Way to early Rankings CFB 22
Some very puzzling placement on teams.....
Utah @ 4, Should be very good again
Texas A&M @ 5, I just don't get it.
MSU @ 8, They seem to think Tucker is the real deal
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
It might be interesting to this crowd that Michigan is listed at #9.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
disrespekt
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
Nine is an outstanding place for this team to begin. Hopefully it is all upward bound from there.
And, relative to Michigan, Tucker is the real deal.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
We must be in big trouble as this "analyst" has Tyler Morris (6'0" and 175 lbs) as a key addition at OT.
I hope he can grow 6 inches and put on 125 pounds this summer. /s
Don't they have editors double checking this stuff?
Mel Tucker is the real deal according to whom?
His record is 18-14. He's had one winning season. And it was so luck assisted it was mind blowing.
It was the perfect storm. He managed to get the best player in the portal, an absolute stud running back who accounted for nearly 50% of their total yards.
He isn't replacing that production.
He also loses his 2nd best receiver. their 2 best edges in Panasiuk and Beesley and 2 guys on the Oline.
Take away the luck and 50% of your production and Mel Tucker is going to be right where we thought he would be - around 500. struggling for a bowl game.
There is no way the Spartans are ninth in the country. They might not be 9th in the Big Ten.
I hope so!
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:02 AM ^
NC St and MSU being ranked ahead of Clemson seems like a stretch.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:54 AM ^
If Clemson doesn't solve their OL problems, it could be another rough season for Uiagalelei. Then NC State could sweep through a relatively weak conference.
I also don't get the love for MSU. Five returning starters on offense and losing Walker does not bode well for them. But they did have some good picks from the portal. 🤷♂️ I don't know if Washington has improved from last year, but that week 3 game @ UW will give us a clue about whether they are as overrated as I think they are.
ND at #6 is a head scratcher for me. New head coach and all. I wonder if they are just setting up a big week #1 matchup. Then again, after that first game they have a pretty weak schedule as usual. They could lose to OSU and run the table.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:32 PM ^
After the opener against OSU, ND's big games are at BYU in week 5 and home to Clemson in week 9. They finish at USC.
I don't think they'll run the table after OSU, but I don't expect them to have more than two losses for the season.
USC is going to be another interesting team. Riley's got some young talent to work with, but is he going to be able to put it together in year 1. And is he going to be able to field a good defense. That's going to be more important in the Pac-12 than it was in the Big 12.
".. .rough season for Uiagalelei"
easy for you to say. now say it 5 times real fast.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
Yeah, I think people in general are going to overreact to last year. Clemson is still loaded with talent.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:02 AM ^
This list makes the classic mistake of thinking that all returning starters are better options than new guys. A lot of returning starters suck and a lot of first year starters are very good.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Exactly, I for one am quite pleased that MSU returns everyone to a secondary that ranked near the bottom of FBS teams last year.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
Is Tucker planning to continue using the portal each year to build the core of the team?
The first couple of years made sense because he needed to restock an empty cabinet in terms of talent and depth. I guess this is just his M.O., will be interesting to see if you can have sustained success continuously rolling over transfers instead of building through your own recruiting.
Complete wild guess, but I think this raiding the transfer portal every year is by design and plays into a long term solution l.
MSU is not a realistic destination for most top recruits right now. It’s just not. But it can be for top recruits who go to, say, Alabama, USC, Georgia, etc. and either done pan out there or can’t crack into any playing time. Tucker brings these kids into MSU where they help raise the talent profile and level of play on the field for MSU, and help him win enough games to raise their overall recruiting brand to where they can start going out and actually recruiting these top guys from the get go and have a realistic shot.
I don’t think Tucker wants to raid the portal every year as a long term solution, but it’s a potential means to an end to get MSU’s reputation with top recruits up from the start.
signif downside though is team morale for those that committed to sparty out of high school, yet guys keep getting loaded into the breech ahead of them. after a while you are going to sour a bunch of dudes.
Yes, this is exactly what I was getting at. It makes total sense to raid the portal for Years 1 + 2 but Year 3 should be the kids from the first two recruiting classes.
On the other hand, Tucker didn't really get a Year 1 recruiting class due to the timing of the coaching change, so may I suppose you can still count this year as Year 2. The next year or so will be interesting.
MSU as “Last Chance U” of D1 football is so perfectly little brother.
I strongly agree. Another generalization that I don't think is true is that a younger QB will be better with more experience. Be interesting to see a breakdown of the positions that do benefit with age and experience such as lineman.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
NC State at 7 is cute
UNC football (?) was ranked #6 in week 1 last year, iirc. ACC quota?
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
Only 11 SEC teams ranked??? cmon... must be a down year. Starting msu at 8 gives them wiggle room to screw up and stay high. to be fair, for decades, that was the Michigan way.
wish we had 1 marquee game in the OOC.. but if we beat psu, msu and osu... thats fine by me
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
A&M has an ocean of talent and were a QB injury away from probably being a playoff team.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
You are being VERY generous saying that A&M was a QB injury from being a possible playoff team. They were 7-4 against FBS teams and that included barely beating a horrendous Colorado team.
There is absolutely no evidence that Haynes King is some generational talent at QB and would have led this team to an 11 or 12 win season.
A better way to put this would be:
"A&M has an ocean of talent and showed flashes in 2021 of a team that can compete at the highest level. Adding in the top recruiting class in the country and incoming transfer Max Johnson at QB gives A&M a chance to be a playoff team in 2022."
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
How does Franklin keep his job (or even get extensions?). He recruits basically the same as Michigan, and always fucking sucks. Maybe once every 4 years does he do well. I don't get it.
Not really a side subject, as i was looking for PSU in the list, and noticed they are not to be found.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
Noticed that too. Neither is Wisconsin.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
mostly the same, but he has been killing it this year on the recruiting trail... far better than us... and yet, he sucks.
i wonder if a guy getting paid 100M for 10 years with no actual guarantee that he stays, means something to these kids? e.g. tucker etc...
Why else would you go to the 8-4 crap the bedders?? they rise up here and there, and then blow one to illinois... or northwestern etc...
Who watched that illinois game last year and thought... i gotta get in on that. wtf.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:53 AM ^
I'm not a huge Franklin fan, but on what data does "he always fucking suck?"
In the last 5 full college football seasons* , Franklin has 11, 9, 11, 11, and 7 wins with 4 Top 20 finishes and 3 Top 10 finishes.
I'm not predicting a B1G Championship in 2022, but they'll be favored in at least 7 games this year and get the OL a bit better and they're a 8-9 win team.
Their biggest challenge is not letting history repeat itself and allowing "one loss to snowball and become two." That's been Franklin's biggest weakness. PSU's 2014-2021 ATS record coming off a loss is the worst among all FBS teams. The Illinois debacle last year was an extension of the Iowa game. MSU 2017 & 2018 were extensions of their OSU losses. Their opener @ Purdue is very important for that reason.
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* --- I admittedly am one who gives ALL programs a free pass for 2020, it was a fake season and so many players and teams didn't want to really be there. Watch that stupid PSU @ U-M game from that year, nobody wanted to be there.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:20 PM ^
Cade wanted to be there - even after he got hurt - which in retrospect was a great sign for the 2021 season... but point taken.
Franklin is ok as coach, he gets way more hate on this site than he deserves in terms of coaching football (this is mainly because he is a massive douchebag). No way should he have gotten that contract but it isn't my money, so I don't care.
That's a fair correction --- "nobody" was too harsh on my front.
The 2020 season annoyed me quite a bit (Kevin Warren's flip-flopping and his final decision rather obviously being motivated by $$$ and nothing else). But Cade and others did care and show a lot.
Franklin is a great recruiter. Franklin is great at identifying talented coordinators and position coaches. He sucks at in game coaching and strategy.
PSU lost the Iowa game because he couldn’t adjust to losing his starting qb. Maybe the moment was too big for Robertson, but who’s fault is that? Why wasn’t there a legit back up ready to go? I know two different guys bolted for starting jobs elsewhere, but that’s got to be on Franklin and the program somehow. PSU then lost the Illinois game because a broken Clifford was better than a healthy Robertson. They also didn’t even bother targeting Dotson on more than one of the OT plays (pretty sure that one worked too). That is clear evidence of coaching malpractice. That’s just 2021. In 2022 they all but gave up after the Penix game winner in 2020. A 4th and 5 run call against OSU in a game that would have potentially won them the East. The true nail in the coffin: a loss to Brady Hoke in 2014, when both coaches played a game of who could call the least strategic game in B1G history. All the signs were there that Franklin couldn’t coach his way out of wet paper bag, but he had guys like Barkey, McSorely, Miles Sanders, and finally Dotson paper over the fact while Moorhead and the other wunderkind coordinators created offensive mismatches and stout defenses that took most of the need for in game adjustments out of Franklin’s hands.
He’s done a fantastic job of finding talent and talented coaches that cover up his deficiencies. As soon as a game relies on Franklin making an in game decision, PSU is screwed.
Franklin is an A coach from Sunday to Friday, and then he's pretty much a D (or worse) on Saturdays.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:42 PM ^
....but he is a hell of an artist, no denying that!
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:26 PM ^
To be fair, that's a bit better than doing well once every 7 years.
Franklin since Harbaugh has been at Michigan: 60-28
40-22 in B1G
Harbaugh at Michigan: 61-24
42-17 in B1G
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
Tyler Morris being a key addition at OT is going to be something to watch.
And one hell of a hot take...
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
Even if you believe MSU is for real, there's no way they finish the season anywhere near #8. This would mean they beat the majority of OSU, Michigan, PSU, Washington, and Wisconsin, among others. Most of those games are on the road. In reality, they will lose at least 3 of those games. MSU's ceiling is 9 wins. I wouldn't be surprised if they're more like an 7- or 8-win team.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
too*
Maybe he meant like, "guys click this link--this is the way to early rankings!"
I read it more like an attaboy--"all right! Way to early rankings, kid!"
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:15 PM ^
college football you say?
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:33 PM ^
MSU is a real wild card. They could lose @Washington, OSU, Wisconsin, @Michigan, @PSU, and a game against some random B1G team like they always seem to drop. Or they could go 11-1 only losing to OSU. The former is far more likely than the latter and I’d be very intrigued to see how the fanbase reacts to having a coach with a $85M buyout whose gone 6-6 and has just 1 season above .500 in his 3 seasons as coach of MSU.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^
Their 2022 schedule is a lot tougher than 2021. One could make the case that Michigan was the only good team they beat in 2021. They remind me a bit of 2011 Michigan -- a good team but also one that benefited from a relatively light schedule.
Wouldn't be surprised if sparty loses to the 5 teams you have listed. That would make them 7 and 5. I'll go with that.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:45 PM ^
The chip is super glued to our shoulder pads.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:59 PM ^
ESPN is doing the classic pre-season ranking where you just lightly shuffle the final ranking from the year prior and declare it analysis.
Texas A&M is going to be 8-4/9-3 like they are every year
Pitt was only good because of Kenny Pickett. They will be a 5-8 win team like they always were before under Narduzzi
And at the risk of doubting MSU again and them being good, MSU really was only that good because of KWIII
Leaving Wisconsin out feels like an overreaction to a single season
MSU at 8? I may believe that at the end of November, but not before.
If we get to Ohio anywhere less than 11-0 it will be a major fail. Roadie vs. Iowa always gonna be tough. Gotta take care a biz in all the home games.