Top 25 Preview: 6. Oklahoma Sooners

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #6 Oklahoma.

2013 Review

     Oklahoma was facing a quarterback battle through much of the season last year. Blake Bell, the teams original starter wasn't as good as people thought, and his backup Trevor Knight was very impressive. They opened the season with wins against UL-Monroe, West Virginia, and Tulsa, before a big win on the road against Notre Dame. After another win over TCU, they would lose for the first time, 36-20 to Texas in the Cotton Bowl. They would get back to back wins over Kansas and Texas Tech, before losing again, this time in blowout fashion to Baylor. After the Baylor loss, the Sooners would win all of their last three games, including a thriller in bedlam over Oklahoma State. Trevor Knight would have a breakout performance against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, leading the team to a 45-31 win, a huge upset over one of college football's best.

Season Outlook

     Blake Bell has now moved to tight end, and the quarterback job is all for Knight. His expectations have grown exponentially through the off season, and now Oklahoma is predicted by most experts to win the Big 12. They open the season With a few easy games, the only tough one being in week three, when Tennessee comes to town. Their first real test will be in their annual rivalry with Texas, where records and talent don't matter, because anyone can win that game. After another tough game against a highly underrated Kansas State team and an easy win over Iowa State, the Sooners will have their season defining game, when Baylor comes to town, Oklahoma has never lost at home to Baylor before and continuing that this year would be huge in the race for the conference championship, but I think that its Baylor's time to shine in the Big 12, and Oklahoma will go down. They have two tough games to end the season against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State with an easy win over Kansas in the middle. Oklahoma has big expectations because of Trevor Knights Sugar Bowl performance last year. I think that the Sooners will be very good again, but the season will be very similar to last year record wise.

Season Prediction

10-2 (7-2) 2nd in Big 12

Top 25 Preview: 7. Baylor Bears

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #7 Baylor.

2013 Review

     Baylor opened the season with blazing speed and put up video game numbers, scoring 291 points in their first four games. After finally falling back to earth and still beating Kansas State, the Bears continued to dominate the Big 12, beating both Iowa State and Kansas, before winning 41-12 in a huge Thursday night game with Oklahoma. After another win over Texas Tech, they would fall on the road against Oklahoma State 49-17, ending Baylor's championship hopes. They would rebound to win their last two games of the season against TCU and Texas and take home the Big 12 championship with an 11-1 record. They would get to the Fiesta Bowl where they would be heavy favorites to best Central Florida, before getting upset 52-42 in a high scoring shootout.

Season Outlook

     This season, even with star quarterback Bryce Petty returning and a ton of speed back on offense, Baylor is being picked second behind Oklahoma by most experts. They are the only Big 12 school that doesn't face another power five school in non conference play, as they open the season against SMU, Northwestern State and Buffalo. After back to back road games against Iowa State and Texas to open conference play, the Bears have three easy wins in a row against TCU, West Virginia and Kansas. The final four games will be tough for the Bears as they play Oklahoma, (Baylor has never won on the road against Oklahoma) Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas State. I think that Baylor will be great this year, but they won't be able to win all of their last four games.

Season Prediction

11-1 (8-1) 1st in Big 12

Top 25 Preview: 8. Michigan State Spartans

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #8 Michigan State.

2013 Review

     Michigan State took the world by storm last year. Their dominant defense destroyed every offense in its path last year, giving up no more than 28 points in any game all year. The offense took a while to find its grove, but the defense carried the team in early wins against Western Michigan, South Florida, and Youngstown State. The defense played very well, giving up just 17 points in the teams fourth game against Notre Dame, but the offense couldn't carry up its end, as the Spartans would end up losing 17-13. They would bounce back from that loss by winning all of their last eight games, giving up less than ten points in five of those contests, including a 29-6 win over Michigan in which they allowed 168 total yards and -48 rushing yards. They would put themselves on the national scale with a 34-24 win over Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship, ending the Buckeyes perfect record. The win would carry the Spartans into the Rose Bowl where they would top Stanford 24-20 in an instant classic.

Season Outlook

    Nobody will be overlooking the strong defense of Michigan State this year. They did lose multiple solid starters, but the no-fly zone will stay strong, along with one of the best defensive ends in college football, Shilique Calhoun. They return a lot of key starters on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Connor Cook and running back Jeremy Langford. After an easy season opener against Jacksonville State, they play the biggest non-conference game of the year on the road against Oregon. After two easy home games against Eastern Michigan and Wyoming, They will open conference play with a tough home game against Nebraska. They then have back to back winnable road games with Indiana and Purdue, before back to back huge home games against Ohio State and Michigan. They end the year with a home game against Rutgers in between road games with Maryland and Penn State. Michigan State's defense won't be as good as last year, although they will still be one of the nations top defenses. When you mix that with a much improved offense, the Spartans should be able to climb back to the top of the Big 10 again, and maybe even a playoff appearance.

Season Prediction

11-1 (7-1) 1st in Big 10 East

Top 25 Preview: 9. Stanford Cardinal

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day from now until the season starts on Thursday night. The preview continues with #9 Stanford.

2013 Review

     Stanford was picked by many do even more than win just a Pac-12 championship. Many thought they could win it all. They opened the season with five wins in a row, including wins against Arizona State and Washington, before what could have been the biggest upset of the year, when they lost 27-21 on the road against Utah. Stanford came back just fine, winning three games in a row, with two of those wins coming against top ten schools, UCLA and Oregon. The Cardinal were looking like they could still be in contention for a title before their second loss when they lost on the road against USC, 20-17. They would bounce back by winning their last two games against Cal and Notre Dame to finish with a record of 10-2. They would also beat Arizona State for a second time in the conference championship. They would lose to Michigan State 24-20 in the Rose Bowl, but another BCS season was a positive for Stanford.

Season Outlook

     Stanford lost some of its key starters from last year, but will bring in new starters that fill those roles perfectly. They will still be the same ground and pound, where down the defense type offense, as well as a very hard-hitting physical defense, which has had much success in the past, especially against rival Oregon. Stanford opens the season against UC-Davis, which should be an easy win. After a tough conference opener at home against USC and an easy win over Army, they face two tough road tests in a row against Washington and Notre Dame. The second half of the season will feature more tough games with home games against Washington State, Oregon State, and Utah, as well as road games against Cal, Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA. The schedule is filled with tough road games as almost all of their ranked opponents come on the road, but Stanford should be able to adjust and have another great season.

Season Prediction

11-1 (8-1) 2nd in Pac-12 North

Top 25 Preview: 10. Georgia Bulldogs

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day from now until the season starts on Thursday night. The preview continues with #10 Georgia.

2013 Review

     Georgia had high hopes for 2013. Coming off of almost making a title, they were ready to go with their high powered offense. Their championship hopes were dashed in week one when they fell on the road against Clemson 38-35. They would rebound by winning four straight games, including wins over both LSU and South Carolina. Star running back Todd Gurley would would then go down with a tough injury, leading to Georgia losing its next two games against Missouri and Vanderbilt. After wins against Florida and Appalachian State, the Bulldogs suffered greatly in what is now known as "the prayer at Jordan-Hare," when Auburn beat Georgia on a last second hail mary touchdown. The Bulldogs would come back from that to win both of its last two games against Kentucky and Georgia Tech. They would lose starting quarterback Aaron Murray due to injury and then fall 24-19 to Nebraska in the Gator Bowl.

Season Outlook

     Georgia has a new starting quarterback for 2014 in Hutson Mason, who filled in well for Murray last year. They also bring back their Heisman hopeful running back Gurley. With a more experienced and improved defense, Georgia looks ready to be back at the top of the contenders in the SEC this year. They open the season with a little revenge game against Clemson, followed by a tough conference opener on the road against South Carolina. It seems that Georgia's season is defined by their first two games every year, and this year is no different. After a three game home stretch against Troy, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, they end the season with road games against Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky, along with home games against Florida, Auburn, Charleston Southern, and Georgia Tech. If the Bulldogs can get past the first two weeks of the season, they should be able to get through the SEC slate without more than two losses.

Season Prediction

11-1 (7-1) 1st in SEC East

Top 25 Preview: 11. South Carolina Gamecocks

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day from now until the season starts on Thursday night. The preview continues with #11 South Carolina.

2013 Review

     South Carolina had another great season in 2013, although it wasn't what the team wanted. After an opening win over North Carolina, they suffered their first defeat against Georgia in week two. They would then win four straight games, including being the only team to beat Central Florida the entire season. They would then lose in shocking defeat to Tennessee 23-21. They would bounce back from that loss with an iconic overtime victory over Missouri, the game that will define Connor Shaw's career. They would go on to win out after that and finish 10-2 for another season, before beating Wisconsin in the Capitol One Bowl.

Season Outlook

     The Gamecocks lost some of their top players from last year, including the NFL's first overall draft pick in defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Steve Spurrier has put together another excellent class and will have South Carolina back and better than ever. They should handle their opener tomorrow night against Texas A&M, along with their week two match-up with East Carolina, but their first tough test will be against Georgia, a game they could easily lose. After the 2-1 start, the schedule gets easier, with games against Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Furman, all winnable games. After a road trip to Auburn, The Gamecocks end the year with homes games against Tennessee and South Alabama, and road games against Florida and Clemson. South Carolina has had two loss seasons for years, and this year will be no different.

Season Prediction

10-2 (6-2) 2nd in SEC East

Top 25 Preview: 12. Wisconsin Badgers

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day from now until the season starts on Thursday night. The preview continues with #12 Wisconsin.

2013 Review

     Wisconsin was one of the most slept on teams in 2013. they opened the year with back to back dominate shutouts, combining to win 93-0. They lost a very controversial game in week three on the road against Arizona State. After a win against Purdue in the conference opener, the Badgers lost 31-24 to Ohio State, which all but ended their chances of winning a Big 10 title. Still experts thought they could still make the BCS with a solid finish to the season. They would be able to win their next six games before losing 31-24 to Penn State in the last game of the year, finishing 9-3. They would still salvage a Capitol One Bowl bid, where South Carolina would beat them 34-24.

Season Outlook

     Wisconsin has a lot of talent returning talent, including Heisman caliber running back Melvin Gordon. They will open the season against LSU, which should provide a tough test to measure where their goals should be set at. The rest of the schedule is very soft, as the Badgers avoid Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan due to the new divisions in the Big 10. They have a large stretch of games they should win from September 6 to November 8, before finally ending the year with a few tough games on the road against Iowa and at home against both Nebraska and Minnesota.

Season Prediction

11-1 (7-1) 1st in Big Ten West