty much had immunity but every coach since him has had to indirectly put up with billionaire boosters. Mack was the best at dealing with that bullshit. Think back on all the coaches who were after Royal. Except for Mack they all have a similar history. Sark may become the new Mack Brown. If he does the long sleeping giant may have to get up to pee but he will go back to bed soon.
 
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Oklabama said:
CT, you or anyone on the Sooner wanting Texas to win against Oklahoma never crossed my mind. I understand what you mean about schools having winning/losing cycles but I know what the culture is at UT when it comes to big boosters like Red Combs. There’s a dozen just like him and each one gets in the ear of the head football coach routinely. Darrell Royal pretty much had immunity but every coach since him has had to indirectly put up with billionaire boosters. Mack was the best at dealing with that bullshit. Think back on all the coaches who were after Royal. Except for Mack they all have a similar history. Sark may become the new Mack Brown. If he does the long sleeping giant may have to get up to pee but he will go back to bed soon.
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Great post, Bama.
Sark does not impress me as a head coach, but he has shown to recruit QBs well and UT's issues....on the field....has stemmed from the lack of an elite QB like RG III, Mayfield, Murray, Mahomes, Manziel, etc.
 
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You’re right. Vince Young was the last big time Texas QB. He could do it all. When you have a guy like that you always have a chance to do well. I just wonder how much easier it was for Sark to get those types to come to Alabama? I’d guess a lot easier. How well did he do attracting QBs at Washington and USC? I really don’t know. If he didn’t bring Vince Young types to those schools, I’m not concerned about him bringing them to Austin long term. Edit: gotta add Colt McCoy. But UT quarterbacks tend to be from Texas. Sark will need to bring kids from outside Texas to be successful, IMO.
 
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Yeah keep that early high season haven't earned it yet ranking. Rank em low and keep em hungry. Put in the work and climb up. When OU is ranked high and gets praise and love they start to believe it and slack off.
Besides the preseason ranking is based of the previous season anyway, OU barely beat a team in ISU that they never should have to to the first time and beat a Florida team in the Cotton Bowl that was without so many starters that were missing, players that almost beat Bama in their SEC Title Game. No way we would have played Bama that close had we gotten in to the Playoffs.
I really wish they would not Rank Teams until a few games into the season, about the halfway mark but even then with so many teams playing soft schedules its still hard to get a feel for just how good a team really is. See ND and Clempson and tOSU this past season. Hopefully Saban retires soon but doubtful.
Thought I saw the other day that since Saban took over at Bama which was a while ago that every single player that was recruited by him since he has been there has at least one NC Ring. How do you compete with that when you are after the same guy that Saban wants? You can't!
 
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Oklabama said:
You’re right. Vince Young was the last big time Texas QB. He could do it all. When you have a guy like that you always have a chance to do well. I just wonder how much easier it was for Sark to get those types to come to Alabama? I’d guess a lot easier. How well did he do attracting QBs at Washington and USC? I really don’t know. If he didn’t bring Vince Young types to those schools, I’m not concerned about him bringing them to Austin long term. Edit: gotta add Colt McCoy. But UT quarterbacks tend to be from Texas. Sark will need to bring kids from outside Texas to be successful, IMO.
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No doubt the Texas search for quarterbacks will go nationwide more than ever, but the state of Texas produces great talent at that position so I would not say that Sarkisian has to go out of state to find one.
UT recently lost its commitment of 5-star QB in Quinn Ewers (from the Dallas area) to Ohio State last October. That may have been the last nail in Herman's coffin along with his loss to OU. Ewers was said to be the savior from UT's drought at QB....again, that's in fairness to Ehlinger.
 
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CTOkie said:
No doubt the Texas search for quarterbacks will go nationwide more than ever, but the state of Texas produces great talent at that position so I would not say that Sarkisian has to go out of state to find one.
UT recently lost its commitment of 5-star QB in Quinn Ewers (from the Dallas area) to Ohio State last October. That may have been the last nail in Herman's coffin along with his loss to OU. Ewers was said to be the savior from UT's drought at QB....again, that's in fairness to Ehlinger.
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Bottom line, the best Texas high school quarterbacks typically go out of state to play college football. Heck, the NFL has several Texas school boys playing now, but I don’t know of one that went to UT. Maybe Sark can change that but I can’t think of a reason why. Way too much credit has been given him for his success at Alabama, IMO. History is not on his side when it comes to former Bama assistants taking over the reins as head coach. Kirby Smart. Yes. I can’t think of any others that have moved the needle much at all. Sark will win enough next year to give the UT fans a hard on but it won’t last long. No pun intended.
 
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CTOkie said:
At 9 months prior to the 2021 season, no one knows.
However, if one follows OU, you know that history has not been kind to OU in the postseason and especially in the playoffs.
And winning the Big 12 Conference six straight times has not put OU nearly on the same level as Alabama.
Click to expand...
This is not about history. This is about projecting the top 25 based on a reasonable evaluation of who has what coming back next year. Clemson, ND and Bama are replacing QBs. Frankly, I think OU is about where they should be.
 
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CTOkie said:
At 9 months prior to the 2021 season, no one knows.
However, if one follows OU, you know that history has not been kind to OU in the postseason and especially in the playoffs.
And winning the Big 12 Conference six straight times has not put OU nearly on the same level as Alabama.
Click to expand...

What you say is correct. But that didn't answer his questions. This is called a WAY too early Top 25 and of course it is. Clemson is only up there so high because of the easy path w/ ND out of the ACC. I'd say #3 is pretty good for OU as well. OU caught fire and was a tough team down the stretch. I don't see anyone else as good but Bama & Clemson. Rattler will have a full season of experience under his belt which is very very good. The D-Line will be even better than last year. The WR corp will be much improved. The only issues I see that needs work is the O-line. They'll have their starters but depth is going to be an issue unless they get help.
 
CTOkie said:
This is said of OU before every season.
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Is that a bad thing? They were rated #7 in the preseason; they finished #6. Understanding the last time they won a MNC they came out of no where...but in today's game if you ain't in the top 10 at the start you have no chance.
 
soonersoldier said:
Is that a bad thing? They were rated #7 in the preseason; they finished #6. Understanding the last time they won a MNC they came out of no where...but in today's game if you ain't in the top 10 at the start you have no chance.
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It's not a bad thing at all since it promotes interest and excitement.
I believe that until Alabama's stranglehold is broken, good teams like OU are on the outside of achieving national championships. I have not seen such a domination by one team over a 12 year period as Alabama has achieved since 2009. And as much as we hate the SEC, 11 of the last 14 national championships are by SEC teams, since 2006......so if you don't like the SEC, then BEAT the SEC in playoff games.
Lots of things must be overcome for OU besides replacing departed players. There are injuries, suspensions and OU's perennial habit of getting upset by teams of lesser talent.
The 2021 schedule has Iowa State at home and the likelihood of a weaker conference overall. I see 3 games....OSU, Texas and Iowa State....as potentially dangerous.
We should consider what teams like Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State have returning as well as OU. While I hope all three lose games often, recruiting and coaching are at a level where these teams won't hit a brick wall anytime soon. OU has to get better, rather than hope and wait for other teams to decline.
 
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CTOkie said:
It's not a bad thing at all since it promotes interest and excitement.
I believe that until Alabama's stranglehold is broken, good teams like OU are on the outside of achieving national championships. I have not seen such a domination by one team over a 12 year period as Alabama has achieved since 2009. And as much as we hate the SEC, 11 of the last 14 national championships are by SEC teams, since 2006......so if you don't like the SEC, then BEAT the SEC in playoff games.
Lots of things must be overcome for OU besides replacing departed players. There are injuries, suspensions and OU's perennial habit of getting upset by teams of lesser talent.
The 2021 schedule has Iowa State at home and the likelihood of a weaker conference overall. I see 3 games....OSU, Texas and Iowa State....as potentially dangerous.
We should consider what teams like Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State have returning as well as OU. While I hope all three lose games often, recruiting and coaching are at a level where these teams won't hit a brick wall anytime soon. OU has to get better, rather than hope and wait for other teams to decline.
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I’ve always wondered how Oklahoma won 47 straight and only won 3 nattys during that span. Ohio State and UCLA were the 1954 champions even though OU was 10-0 and both winners were 9-0 even with a bowl game. OU didn’t play a bowl in ‘54. Yeah, I know. I’m just being the board curmudgeon again. Edit: since I’m bitching I might add that Auburn and Ohio State won in ‘57. OU was 10-1 including a big Orange Bowl victory while Ohio State was 9-1.
 
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Next year is OU’s best chance to compete for a national championship in a long time. Probably their best chance since 2008, in my humble opinion. The Sooners finally have a real division 1 college defense again. The schedule is certainly manageable.
But like CT said, injuries and suspensions are a wild card factor. And OU has to stop this annoying habit of falling asleep and losing to purple Kansas.
 
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Oklabama said:
I’ve always wondered how Oklahoma won 47 straight and only won 3 nattys during that span. Ohio State and UCLA were the 1954 champions even though OU was 10-0 and both winners were 9-0 even with a bowl game. OU didn’t play a bowl in ‘54. Yeah, I know. I’m just being the board curmudgeon again. Edit: since I’m bitching I might add that Auburn and Ohio State won in ‘57. OU was 10-1 including a big Orange Bowl victory while Ohio State was 9-1.
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OU won two championships during the 47 game winning streak, in 1955-56. The opponents OU faced had a winning percentage of 38%. Because there was a ridiculous rule by the NCAA, OU did not see bowl action after the 1954 and 1956 seasons and two of OU’s best teams were denied more legitimacy.
 
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CTOkie said:
OU won two championships during the 47 game winning streak, in 1955-56. The opponents OU faced had a winning percentage of 38%. Because there was a ridiculous rule by the NCAA, OU did not see bowl action after the 1954 and 1956 seasons and two of OU’s best teams were denied more legitimacy.
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Exactly, yet Ohio State won ‘54 and ‘57. I hate the Buckeyes and loved that they got their ass licked last weekend.
 
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These ratings look about right. Clemson returns a ton as does Bama and OSU. All 3 teams will be breaking in new QBs - a huge advantage for teams like OU that already has an established QB. But you can bet all 3 will be pretty good.

The big early game next year is Clemson vs Georgia. The 2 big question marks in the top 5 are Georgia and OSU. We should learn a lot about Georgia in their game with Clemson. As for my biggest question mark in the top 5 - OSU - they're stacked everywhere but the one position that was putrid in 2020 and exposed by Alabama and several Big 10 teams - their horrible defensive backfield. If they get it figured out they could challenge for the NC. If not, they're screwed again
 
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Is anyone willing to look up last year's WAY TOO EARLY TOP 25 and see how it compared to the final results?
 
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soonersoldier said:
Here you go:

www.google.com

Way-Too-Early Top 25: Where do LSU, Clemson land?

It's never too early to take a look at the top 25 for next season, right? Right. Here's our first take on next season after LSU wrapped up its national title.
www.google.com www.google.com
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As a follow up:. The top 3 teams ended up in the final four (not the right order). Also due to shortened seasons many picks never had a chance to fulfill their possibilities. Really I believe these types of list price, if you are in the preseason top 10 your have a chance. If not you are very likely on the outside. That being said I will take OU being ranked highly (even if overrated) because that most likely means they at least have a chance.
 
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Going with AP Top 25, since the column is written by a journalist.

1. Clemson - #3
2. Ohio State - #2
3. Alabama - #1
4. LSU - UNRANKED (The Ragin' Cajuns did better)
5. Oregon - UNRANKED
6. Georgia - #7
7. Florida - #13
8. Oklahoma - #6
9. Penn State - UNRANKED
10. Notre Dame - #5
11. A&M - #4
12. Auburn - UNRANKED
13. Okie St - #20
14. Wisconsin - UNRANKED
15. Michigan - UNRANKED
16. Iowa State - #9
17. Cincinnati - #8
18. Boise State - UNRANKED
19. Minnesota - UNRANKED
20. Baylor - UNRANKED
21. Memphis - UNRANKED
22. North Carolina - #18
23. Iowa - #16
24. Texas - #19
25. Tennessee - UNRANKED

#10 Northwestern wasn't even mentioned
#11 BYU unmentioned
#12 Indiana unmentioned

Texas overachieved. How about that?
 
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JConXtsy said:
Going with AP Top 25, since the column is written by a journalist.

1. Clemson - #3
2. Ohio State - #2
3. Alabama - #1
4. LSU - UNRANKED (The Ragin' Cajuns did better)
5. Oregon - UNRANKED
6. Georgia - #7
7. Florida - #13
8. Oklahoma - #6
9. Penn State - UNRANKED
10. Notre Dame - #5
11. A&M - #4
12. Auburn - UNRANKED
13. Okie St - #20
14. Wisconsin - UNRANKED
15. Michigan - UNRANKED
16. Iowa State - #9
17. Cincinnati - #8
18. Boise State - UNRANKED
19. Minnesota - UNRANKED
20. Baylor - UNRANKED
21. Memphis - UNRANKED
22. North Carolina - #18
23. Iowa - #16
24. Texas - #19
25. Tennessee - UNRANKED

#10 Northwestern wasn't even mentioned
#11 BYU unmentioned
#12 Indiana unmentioned

Texas overachieved. How about that?
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The top 3 are pretty easy to predict. All will have explosive offenses - it comes down to the best defense and clearly both OSU (secondary) and Clemson's weren't up to Alabama's.

I really believe 2021 could be OU's year to take it all as the 3 teams mentioned will be breaking in new QBs
 
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