There's
one very important distinction in the CFN preseason rankings: these
are based on how good the teams are going into the season and NOT
how they're going to finish. Some teams have easier
schedules than others, some get tougher road games and some will
need a little bit of time to jell meaning they might be better than
their final record might indicate. Going into the year, these are
how good the teams appear to be from No. 1 through 119.
The predicted finishes don't take into account possible bowl games
or conference championships.
No. 1 to No. 10
| No. 11 to
20 |
No. 21 to 29 |
No. 30 to
39 |
No. 40 to 49
No. 50 to
59 |
No. 60 to 69 |
No. 70 to
79 |
No. 80 to 89 |
No. 90 to
99
No. 100 to
109 |
No. 110 to 119
69. Indiana
Predicted Finish:
4-8
2005 Predicted Finish: 3-8 2005 Record: 4-7
Head coach Terry Hoeppner knows how to get offensive production, and
there should be more in his second year with a veteran quarterback in
Blake Powers and, arguably, the best receiving corps IU has ever had led
by 6-7 James Hardy. There's speed at running back, but not a lot of
proven production. The line has nice young players to build around, but
no depth. All four starters return to a decent secondary, but there are
wholesale changes being made on the defensive front seven. Playing to
the personnel, the linebacking corps is woefully undersized, but very,
very fast.
Relative Strengths: receiver, quarterback Relative
Weaknesses: linebacker, defensive line
68.
Mississippi State
Predicted Finish:
4-8
2005 Predicted Finish: 2-9 2005 Record: 3-8
There's no way possible a D-I offense can average 276 yards and fewer
than 14 points per game two years in a row. It just can't. The offensive
line is sure to be better after struggling through injuries and
inexperience last year, and the receiving corps should be much stronger
with Omarr Conner's full-time switch from quarterback to receiver and
the addition of receiver Tony Burks. Fine, so the running back situation
is a bit dicey with the loss of Jerious Norwood and quarterback Michael
Henig has to prove he can complete a pass on a regular basis, but
there's hope for all the lumps taken last year to pay off. Nine starters
return from a group that more than held its own last year finishing 29th
in the nation in total defense.
Relative Strengths: defensive line, secondary Relative
Weaknesses: quarterback, running back
67.
Syracuse
Predicted Finish:
3-9
2005 Predicted Finish: 5-6 2005 Record: 1-10
Job one has to be to figure out how to generate more points. Quarterback
Perry Patterson has been around long enough to be more of a playmaker
and more of a consistent leader; he has to make everyone around him
better. Despite the loss of Damien Rhodes, the backfield should grow
into a strength if Curtis Brinkley and Kareem Jones can break out. The
receiving corps has great players like Lavar Lobdell and Taj Smith
ready to push the starters, and the line has four rising sophomores
that'll have to take their lumps before possibly forming the strength of
the team in 2007. The defense has to rock right away even with only four
returning starters.
Relative Strengths: special teams, secondary Relative
Weaknesses: running back, quarterback
66. UTEP
Predicted Finish:
8-4
2005 Predicted Finish: 9-2 2005 Record: 8-4
The offense was too one-sided last year relying on Jordan Palmer's arm
way too much. That's not needed with the emergence of top back Marcus
Thomas (although, the team's 2005 meltdown coincided with when Thomas
got hot). The line gets three starters back, Johnnie Lee Higgins leads
an explosive receiving corps, and the defense can't help but be better
with everyone healthy on the line, one of the best safety tandems in the
league in Quintin Demps and Joe Fleskoski, and a linebacking corps that
could be even better despite losing NFLer Thomas Howard. The kicking
game should be fantastic. In other words, there's no excuse for UTEP not
to win the Conference USA title.
Relative Strengths: quarterback, receiver Relative
Weaknesses: defensive line, offensive line
65. Baylor
It might seem like Baylor is on the verge of being much better, it's
undergoing a little bit of a transformation on offense. While a balanced
offense that can do a little of everything well would be nice, strength,
not speed, has been the team's biggest problem over the years; it can't
pound the ball on anyone. Expect more passing in the spread offense with
even more four and five wide sets than last year. The defensive front
six in the 4-2-5 alignment isn't going to scare anyone, but the
secondary should be one of the Big 12's best
Predicted Finish:
4-8
2005 Predicted Finish: 3-8 2005 Record: 5-6
Relative Strengths: secondary, receiver Relative
Weaknesses: linebacker, running back
64. Wake
Forest
Predicted Finish:
5-7
2005 Predicted Finish: 5-6 2005 Record: 4-7
Being competitive hasn't been an issue in the five years under Jim Grobe
with 32 of the 58 games played decided by a touchdown or less. To get to
a bowl game and take another positive step forward, Wake Forest has to
take advantage of every opportunity and needs big seasons out of some
key positions. The running game should be fine with veteran Micah
Andrews running behind an experienced and talented line, but there's a
huge, gaping question mark at quarterback with Ben Mauk needing to pay
far better than last year when he was an ineffective starter over the
first four games.
Relative Strengths: running back, linebacker Relative
Weaknesses: special teams, defensive line
63. Toledo
Predicted Finish:
8-4
2005 Predicted Finish: 9-2 2005 Record: 9-3
The building blocks are in place to win the conference title with the
MAC's best offensive line, one of the league's best defensive lines, and
a linebacking corps that will be camped out in opposing backfields all
season long. And, of course, there's head coach Tom Amstutz and his
coaching staff that have proven to be able to make adjustments on the
fly and be able to patch up problems in a hurry.
Relative Strengths: offensive line, running back Relative
Weaknesses: defensive line, special teams
2.
Northern Illinois
Predicted Finish:
9-3
2005 Predicted Finish: 8-3 2005 Record: 7-5
The Sisyphus of the MAC is going to roll that boulder back up the
mountain again this year with a team loaded with as much talent as
anyone in the MAC led by All-America candidates Garrett Wolfe at running
back and Doug Free at offensive tackle. There's speed, skill, and enough
depth in most spots to overcome a disaster if injuries hit. In other
words, there's no reason to shoot for anything lower than a repeat trip
to the title game and a shot at winning the conference title.
Relative Strengths: running back, quarterback Relative
Weaknesses: defensive line, secondary
61.
Southern Miss
Predicted Finish:
7-5
2005 Predicted Finish: 7-4 2005 Record: 7-5
If new starting quarterback Jeremy Young is at all competent, and if
the offensive line can stay healthy, USM will put up points in
bunches with almost everyone coming back at the skill positions
along with four starters up front. The defense has a weird situation
with tons of holes needing to be patched, but there's surprising
depth with plenty of options almost everywhere. For a veteran coach
like Bower and his staff, the pieces are in place for a
champion. There's a lot to get excited about with this team, but
it's probably a year away from really big things
Relative Strengths: receiver, offensive line Relative
Weaknesses: running back, defensive line
60. Rutgers
Predicted Finish:
6-6
2005 Predicted Finish: 5-6 2005 Record: 7-4
The offense has a great pair of backs in Brian Leonard and Ray Rice, and
tight end Clark Harris could be one of the league's best pro prospects,
and now the passing game needs a little work with new starting
quarterback Mike Teel, or Jabu Lovelace, needing keep the offense
moving. The big issue is the depth. This coaching staff has never been
afraid to play true freshmen, and it'll have to rely on this year's
class to come through in a big way if injuries strike. Linebacker will
be a big, big problem if the front three go down.
Relative Strengths: running back, special teams Relative
Weaknesses: linebacker, defensive line