bingo415

2021 was the year of Nick Hall and the Raiders. What does 2022 have in store? Welcome to a new season of Power Rankings! At the start of the new year, we'll break these down into three parts, focusing on 3 tiers of teams. Today is teams #1-12...featuring both of our Kickoff Game participants. Happy 2022, everyone! Remember, if you don't like where you are in these rankings...play better! Start of the Season Power Rankings, Part 1 of 3 1. Las Vegas Raiders Ugh, the damn Raiders occupy the top spot. And they will until they lose. Which doesn’t look likely at any point, really. One does have to wonder if their slightly underwhelming OLine will get Nick Hall hurt at some point this season. But, in all likelihood, the Raiders (puke) find yet another stud that will emerge. I’m guessing it will be Malcolm Davis. Great, another guy to hate…. 2. Philadelphia Eagles I like what the Eagles did this offseason—basically just focused on making their core better. I believe they were one Marlin Whiting injury away from winning the whole things last year, and they are my Super Bowl pick this year. I like the Eagles a lot. If they take a step back, it will be because they didn’t inject enough youth into the equation this season. 3. Miami Dolphins Miami is back in the mix, with a new selection of targets for Brian Brown to turn into demi-gods, and a new commitment to making everyone in the AFC look silly. If the Dolphins get to the Super Bowl—a distinct possibility—it’s because Coach Smackems has evolved as a schemer and Miami has evolved as a defensive force, too. I think it’s Very Likely the Dolphins make the AFCCG, what happens after is up to them… 4. Green Bay Packers Green Bay, amazingly, is flying under the radar a bit. Perhaps Inspiral is getting tired of winning trophies. Perhaps Jason Johnson looked down and realized he’s been around the sim as long as Soluna has. Perhaps everyone looking at the new shiny thing in Chicago means the Packers can continue to mash opponents—or rather, dance around them lithely—and no one will notice until we look up in Week 13 and they’ve only lost once. 5. Los Angeles Rams I debated putting the Rams this high. It appears as though Daveed Knox will be the ‘difference-maker’ the Rams have sought for sometime in the backfield, but way too early to tell. The Rams still have a stellar Defense, but if you look closely, you can see the cracks in the foundation beginning to get a little bigger. Gone is All-World Walt Peck, and in his place is O.K Walt Peck, plus a disgruntled Derrick Schwartz. Darrell Murphy is a year older, but is he a year better? Not sure. Says here the Rams MIGHT be the casualty in the NFC sandbox. 6. Tennessee Titans The Titans were THISCLOSE to a Top 5 spot…then they traded Charles Woods. It was a fantastic move them, over the long-term, but I think there will be ripples of regret about making that move this season, even if it means one more Tyler Jones double-team than planned. That is how close the Titans are to the AFC Favorite, as opposed to a team looking to contend… 7. Jacksonville Jaguars …and by “contend,” I mean contend with the other giant(s) of the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Again, there are a bunch of guesstimates about how the Jags will do this season—we GUESS that Taylor Rodriguez will be productive in this offense; we GUESS that Sowell will shake off the rust of his injury and return to curb-stomping fools; we GUESS that the DLine will be as dominant as it was last season; we GUESS that Shamar Ware was the Steal of the Draft at his position and now no one will be able to run on the Jags—but I think we can give Soluna the benefit of the doubt. 8. Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers are gonna be FUN to watch. Either they blow up the AFC North (and maybe the rest of the AFC as well), or their gonna completely buckle under the weight of Norris Brooksheer’s shattered ego. I’m betting on the former, but the latter is at least half as likely. First actual question, though: who’s going to defend the pass on this team? 9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Last season was a revelation for the Bucs (also: called it in these pages ☺ )—their solid team chemistry was aided by good coaching and excellent production from the quarterback, DT, and CB positions. And it led to a playoff spot. This year sees the Bucs with one more piece of the puzzle, but also facing a potential sophomore slump from DeNorris Jackson. Really, I could see them winning the South, or finishing 3rd. That’s how deep and loco the NFCS is this season. 10. Detroit Lions Perhaps this is too high for a team that completely flamed out last year. BUT…this is the team that had the best draft in the League, and then went out and obliterated everyone in the preseason. I see two problems initially, that there MAY be a QB controversy in Detroit if LeCount doesn’t start well; and that an aging defense isn’t up to the task of shutting down the Bears/Packers four times this season. BUT…the heavy money is on Kenyon Randall making neither of the above much of a worry at all. 11. Carolina Panthers I think this ranking for Carolina is a nod to the consistently good position they find themselves in at the end of every freaking season. Because I don’t think the Panthstars did much of anything this offseason to get better, other than make sure that Christian Skaggs showed up for Training Camp. I think the Panthers have to take advantage of their schedule early: beat the Raiders on Thursday night, and get a game or two up on the rest of the NFCS to hold them off at the end of the season. And give Mike Latta the damn ball. 12. New York Jets The Jets have so many questions entering week 1 after an off-season of tough choices. How will the DLine play without big Bob Ballard? How will the secondary perform? How about the Linebackers? Granted, most of those questions had at least cursory answers in other talented players ready to step in. But it would be logical to assume a slight regression from the J-E-T-S. Let’s call 11 wins a disappointment. Parts 2 and 3 tomorrow and Saturday...cheers!

Maybe my sarcasm was a little too thick...

Seattle looks to improve on a terrible 2021 and get Jarius Jones moving To conclude this two-part Season Opening Power Rankings, we look at teams ranked #13-32. Catch Part One here. Today, we see where some playoff contenders and the rest of the League falls to open the season. Major questions abound for all of these teams, but there is some hope as well. Remember, if you don't like where you are in these rankings...play better! 13. New Orleans Saints To borrow the old show device from The Colbert Report, I have a tip of cap and wag of the finger for the Saints FO. First, tip of the cap for going out and getting an above-average player at the ONE position you knew you needed to solidify. It could be the key to moving from 13 to a ranking much closer to the top 5. In fact, I’d even say is somewhat likely the Saints end the season higher than 13. But, the wag of the finger is for the King’s Ransom paid to achieve that singular goal. So many picks, plus giving up a weapon for Devereaux might mean that this year is all of a sudden make-or-break. 14. Kansas City Chiefs If I were to listen to Alien (but really, who does that?), I would have put the Chiefs much higher up the list. I sort of wanted to do so anyway, so the inevitable slide is that much more biting. But I like what KC did: they went out and got a guy in Josh Allen Ryan Harris that can make throws and balances their offense nicely. Terrence Rodgers was in for a ‘take the leap’ kind of season anyway, this may accelerate that even further. Super hot take: Luke Lyles will be a Pro Bowler this year. Damn, why is my division so good? Can’t you all just be terrible? 15. Indianapolis Colts Indy is so difficult to get a real read on—they MIGHT be back to the unstoppable offense and bend-don’t-break defense that saw them flying high in 2019 and 2020. Or, they MIGHT never find the balance that takes the pressure off a still-developing Aaron Shea (who, by the way, feels a heck of a lot like the AFC’s version of Young Skaggs, doesn’t he?). The lack of a running game is a meme now, but ask yourself this: does Shea have what it takes to single-handedly win a game, like Nick Hall did on Thursday night? I don’t think so. 16. Denver Broncos Nothing to see here, move along, hey look at that awesome shiny thing in Kansas City!! As discussed in the shoutbox this week, Denver is the perennial playoff contender, never a contender for the top prize. I get it. Part of that is by design (the playoff contender part, anyway), part of it might be our unsubstantiated belief in Jennings and Blacknall and solid play in the trenches. I get it. We’ll just see how this year plays out and move on from there. IF we end up in the playoffs, I’ll say I told you so. 17. Chicago Bears Interestingly, my feelings about the Bears mirror those of the new team of the Bears’ former QB. Like PIT, Chicago is either going to flame out or flare up, with first-year starter Mo Foster joined in the backfield by über-vet Vaughan Abraham. Do I wish the Bears would have done a bit more to bolster the OLine? Yes. Do I think they will have a hard time stopping everyone else in their division? Yes. Am I super pumped to watch every Bears game? Yes. 18. Washington Football Club This very well may be too low for the Football Club from our nation’s capital. I can easily see them challenging the Eagles in the East, maybe even jumping as high as the #5 playoff spot in the NFC, so strong is the battery of Bowman-to-SWH and the remarkably robust team around them. How Washington got here in basically two years after a near-death penalty from the League is really impressive. And the new FO of Stinsy and HAFF will only continue the ascent. If I had a true rooting interest in the NFC, it would be these guys. 19. Houston Texans Alex Leshoure is ready to break through. He’s got some weapons, he’s got some protection, and he’s ‘mastered’ a couple playbooks already. He’s ready. Will his coach give him the best shot to finally live up to those expectations? I have no idea, but it won’t be for lack of trying. Rome has a tricky season: he’s got Auburn to look after and the Texans to mind and I can tell there is some tension there. I’ll put it this way: if the Texans are top 15 in scoring, and top 20 in scoring defense, they will be a playoff team. If either of those things is untrue, it may be time to blow it up. 20. Dallas Cowboys I’ve already come out in favor of the new direction Dallas is preparing to take. I like Graham Burnett and I like Serwendel as a Coach and GM. I think he can make things work. At least Burnett is going to be upright while attempting 47 passes a game, unlike Nick Hall. Here’s guessing a regression to 9 wins sets the table nicely for 2023 when they finally get a gamebreaking Wideout. How’s that for franchise planning? ☺ 21. Baltimore Ravens Yep, I already know this is too low, but legitimately I can’t tell who the Ravens should leapfrog. The Defense: it’s gonna be good. Like, keep them in every game good. But I am so less sure about anything Baltimore is doing on Offense that it makes it impossible to predict where and when a win is going to come, other than over the Bengals twice. Besides, the stink of the AFC North is a difficult monkey to shuck. I will be rooting for Darrell Mack to do well…that’s about it. 22. New England Patriots You know, this team could really surprise a few folks. It’s entirely possible that the very solid draft and free agent moves this team made might position them well in the larger AFC playoff picture—but I also can’t feel good about them playing the Dolphins and Jets four times and the Pats coming away with more than 1 win. We all root for Reggie, but he’s gonna need some help. Maybe this is the year Jamel Beckham decides to make like a poor man’s JC Weldon and put the team on his back. 23. Cleveland Browns I’m sitting here trying to think of one thing that the Browns did this offseason. Without looking, can you name one thing they did? I can’t. That doesn’t mean the Browns lack talent, but I can’t tell what their identity is as a football team in any way. Nor can I deduce what they’re trying to do. So, I think the Browns, lacking any major moves at all, will take a step back because other teams in their division got better. Cleveland, meet 5-11. 24. Seattle Seahawks I so badly wanted to put Seattle higher on this list, because it’s really easy to root for Jieret and his FO. I think Seattle will be MUCH more entertaining than last season, and I think that they will jump into the #2 spot in their division, which is no small feat after their puke-tastic play of 2021. They have serious top-end talent at three or four major positions, and if Marcus Williams can put it together as he did in the preseason, look out. I’ll say 8-8 and be happy about that, Hawks. 25. Atlanta Falcons Aside from the very obvious QB controversy that will linger over the entire season, Atlanta is also lacking major talent at some very important spots. They SHOULD be able to rush the passer, which will be good because they can’t cover anyone. Nor do they have a thumper in the middle of the second level to destroy running games. Akili Wallace is gonna murder someone on the offense or coaching staff when this team starts out 1-5, and he would probably be acquitted. Long year coming in the Dirty Dirty. 26. Minnesota Vikings Hey, everyone! Remember that Minnesota has a professional football team!! The Vikes are about as under-the-radar as you can get in a division with a recent champ, a perennial favorite, and the flavor of the month. Verdell is done, I’m almost positive. But he’ll grit out another season, heck, might even surprise some folks. But really, the Luke Cobb scenario is perfectly typical of the Vikings: one step forward, two steps back, pretty much every season since 2014. This current FO has some plans, and that is very nice to see, but they won’t come to fruition for at least two more seasons, right? 27. Buffalo Bills Very tempted to move the Bills up. They drafted the best QB since Shea (yes, I think Matt Jones will be better than Bowman), and they got the mojo back on their DLine. But they still have a rookie signal caller, which means Matt Jones will look like a total rookie at least 4 games and those will all be losses. Plus, AFC East. Yuck. The Williams are trending up for sure, but still appear to be a 6 or 7 win ceiling squad this season. 28. San Francisco 49ers Duncan is a very smart guy, and a very talented coach. If you need any proof at all, note that Mississippi State…yes, Miss State!...will be a top 15 team this year in college ball. However, the disarray of shuffling the front office combined with losing your star quarterback and not really finding any sort of immediate help on the DLine is going to prove too much for even the gifted Duncan to overcome. Things will get better in the Bay Area, but right now, with the Seahawks looking better, I see the Niners with 5 wins. 29. Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals would be ecstatic with 5 wins this season. Ecstatic. Or, at least should be. Free Agency continues to be a massive mirage for this franchise, and they can’t seem to make draft picks work either. There are some pieces here (read: Jank), but there is no cohesive whole and there certainly is no abundance of talent. The Battle of Ohio series this year could be ugly. Like, really ugly. 30. Los Angeles Chargers I can’t knock a single move this FO made in the offseason, other than the sheer amount of $$ they spent on Greg Cobb. But hey, he’s a better WR than anyone we have, so who am I to criticize. There is still much to be done to get this team sniffing .500, but I think they are on their way. In fact, if Matty Swift can play even a little, I’ll be legit worried that the Bolts are gonna sneak up and beat the Broncos more than once. We’ll see, but a tepid Kudos to Pumph for getting out of the hole and onto level ground. 31. Arizona Cardinals I know folks are down on the Cardinals. I get it, it’s tough to come into a franchise that had a real plan, and shift course midstream. It’s tough. This FO may eventually figure it out, and at the very least they have a fantastic running back to shoulder the load. But I fear that my Beloved Trevon Yeldon will be hovering around 3-7 wins for half of his career, and that makes me a bit sad. Here’s hoping it’s not true. Just run the damn ball, Cardinals. A lot. 32. New York Giants Wow, was I disappointed with Khairi Bryant in the preseason. Not sure I should have been, but we heard barely a peep. Gifted with the easiest selection in modern history, the GMen must be looking forward to next couple of seasons of Bryant wrecking the quarterbacks of the NFCE. Which he will need to do for this team to have any sort of success long-term. Because right now, they are squarely in line for the #1 pick. This offense will again be historically bad, so they better hope Bryant can do some Waterboy shit and score some touchdowns. If that was the plan all along—take Bryant now, and Marcus Black next draft—I’m very impressed.

I suppose I was a bit harsh, but I'll be quite surprised if Vardell is a Top 15 QB this year. Maybe I'm unnecessarily down on him, but for a guy that was Top 5 for so long, it feels like he's winding down.

I pegged the Panthers score right at 27, but didn't account for the final Raider TD (I originally said 27-24 CAR). Good win for the Raiders, poor CAR has to go to Detroit now. If the Panthers start 0-2, that's a decently big hole to dig out with the rest of their division looking capable to downright scary. Linebacker play in defending TEs is fascinating...very difficult for me to figure out how to make that work best. Is it scheme-driven, or player capability driven? I'd love to hear more about this from Soluna or anyone that has a good handle on it... Major Morris didn't play as well as I was expecting, probably because they went all pass in the 3rd and 4th.

Is it fixed now?

Coach, Lucas Spurlock seems criminally underutilized. Is there a plan to get him more carries?

It was more a commentary on how you’re flying somewhat under the radar despite being a title winner in 2020. In reality, I think you’ll have 3 losses by week 13.

C’mon Panthers! 17 pt 4th Quarter?!!?! When you have the Nick Hall down, you must stomp on its head to make sure that it is dead...

Broncos are down to 53!

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Great game for neutrals. Unfortunately, the division hate of the Raiders is strong enough to be rooting heavily for the Panthstars. (But I've got LVR 27-21 CAR).

Biggest surprises for me: Toledo 17-31 SDSU -- Wasn't Toledo a Top 15 team for basically all of last season? They lost SOME to the draft, but still have their dynamic DLine and Ciamo. SDSU just DUSTED them... Texas 13-10 Kansas -- I can't tell if this was two decent-to-good teams battling hard but sloppy, or if both these teams are just gonna have a hard time scoring. If it's the latter, Texas better watch out for UTSA in week 2... Michigan 20-23 Alabama -- Only surprise was how close it was. I thought Bama would more or less win going away...looks like Cade has some rethinking to do, and Jacbos proves yet again he's a great coach.

I agree the Bears are on the upswing, but I've got the Cowboys putting up serious points on a still-mediocre Bears D in a shootout win. I think the 'Boys will have a good season, and the Bears will be a lot better.

Yes, and EWU was without a 3.5 transfer, due to no coach. I think the Pac-12 favorites in each division opened their accounts with authority today. SC and Wazzu are gonna be damn good.

Jeezus, Wazzu. All the stars were out for this one. Alabama, i thought, would have played better at home, actually.

2022 Transfers List (Final) -- Conference Commissioners, please verify that your teams have changed depth charts to reflect the outgoing and incoming transfers. * denotes FCS, @Jieret and Bingo will verify. Alphabetical by destination school. FS Michael Walton 6-1 219 (So) Alex Monroe (Alexandria IN) 3.5 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] Purdue to Akron QB Kareem Witherspoon 6-0 236 Sr Columbia (Burbank, WA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Scrambling] UCONN to Appalachian State DT Russell Nadeau 6-6 300 (Jr) Okemah (Okemah, OK) 3.5 of 3.5 [2-Gap] Rice to Arkansas State SS DeSean Pope 5-11 200 Sr Somersworth (Somersworth, NH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] UCONN to BGSU DT Jamel Briscoe 6-6 282 Jr White Hall (White Hall AR) 3.5 of 3.5 [2-Gap] Southern Miss. to Buffalo TE Jermaine Swann 6-0 227 (So) Northridge (Middlebury IN) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blocking] Ball State to Coastal Carolina QB Ilan Simpson 6-0 237 Sr Brookland-Cayce (Cayce, SC) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pocket] FIU to Coastal Carolina RB William Ruff 5-11 185 (Jr) Eden (Eden, TX) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] SMU to Colorado RB Kaden Gilmore 5-8 170 (Sr) Barron Collier (Naples, FL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] Memphis to Delaware* WR Jimmy Cardona 6-3 180 (So) Union (Tulsa OK) 3.0 of 3.5 [Speed] Oklahoma to East Carolina P Jesse Whitlock 5-10 178 Sr Bement (Bement, IL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Accuracy] Northwestern to Eastern Michigan WR Adrian Araujo 6-4 216 (Sr) Sheldon (Eugene, OR) 3.5 of 3.5 [Target] Washington to Eastern Washington* SS Keith Forbes 6-2 183 (Sr) Grady (Atlanta, GA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] Clemson to Eastern Washington* RB Chris Morton 6-1 227 (Jr) Brandywine (Niles, MI) 3.5 of 3.5 [Power] Eastern Michigan to FIU OLB Kofi Linton 6-3 220 Jr Vernonia (Vernonia OR) 3.5 of 3.5 [Coverage] Oregon to Fresno State ILB Patrick Small 6-0 211 Jr La Marque (La Marque, TX) 3.5 of 3.5 [Will] SMU to Georgia Southern FS Micah Myrick 6-0 216 Sr South (Cleveland, OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] Miami (OH) to Georgia Southern OG Luka Bliss 6-1 275 (Jr) North Springs (Atlanta, GA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] USF to Georgia State FS Shawn Edmonds 6-1 218 Jr Clarke Community (Osceola IA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] Iowa State to Georgia Tech WR Jacob Benson 6-1 228 Jr Swain County (Bryson City NC) 3.0 of 5.0 [Target]Wake Forest to Guilford Technical Community College (Jamestown NC) SS Timothy Harvey 6-2 187 (Sr) Chattahoochee (Chattahoochee, FL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] Vanderbilt to Harvard QB Mateo Gustavo 5-10 217 (Sr) Atchison County Community (, KS) 3.5 of 3.5 [Hybrid] Kansas to Harvard TE Bryan Sheppard 6-0 217 (Jr) Roxana (Roxana, IL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blocking] Florida Atlantic to Illinois State QB Cooper Fleming 6-2 217 (Jr) Lake View (View, SC) 3.0 of 3.0 [Pocket] Florida Atlantic to James Madison* FB Lucas Mason 6-0 231 (Sr) St. Johnsbury Academy (, VT) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Rutgers to James Madison* QB Graham Overstreet 6-0 203 Sr Normal Community (Normal, IL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Scrambling] Ohio to Kansas State FB Quinn Meehan 6-1 214 Sr LaSalle (Olla, LA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] LA Tech to Louisiana-Lafayette OLB Myles Hunter 6-4 241 (So) Willow Canyon (Surprise AZ) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blitz] Arizona to Louisiana-Monroe P Maximilian Wilkes 6-4 204 Sr Blissfield (Blissfield, MI) 4.0 of 4.0 [Power] Miami (OH) to Louisville QB Ashton Hilliard 6-4 215 Jr Blair-Taylor (Blair WI ) 3.0 of 3.5 [Hybrid] Purdue to Miami (OH) RB Christian Gray 5-11 207 (Sr) Williams (Williams, CA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] Southern California to Montana* SS Shane Givens 5-10 219 (Sr) Southeast Bulloch (Brooklet, GA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Man Coverage] Miami (FL) to Montana* K Cole Winters 5-11 200 Sr Needles (Needles, CA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Power] California to Nevada OLB Kamari Slade 6-0 244 (Sr) Saranac L ake (Saranac Lake, NY) 3.5 of 3.5 [Cover] Buffalo to New Hampshire* C Ned Harlow 6-3 267 (Sr) Ledyard (Ledyard, CT) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] Boston College to New Hampshire* QB Shane Gilmore 6-0 233 (Jr) Keystone (Grange, OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Hybrid] Eastern Michigan to New Mexico State DT Evan Muniz 6-6 315 (Jr) Anson (Anson, TX) 4.0 of 4.0 [2-Gap] Texas to New Mexico State OT Oliver Chacon 6-7 284 Sr Richlands (Richlands, NC) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Wake Forest to North Carolina OLB Dillon Dickson 6-3 244 (Sr) Westminster Academy (Opelousas, LA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blitz] Washington State to North Dakota* QB Robbie Koehler 6-4 211 (Sr) Beaverton (Beaverton, OR) 4.0 of 4.0 [Pocket] Minnesota to North Dakota* WR Ousmane Seay 5-11 150 (Sr) DeLeon (DeLeon, TX) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] TCU to North Dakota State* TE Joshua Killian 6-4 192 (Sr) Taft School (Watertown, CT) 4.0 of 4.0 [Receiving] Syracuse to North Dakota State* OG Austin Haynes 6-5 310 (Sr) White Lake (White Lake, WI) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Northern Illinois to Northern Iowa* ILB Jayson Sprague 6-0 231 (Sr) Andrean (Merrillville, IN) 3.5 of 3.5 [Will] Indiana to Northern Iowa* RB Mike Cazares 6-0 172 (So) Blanchester (Blanchester OH) 3.0 of 3.5 [Speed] Akron to Ohio QB Jaden Harrell 6-4 232 (So) Orangeburg-Wilkinson (Orangeburg SC) 3.5 of 3.5 [Scrambling] Clemson to Old Dominion OLB Colin Hebert 6-2 230 Sr Seminary (Seminary, MS) 4.0 of 4.0 [Coverage] MTSU to Ole Miss RB Robert Still 6-1 175 (Jr) Central (Independence, OR) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] Colorado State to Oregon QB Sam Milner 6-1 206 (Jr) Joaquin (Joaquin, TX) 4.0 of 5.0 [Scrambling] TCU to Panola College (Carthage, TX) LS Dylan Crowell 6-3 231 Jr Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn NY) 4.0 of 4.0 [Specialized] Syracuse to Rutgers DE Noel Ferguson 6-6 249 Jr Evergreen (Vancouver WA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blitz] Washington State to San Diego State RB Willy Carver 5-9 227 (Jr) Taos (Taos, NM) 3.0 of 3.0 [Power] Arizona State to San Jose State WR Lorenzo Stratton 6-4 228 Sr Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, CA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Target] UCLA to San Jose State FS DeSean Woodson 5-10 219 Jr Oak Mountain (Birmingham AL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Zone Coverage] UAB to South Alabama QB Harrison Hadley 5-11 189 Jr Hargrave Military Academy ( VA) 3.0 of 3.0 [Hybrid] Virginia to South Alabama TE Jon Dobbs 6-0 234 (Sr) Eisenhower (Lawton, OK) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blocking] Texas A&M to South Dakota State* CB Michael Bell 5-8 155 (Sr) Strider Academy (Charleston MS) 3.0 of 3.0 [Zone Coverage] Southern Miss. to South Dakota State* C Kenneth Shackelford 6-4 267 (Jr) Chatfield (Chatfield, MN) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] Northern Illinois to Southern Mississippi RB Raymond Smiley 6-1 188 (Jr) Cheyenne-Eagle Butte (SD) 3.5 of 3.5 [Speed] Pittsburgh to Texas RB Paul Zavala 5-11 210 (Jr) Keota (Keota, OK) 3.5 of 3.5 [Power] Oklahoma State to Texas State TE Ahmad Finley 6-2 238 Jr Port Charlotte (Port Charlotte FL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Blocking] Florida Int'l to Texas State OLB Omari Green 6-0 235 (Jr) Hatton (Creek, AL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blitz] USF to UAB RB Usher Preston 5-7 179 Jr Minor (Adamsville AL) 3.0 of 3.0 [Speed] UAB to Troy P Eli Castro 5-10 197 Sr Wetumpka (Wetumpka, AL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Power] Georgia to Tulsa C Tyler Hairston 6-1 299 (Jr) Sandwich (Sandwich, MA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] Rutgers to UMASS DT Eli Baum 6-3 297 Jr Salem Academy (Salem OR) 3.5 of 3.5 [1-Gap] Oregon State to UNLV P Dean Knott 5-10 191 (Jr) Wink (Wink, TX) 4.0 of 4.0 [Power] Oklahoma to UNLV TE Quinn Lauer 6-1 229 (Jr) Bountiful (Bountiful, UT) 3.5 of 3.5 [Blocking] Oregon to Utah State OT Tasura Mulinu'u 6-7 323 (Jr) Slocomb (Slocomb, AL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] Minnesota to UTEP K Uriel Ojeda 5-8 198 (Jr) Brookhaven (Columbus, OH) 3.5 of 3.5 [Power] Toledo to Wisconsin QB Nikolas Coffman 6-4 194 (Jr) Horizon (Diego, CA) 3.5 of 3.5 [Hybrid] Temple to Wyoming OLB Alan Dunn 5-11 225 (Sr) Fleming Island (Orange Park, FL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Coverage] Miami (FL) to Youngstown St.* QB Xavier Easter 6-2 223 (Sr) Coconut Creek (Coconut Creek, FL) 3.5 of 3.5 [Pocket] Notre Dame to Youngstown St.*

I think this game came down to one number (actually a comparison of numbers): Luck 27/41; Black 23/33. Black’s obviously represented a more efficient performance, but also a balance that will make them tough to beat going forward. Luck’s represented an over-reliance on the passing game (arguably against Auburn’s strength as a defense) and Luck is just not a volume QB. I have concerns about TCU’s overall scheme on O and D going forward. If you want to have a shot against Auburn’s amazing balance, sit back and hope for a bend-don’t-break performance that might possibly capitalize on a turnover or two. In other words, good luck!

Thanks for these, Klemm. You’ve got the AFC West decently looking like last season, and I think our division is in for much more upheaval. And, yes, broncos did make the playoffs las year, but it understandable you missed it, since we flamed our early...

Love, LOve, LOVE this defense as a whole, especially the DLine helping out the Secondary with pressure, and vice versa. If Oregon had a better option at MLB, our ‘Backers would have been here, too. Blake Martin is gonna be the DPOY in the Conference...just wait.

I really DID think about Starring him and going all-in. But, thought better of it. Also, Carlos Ramirez would like a word about your list, here, @SageBow

Can I get onboard this train? Two straight PAC-12 North titles and only receiving votes...? We'll see...

Jeezus, Jason Johnson, nice relief pitching...5/6 with 2 tds.

It would be a shame if something happened to their shiny new toy at QB or WR...

FBS National Champion: Alabama, gross... FCS National Champion: North Dakota Fighting Hawks Heisman Winner: Jake Davis, QB, Washington (If this happens, I'll consider posting a ridiculous video of self-humiliation...) NFL Super Bowl Champion: Philadelphia Eagles or Jacksonville Jaguars, I'll lean Eagles. Most Surprising Team: Seattle Seahawks in NFLHC; Hawai'i Warriors in CFBHC.