Graham said this is his best ASU team. But like you said their schedule is pretty brutal in having to play USC and UCLA back to back and drawing Oregon from the North, along with Texas A&M as their OOC game. But when you look at the other main contenders in the South, everybody has a pretty brutal schedule. Given that ASU had only 8 starters back last year and only 2 on defense, they should be much improved this year. If there is any season where one of the Arizona teams has a chance to win the Pac it's this season. But something tells me ASU's season hinges on that first game vs Texas A&M. They could really jump start their season with a big win over an SEC team at a neutral site. Plus one other thing going in their favor is at least they get both Oregon and USC at home, where they usually play their best football by far. Bercovici for some reason never seems to play well on the road. That's going to have to change for the Sun Devils to win that division...
Bercovici only played 1 game on the road last year--at USC and threw for 500 yds and the winning TD on the Hail Mary on the last play of the game--so he's 1-0 on the road. The other 2 games he started last year were at home..so, where do you come up with the not play well on the road bullshit?
tide i have watched the bama/osua few times recently and still cannot believe osu won the game... the talent on that team is just unreal, they have to be the most physically intimidating team in ncaa.. a conversation for another day or thread is why I think Saban is not the best X's and O's coach out there, but he will out recruit just about anyone. That team is just scary from a physical standpoint and will impose there will on everyone. If they do not beat themselves, they should not lose a game imo..
No disrespect to Oregon, they had a good team, but the best 2 teams in the country played in the Sugar Bowl. Its amazing OSU was able to mentally and physically lace em up again and take on Oregon. Nothing but respect for that Bama program.
Honestly this is the toughest year to choose an implosion because so many teams are a fit. Really the only top 15 teams I can't fathom losing 4-5 games are Ohio State, Bama, TCU, Baylor, and Oregon and those last 3 is largely based on schedule. I really don't think TCU, Baylor, and Oregon are all that good but they don't have 4 loseable games on their schedule. TCU might be the most overrated team I have ever seen but where are the 4-5 losses? There are a lot of flawed teams...the least flawed are OSU and Alabama
btw when was the last time Oklahoma was outside the preseason top 15?
btw when was the last time Oklahoma was outside the preseason top 15?
Certainly USC could implode if Sarks drinking problem has a huge negative effect on the team, but that is the ONLY way that would happen. If USC defeats Stanford, it is not going to happen. Sorry USC haters. Its too bad that your teams are so crappy that you have to root for other teams to have bad luck. Right Okie? Right Petersen?
Other than USC, it is very difficult to pick a team IF, as you say, it takes 5 losses to knock a team out. Even LSU (who got the death sentence when Herbie picked them to win the SEC) plays too many cupcake non-con games to lose 5, unless you think they will lose 5 conference games. With Florida and South Carolina as their crossover games, that is not probably going to happen.
UCLA could, but they really have too much talent, even with no QB. This is year 4 and year 4 has proven to be very difficult for the last 4 UCLA HC's. Arizona State could, but it would take a total collapse. Georgia could, because they play a decent conference schedule and GA. Tech. It is going to be tough finding more than 1 team.
Other than USC, it is very difficult to pick a team IF, as you say, it takes 5 losses to knock a team out. Even LSU (who got the death sentence when Herbie picked them to win the SEC) plays too many cupcake non-con games to lose 5, unless you think they will lose 5 conference games. With Florida and South Carolina as their crossover games, that is not probably going to happen.
UCLA could, but they really have too much talent, even with no QB. This is year 4 and year 4 has proven to be very difficult for the last 4 UCLA HC's. Arizona State could, but it would take a total collapse. Georgia could, because they play a decent conference schedule and GA. Tech. It is going to be tough finding more than 1 team.
Hahaha you got me there. My apologies, I don't have a computer or laptop so everything I do is on my iPhone. My phone has a recurring theme to default to another word whenever I try to spell notre dame..... Finally got it that time lol. Oregon should worry tho, you are right about that. In terms of skill players at RB, TE and WR they are deeper than any team I can remember. Either way they go their QB play should be sufficient early on. As always; their defense will be their biggest concern. If they can't stop teams from racking up 400 ypg every season will end up the same way, just short.
ND has a ridiculous schedule and I don't believe they have the depth at skill positions to beat every team on their schedule... I believe they lose one for sure, and two is a strong possibility. A lot of people on this forum are writing off Texas early in this game and I completely understand their logic. Personally, I believe Charlie and that defense will come to take names and will be looking to surprise the college football world week one.... Everyone thought Baylor was going to roll Texas up last season.... Didn't happen at all.... Great coaches with good defenses have a way of stepping up for big games like this. Wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Texas win by a FG
ope:
busier than a bird with two beaks....haven't been able to narrow down my trio much so will just toss one out there. I've never seen a year where there are so many potential implosions in the top 15 but one that has mentioned a lot, USC, I just don't see. I think they will be extremely good and Kessler the #1 Heisman contender and really can't see more than a couple losses, max. My trio is the exact same as RLR put out there...barn, ASU, and UCLA...but can also see ND and LSU falling apart. Clemson, or more specifically Venables, is too good to lose 5x and there isn't enough of a challenge to see Baylor, Oregon, TCU, or Mich St lose 5 games although all of them are very flawed.
I will go with UCLA in 2015 and it really came down to them or Arizona State and while it is tough to see ASU going into UCLA and winning (since they lost at home by 35 LY) I just think UCLA is incredibly overrated because of "returning starters". I think their coach is a clown and while he is touting the improvement of the OLine they have allowed 128 sacks in his 3 years in charge. That's 128 sacks...in 3 years...with a very mobile QB.
I'm a "defense wins" kind of guy and UCLA doesn't have a title-challenging defense. LY they were #6 in FEI offense but a brutal #47 in FEI defense which was 1 spot behind, ahemm, Tulane. No matter how many returning OLine starts they have a true freshman QB replacing the 2nd team All-PAC10 qb in a conference where the 1st team guy won the Heisman. UCLA has just one 1st team All P10 player in 2014 and he was just arrested and likely to be kicked off the team. They had zero 1st team offensive guys and just 1 2nd team all-conference returning on offense, OL Brendel.
They will start out 2-0 and heavily favored vs both Colorado and Washington State but other than that I don't see an easy win on the schedule. They avoid Oregon but won't win in Stanford or USC and I think both Arizona teams can beat them on b2b weeks. BYU and Cal can upset them and Utah and Oregon State are both tricky road games. While they won 10 games last year we are talking 8 point win vs UVA, 7 over Memphis, 3 over Texas, 2 at Cal, 3 at Colorado...that was 5 one-possession wins against bad teams and WITH one of the best QB in nation. So that 10-3 could have easily been 7-6 and now asking them to do it all over with a frosh QB and no returning all conference player?
Their 4-year recruiting ranking is #12 in nation so while they should finish a top 15 team I will pick them to implode in 2015
I will go with UCLA in 2015 and it really came down to them or Arizona State and while it is tough to see ASU going into UCLA and winning (since they lost at home by 35 LY) I just think UCLA is incredibly overrated because of "returning starters". I think their coach is a clown and while he is touting the improvement of the OLine they have allowed 128 sacks in his 3 years in charge. That's 128 sacks...in 3 years...with a very mobile QB.
I'm a "defense wins" kind of guy and UCLA doesn't have a title-challenging defense. LY they were #6 in FEI offense but a brutal #47 in FEI defense which was 1 spot behind, ahemm, Tulane. No matter how many returning OLine starts they have a true freshman QB replacing the 2nd team All-PAC10 qb in a conference where the 1st team guy won the Heisman. UCLA has just one 1st team All P10 player in 2014 and he was just arrested and likely to be kicked off the team. They had zero 1st team offensive guys and just 1 2nd team all-conference returning on offense, OL Brendel.
They will start out 2-0 and heavily favored vs both Colorado and Washington State but other than that I don't see an easy win on the schedule. They avoid Oregon but won't win in Stanford or USC and I think both Arizona teams can beat them on b2b weeks. BYU and Cal can upset them and Utah and Oregon State are both tricky road games. While they won 10 games last year we are talking 8 point win vs UVA, 7 over Memphis, 3 over Texas, 2 at Cal, 3 at Colorado...that was 5 one-possession wins against bad teams and WITH one of the best QB in nation. So that 10-3 could have easily been 7-6 and now asking them to do it all over with a frosh QB and no returning all conference player?
Their 4-year recruiting ranking is #12 in nation so while they should finish a top 15 team I will pick them to implode in 2015
