In case you were not aware, we have been invited to become a voting member of the CBS BlogPoll run annually by the fine folks at mgoblog.com

So with 3 official contributing writers here, we have agreed to submit our individual thoughts on what we perceive to be the Top 25 each week starting with the pre-season poll. Once we have all 3 official ballots for each week, it will be combined and calculated into an official NittanyWhiteOut ballot for the BlogPoll. Sounds fair enough.

Your job as readers, is to call us out on teams you think we give too much credit to and teams we overlooked. Feel free to use the terms: stupid, homer, idiots, and/or blind generously and creatively in your comments. This will allow us to possibly reconsider and thus, rearrange our ballots and submit a more accurate representative ballot to the Blogpoll.

So here we go for 2009.

The Top 3 should be no question. 3 high profile teams with returning Heisman favorites as signal callers. As of the preseason, there should be very little question as to the 3 most talented/experienced teams in the country. Fortunately for us, we will get to watch Texas/Oklahoma determine it on the field along with the other match up of my Top 10 teams. Florida/Ole Miss and Ohio State/Penn State. (Whoever said the regular season doesn’t already serve as a defacto playoff?)

Kool-Aid Tastes Funny

The most glaring omission from my Top 25 would be the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame fans might claim Jimmy Clausen is the second coming since Tom Brady, but based on what? A statistically spectacular game in their bowl game against Hawaii? Practically any QB would have looked good against Hawaii (ranked #78 in pass defense, #87 in pass efficiency defense, and #83 in scoring defense).

Did everyone forget how inept the offense was against USC, how they lost in crushing fashion to one of the worst teams in Syracuse, being shutout by Boston College, or even scoring just 1 touchdown against Michigan State who was eventually blown out by both Ohio State and Penn State?

When Notre Dame can actually compete against quality teams, then we can talk.

Alabama is my bust #2. The Coaches Poll have them as high up as #5, but I’m not buying it. Alabama ranked #63 in total offense including #97 in pass offense last season. And that was WITH offensive play makers QB John Parker Wilson and Andre Smith. With Wilson gone and Smith donning a Bengals jersey this fall, its not hard to imagine their already struggling offensive numbers to be even worse. The only reason why they are still in my Top 10 is based solely on their defense which should be just as good statistically if not better than 2008.

Nowhere to be Found

I am extremely high on the Fighting Illini. Their defense is suspect, but their offense should be spectacular. The combo that is Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn will be regulars on weekly highlight reels.

Then I have Oregon State 8 spots higher than their Coaches Poll ranking. Oregon State has proven in recent seasons that they are consistent double digit winners regardless of talent. Sure they lose their entire secondary, but go back as recently as 2007 when the Beavers lost their entire front seven and they still churned out a good number of wins. And with returning true sophomore sensation, Jacquizz Rodgers finally healthy (who only played in 8 games last year for the Beavers), the Beavers have a running back who is almost as talented as Cal’s Best. Watch out for the Beavers this fall.

So what do you think? Who’s ranked too high, or too low?

Releated Posts:

1. NittanyWhiteOut Preseason Blogpoll Ballot
2. Week Whatever Blogpoll Ballot
3. Kevin’s Final Top 25 ballot – Penn State #8
4. Final Blogpoll Ballot of 2009
5. NittanyWhiteOut Week 1 Blogpoll Top 25

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