43 Comments so far »

1. by Jared, on June 5 2007 @ 12:32 am

   

   Why is Cal not included? With the most explosive offense in the country returning and a bona fide Heisman candidate in their stable, they should be in the top 15.

2. by Erik, on June 6 2007 @ 4:35 am

   

   Yes!!! No Notre Dame, this will be a great year.

3. by Ken, on June 6 2007 @ 11:52 am

   

   Penn State may be overrated…They have no proven running back.

4. by Corey, on June 7 2007 @ 8:39 am

   

   Jared….your crazy..WVU has the most explosive offense in the country..Steve Slaton and Pat White are the best duo in all of college football.

5. by Marcus, on June 7 2007 @ 2:41 pm

   

   West Virginia?! Unless you have a legit passing quarterback, which White isn’t, you won’t beat a real defense, which the Big East doesn’t have. Cal is for real, although I think Michigan is the best offense this year.

6. by doug, on June 7 2007 @ 5:53 pm

   

   How about Auburn at #47, I think it is. I can bet my house they will be in at least the top 30 by the end of the year.

7. by Mark, on June 8 2007 @ 9:42 am

   

   Marcus your right and wrong….WVU does need a passing attack as the Big East’s REAL defense proved last year: South Florida kicked their butts IN Morgantown.

8. by Tom, on June 8 2007 @ 11:27 pm

   

   Mark-

   USF didn’t kick WVU’s butt last year.That close of a score isn’t a butt kicking. Plus you have to factor in that both Slaton and White were playing injured- bad call on the coaches part.

   BTW, White can pass- just hasn’t been forced to do it. The lack of passing also had a little to do with WR problems.

9. by Gmac, on June 9 2007 @ 4:03 pm

   

   hey, iʻm a Hawaii Warrior fan, and iʻm semishocked at Hawaii finishing 12. Although, their schedule is favorable this year. But if this is to reflect the end of the football season then itʻs a possibility.

   Two glaring unknowns for UH this year: (1)Offensive Line and (2)Adjusting to a new (tho proven) defensive coordinator…he did serve as Joneʻs coordinator his first year at UH. Hawaii does have an offense that could catch better teams by suprise, again if the O-line is stable. Colt is probably the most accurate and quickest in decision-making, since Rolovich to operated this offense in his last year (no offense to Chang but that Rolovich offense was unstoppable i dont think anyone could stop them in their last 5 games). The difference is that Colt has legs. Though iʻm not a fan, USC looks to be a powerful team. SEC will have their teams as well as the Big 10 in the Top 10. WVU & Louiville offenses will be as fun to watch as Hawaii.

10. by Dennis, on June 10 2007 @ 8:33 am

    

    Typical Cal Bear fan, inadequate offensive line talent, heavy graduation in the dsive line & LBs, but Jared does not know it. James Montgomery better be at least as good as advertized or no running game will happen with Forsett only. Historically predictable with Cal Bear fans, good QB and one good WR, thereby great offense. Some good 4-star O-linemen. Laughable logic for 2007, so what else is new from Berkeley.

11. by USCnCT, on June 11 2007 @ 9:26 pm

    

    Yikes! Where is RU??? Sorry, but too much of the “D” and “O” are returning and with 8 home games, how can they not be a Top 25 team.

12. by Emmitt, on June 13 2007 @ 5:34 pm

    

    I see the logic (and assumptions) in a lot of Steele’s picks. He should be commended for his efforts!
    Now, if you could get a sponsor for a contest to have fans submit predictions, and award $50k + to whomever
    is the closest to the actual final rankings (plus other prizes), I would be happy to submit my picks!?

13. by Austin, on June 17 2007 @ 7:51 pm

    

    What is he thinking with my Hogs? You have Jones, McFadden, Monk and a host of great O linemen. Then you have Dick who played fair, but should do better without the controversy of Mustain. I think that 37 is not even close. My picks would be LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Bama/Ole Miss and then Miss. State. Arkansas has a great shot to play for the SEC again.

14. by Em, on June 19 2007 @ 9:10 am

    

    From living in Morgantown, I can tell you what we’ve been hearing…(1) Pat White will pass and not only him–we’re about 4 QBs deep (2)We are going to have the deepest Offense in the country…NO ONE will be tired with rotations (3)It’s not going to be the typical WVU team that everyone’s used to. RichRod’s got some tricks up his sleave. (4)We ARE going to the Championship, no “ifs”, “ands” or “buts”.

15. by Marcus, on June 19 2007 @ 2:46 pm

    

    First off, everything you’ve been hearing IS FROM MORGANTOWN!!! Of course they’re hyping that team up there. Second, does anyone believe West Virginia has a deeper offense that USC? Not to mention the whole 4 QBs deep thing…please! And if by chance they do run thru the Big Least, there’s no if ands or buts that they’ll get smacked in the championship game.

16. by Katie, on June 20 2007 @ 8:53 am

    

    In reference to the comment about Oklahoma being rated too high - the Sooner’s did not have a quarterback last year and they still won the Big 12 Conference. Take a look at the experience and those returning. With the kicking game and the new rule, they have the best. I’m sure with the amount of quarterbacks on the roster, they will find someone. I’m happy that it’s not all about Notre Dame. Last year all we heard on every broadcast of sports was Notre Dame, Notre Dame. Don’t forget the Ohio State disappointment.

17. by JDB, on June 20 2007 @ 2:17 pm

    

    What a joke! Alabama #17? Auburn #47? Those must be reversed.

18. by Dustin, on June 20 2007 @ 7:44 pm

    

    Hello???????? Auburn Number 41, who is this guy kidding? A senior quaterback who will be starting his 3rd season as a starter, Brad Lester at tailback who was just as good as kenny irons last year, and dont forget the sophomore ben tate in the backfile too. The defense will be stout as usual. They play 8 games at home that they will win, k-state,south florida, miss. st., new mexico st., vandy, ole miss, tenn. tech, bama(who we own)!!!! We have 4 tough road games, maybe the 4 toughest in the country. WE go to Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and LSU! Wow, i say we win at least 2 of those games, thats a minimum of 10-2, and phil says 41 wow. Another thing that gets me is everyone is high on LSU. HELLO, you know Jamarcus Russell, well he dont play there anymore you know and they think they can just send matt flynn in and he take this team to number 2 in the country, wrong! they play VA-Tech, florida, auburn, alabama, arkansas, they are not going undeafeated they at least lose 2. thanks

19. by Tim, on June 21 2007 @ 9:54 am

    

    Bama should be a little higher and auburn maybe 30 or 31 they might win 7 games this year but auburn has no OL and no back up if cox goes out. rtr

20. by Steve, on June 23 2007 @ 10:40 am

    

    Cal was exposed by Tennessee last season - 35-0 by mid way through the 3rd Qtr. Welcome to the SEC! The Vols were tired of hearing how good the Bears were and said not in our house. Although Tennessee, loses a lot to the NFL from last season, do not be surprised if they go to Cal and come away with a win. The Vols have some major holes (WR & Secondary), but they have a good defensive line, great linebackers, very good running backs, and a very good Senior QB in Eric Ainge. They also have one of the best recruiting classes in the country coming in to fill the holes, although I do not hang my hat on Freshmen.

21. by Katie, on June 23 2007 @ 4:57 pm

    

    Take a look at Texas ranked number 6.  I agree that  Vince Young was awesome, but I’m not sure about Colt McCoy. Have you ever wonder why Mack Brown is never on the “HOT” list for coaching in the NFL.  Why is Oregon rated so high when they went down hill at the end of the season and then lost to BYU in their bowl game?  

22. by Marcus, on June 25 2007 @ 12:09 pm

    

    Hey Steve, you write a paragraph about how Tennessee exposed Cal and how much better the SEC is, than you back off by saying how much you lost to the NFL. I guess if they’re so much better you wouldn’t have any doubt they’d go on the road and handle business. I guess it didn’t matter though that Cal had a QB that only played 1/2 a game in his career before the Tennesse game. Also, to all the Auburn fans complaining, Steele’s picks aren’t based on talent, he’s predicting their final ranking. So the fact that you’re complaing about how much harder Auburn’s schedule is, that is his point exactly! Alabama will finish higher due to their cake schedule.

23. by Mark, on June 26 2007 @ 1:04 pm

    

    OU #3…are you kidding me? I don’t really see that happening. They ended up in a Big 12 title game last year on a fluke, thanks to Texas. Nebraksa beat themselves at that game. OU didn’t beat them. I think they will be luck to finish in the top 15 if I had to make a bet on it. I definetely think OU is over rated, once again.

24. by antonio, on June 26 2007 @ 2:06 pm

    

    I hope steele didn’t put arkansas so low because mustain left. Houston Nutt doesn’t win with passing, he wins with two of the best running backs in the country. Maybe when they go in to tusculoosa and turn back the tide steele will issue an apology. They will finish 10-2 or 9-3.————–Hey mark oklahoma beat nebraska in the big 12 title game, the score didn’t reflect the whipping OU put on them.

25. by Katie, on June 26 2007 @ 5:58 pm

    

    Hey Mark! OU did great considering “no high profile” quarterback and with AD out they did better than anyone expected. I guess we will see the end results in 07 and 08. Boise State is so excited about beating OU they had to make a movie. OH WELL more money for OU! At least we don’t have to listen to Notre Dame and Ohio State this year. OU has great running backs and receivers. After the cheating at Oregon, OU still came out on top. Boise State had to pull out the tricks to beat us. Small schools can always win that one important game. Response recommended!

26. by Shakes, on June 28 2007 @ 3:56 pm

    

    Phil Steele is a complete mmoron. Bama #17 huh???? Auburn #47? You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. This top 25 has to be the worst scouting that I have seen from any professional in the sports journalism business. Please do some research before you just randomly pick teams out of a hat for your Top 25. Phil you are a joke, and need to quit publishing anything that has to do with sports becaue you don`t have a clue!!! This is the last time I ever read anything from you.

27. by Katie, on June 28 2007 @ 10:35 pm

    

    I agree with Shakes comment, it appears that this magazine was just thrown together. I have the one from  last year and it just looks like a lot of the information was duplicated, as the saying goes “only the names have change to protect the innocent”. I would rather Mr. Steele put more effort in the writing.  If you have last year’s magaine compare it to this year’s content.  If you are going to publish a quality magazine, put some time into it.

28. by Cecil, on June 29 2007 @ 9:04 am

    

    I agree with Shakes and Katie,

    This magazine should not be published ever again. Let the “REAL” experts handle these magazines, because it is evidently too much work for an imbred like Phil. You have absolutely no clue about the game of college football. Mr. Steele, Get a life and start a new job, because you are loosing readers by the day.

29. by Katie, on June 29 2007 @ 11:48 am

    

    I agree with Shakes and Cecil. I could not wait to go out and buy this magazine, in hopes of quality reading. Phil, if you are going to publish this magazine again, I would hope you really do ‘YOUR HOMEWORK” next year.  I can find only a few interesting articles in that hugh magazine. Stop repeating info and change it up.  You need to look at the teams!! My grade for this magazine is an “F”.  I will not buy it next year unless you hire some quality help that do understand football. I grew up with two brothers that played football and they are saying the same thing. 

30. by Brian Sakowski, on June 29 2007 @ 12:08 pm

    

    I don’t know why you all are getting so worked up. Phil Steele has an opinion just like everyone else. Funny thing is, if you look at his picks and picks of the other so called experts, he has done really well when you consider the final standings.

    Just so you know this isn’t 100% preseason poll. This is a prediction of how he thinks the teams will finish the season. Hawaii is so high because they don’t play anyone besides Boise St. The SEC teams are staggered and lower than expected because their conference is so tough. So there is more room for losses. Everyone is going to see the top 25 a little different but to call his work total junk is absurd.

    Do yourself a favor and look at the AP, Coaches, and few other magazines preseason polls. Save them and compare them to the final rankings.

31. by Katie, on June 29 2007 @ 4:57 pm

    

    Brian, I think the problem that I have with his magazine is the repeat, repeat, repeat info. If you follow football you know who won what award. Yes, preseason polls are just a “crap shoot”. Look at the front cover “the most accurate preseason magazine” in the last so many years. Look at last year! If you are a first time buyer it may be OK, but I don’t like to read the same infor time and time again. Hey if he can predict that good, I would take him to Vegas!

32. by Baeta, on July 2 2007 @ 7:14 pm

    

    HELLO …. Time to replace Hawaii on this list at #12, with CAL. CAL will contend for the Pac ten title, and will end the season in the top 10.

33. by Katie, on July 2 2007 @ 7:57 pm

    

    HAWAII did you see who they are playing -their difficult schedule is ranked 116 according to Mr. Phil Steele’s rankings.  They should be able to go through the entire schedule undefeated. SOOOOOOOOO if undefeated would you like to see Brennan and company compete for the national title?  OR maybe they will be the Boise State from last year!!!

34. by Thomas O., on July 3 2007 @ 8:42 pm

    

    South Carolina will be great next year SEC title contenders they’ll have a great  defense (despite the loss of Fred Bennett) Jasper and Casper Brinkley along with Carlos Thomas and the Lindsey brothers will lead the way. If they can find another receiver since they lost Sydney Rice they will make things intresting. Oh yeah why the … poop is Hawaii #12? That should be South Carolina’s. 

35. by Joshua, on July 8 2007 @ 5:47 pm

    

    Everyone who is getting “fired up” due to the results of Phil’s picks are clearly showing there bias. I agree that there are some things that could be different, but I don’t see how anyone could look at this and think that there wasn’t any research done. If anything, there may have been more research put into this list than any I’ve seen this year (thus far). I do agree that Cal should be on the list, maybe even top 15. It’s difficult to say with some of their defensive questions, but as far as losing Lynch goes, I really don’t think it’s that big of an issue (I mean….have any of you actually seen Justin Forsett run, the kid has serious talent). I also agree that Florida St. may have too many questions to be ranked as high as they are. As for the Sooners……number 3 may be high…early, but those of you who didn’t see them play last year (especially toward the end of the season), missed out. They are stacked on defense, with the exception of the D-line (which there are some talented youngsters), they should be solid. On offense, yes they need a standout QB, but that will come (at least it won’t be a WR this year….no offense to PT who exceeded most experts expectations). I do have two words for you…..DeMarco Murray. May turn out to be one of the best backs in college football, maybe not this year (due to limited touches with Patrick and Brown also in the backfield), but soon he will rise to the top. Outside of that, as much as many of you want to hate Oklahoma, you have to admit that….you can never count them out….Sooner Magic is a crazy thing, and if you are sceptical, reasearch the term “Sooner Magic”. Respectfully to all teams, I think it will be a fun year. I’m sure that everyone can see where my bias lies, but I honestly try to enter every season finding out as much as possible about most teams. I am a Sooner fan, but I am also a fan of college football. Good luck to all teams.

36. by Katie, on July 10 2007 @ 6:45 pm

    

    I agree with Joshua, and have a comment to make “if you are a fan of college football” which everyone is that watch football “we are all bias, including the refs.” I’m a Sooner fan too and I think that we are ranked too high. I would rather be ranked down around 6 to take the pressure off the team. I live in Utah and all I hear is BSC schools.  I think that all of the Division I teams should be put into the bigger conferences.  The Utes and BYU complain all the time that they are not a BCS school.  I would like to see how they would fair playing in a more difficult conference. I don’t like to downgrade any team, but BYU is the worst with complaining. Did you know that their school enrollment is larger than OU’s? They also know where their players are because if they are of the Mormon faith they want to go to BYU.  They start watching these kids when they are young. I had to really hear about BYU beating Oregon in their bowl game. Also, they make fun of out team when we get into trouble. Plus this is a republican state and always will be. 

37. by Husker crazy, on July 20 2007 @ 5:26 pm

    

    Why is no one even thinking about the Cornhuskers from NE???? Not only are they returning almost
    everyone on offense-lets not forget they have Sam Keller at the helm now. Did we all forget that Keller
    was in the preseason top ten Heisman canidates in 2006????? Watch out USC on Sept. 15th, Memorial Stadium will be
    rockin!!!

38. by Nico, on July 30 2007 @ 1:27 pm

    

    Where is Cal? The best wide receivers corps in the country including Desean Jackson, and Nate Longshore at QB! Not to mention Tedford’s genius calling plays. Forsett will be fine with All-American Alex Mack at Center along with Montgomery at RB adds depth. The linebackers with Williams, Follet, Moye and another JC transfer named Bishop gives them good talent along with Malele and Kane up the middle at DT. S’yd Quan is becoming a top corner and Hicks and Hampton can hit with the best of them. Gregory is a great Defensive Coordinator. Not to mention the best Special Teams in the Pac-10 and maybe the country. Come opening night at Memorial Stadium the Bears will destroy Ainge and the Volunteers!GO BEARS!!!

39. by Nico, on July 30 2007 @ 1:32 pm

    

    Penn State is way to high. Hawaii may very well go undefeated with that weak weak schedule. Wisconsin should be much higher and Oregon at No. 18? C’mon. No Notre Dame? Thank God!

40. by Nico, on August 1 2007 @ 9:16 pm

    

    With SC’s talent each year with their blue chip recruits I COULD COACH THAT TEAM!

41. by Doctor Smartpill, on August 30 2007 @ 2:50 pm

    

    Auburn, stop crying. Phil Steele was right when he picked you up near the top and he is right this year to pick Bama at 17.

42. by Doug, on June 19 2008 @ 4:35 pm

    

    Just checking since he has now come out with 2008. Way off (which everyone except the bammers said he would be) on Auburn. Predicted Auburn #41 finished AP #15. Alabama predicted #17, finished (who knows, not even receiving votes). Also way off on Florida State and Louisville.

43. by Joey, on September 21 2008 @ 12:04 am

    

    Dont trust anything Phil STEAL says. His office creates great work but he only sits back and rakes in the money…. If you dont know, he sells betting selections, so his decisions are based on SELLING….

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