Credit Sport Illustrated for “originality” in their preseason predictions.  However, also discredit them for pulling their Preseason Top 20 directly out of their ass.  I’m not going to go over every single selection like I did with the Coaches Poll a few days ago, but I will let you in on one joke of a ranking.

Sports Illustrated considers Oregon State to be the 18th best team in the country.  I’m not kidding.  The coaches ranked Oregon State 35th, and they got 290 fewer points in the poll than Penn State.   Rivals ranked them at #36, a very similar spot.  But for Sports Illustrated, a 9-4 team that returns 9 starters including zero from the front seven on defense is a top 20 team.  They also lost running back Yvenson Bernard who was ridiculously consistent throughout his 4 years at Oregon State, and with 8 games that they could lose, I don’t see them improving on 9-4.

Because Wisconsin checks in at #10, I can’t accuse SI of being anti-Big Ten.  However, with Texas Tech at #8 and Tennessee at #12, I can accuse them of being anti-thinking.  Frankly, I think everyone is selling PSU very low this year.  The #22 from SI is identical to that from the Coaches Poll and the Rivals rankings.  I’ll go ahead and say it: I don’t see Penn State finishing less than 10-3 this year.  Fine, we’ll probably lose @Ohio State and @Wisconsin.  But I don’t see another game on the schedule where we will be the underdogs.  Michigan State and Illinois are both home games, and we should beat them both.  Frankly, I can’t understand why Penn State is not considered a top 20 team.

What I will give SI credit for is selling on Illinois, though.  Illinois at #23 makes SI the one ranking where I’ve seen Penn State ranked above the Illini, and it’s good to see someone actually taking Illinois at face value.

For informed rhetoric, I will once again point you to Adam Rittenberg’s Big Ten blog for ESPN.  I agree 100% with his Big Ten Power Rankings, which, not coincedentally rank PSU 3rd and Illinois 4th.  And lastly, I’ll direct you to his ranking of Big Ten coaches, where JoePa ranks second, beating out Rich Rodriguez.  Good work, Adam.

Rittenberg also has been ranking the individual units of each team, and once he finishes I’ll try and organize the results for you.  But so far, so good.

One last link is to Fox Sports, who ranked Beaver Stadium as the Third Toughest Venue in the NCAA:

There is no doubt that the tradition and passion of PSU football gives it a spot near the top of this list. Whether it be JoePa or a whiteout, there’s some serious passion among fans here.

#3?  Come on.  Take a look at this and tell me we’re not #1?

Releated Posts:

1. Penn State No. 9 in AP Poll
2. Devon’s Preseason Blogpoll Rankings
3. Devon’s Week Four Blogpoll Rankings
4. Penn State #8 in Coaches’ Poll