|
Rank
|
Team
|
Pts.
|
1. |
Arkansas |
1547 |
2. |
Georgia
Tech |
1483 |
3. |
Virginia
Tech |
1482 |
4. |
Kansas |
1479 |
5. |
Texas
A&M |
1478 |
6. |
North
Carolina State |
1468 |
7. |
Notre
Dame |
1463 |
8. |
Oregon
State |
1462 |
9. |
Texas
Tech |
1422 |
10. |
Florida |
1382 |
11. |
North
Carolina |
1368 |
12. |
Vanderbilt |
1360 |
13. |
South
Carolina |
1357 |
14. |
Clemson
(tie) |
1350 |
15. |
Florida
State (tie) |
1350 |
16. |
Northwestern |
1347 |
17. |
Arizona |
1337 |
18. |
Wake
Forest |
1323 |
19. |
Georgia |
1322 |
20. |
Baylor |
1316 |
21. |
Kentucky |
1311 |
22. |
Virginia |
1307 |
23. |
Michigan
State |
1280 |
24. |
Arizona
State |
1275 |
25. |
Maryland |
1264 |
26. |
Iowa |
1262 |
27. |
Ohio
State |
1250 |
28. |
Stanford |
1236 |
29. |
Miami
FL |
1231 |
30. |
Indiana |
1228 |
31. |
Duke |
1219 |
32. |
Auburn |
1218 |
33. |
Tennessee |
1211 |
34. |
Colorado |
1210 |
35. |
Purdue
(tie) |
1209 |
36. |
Penn
State (tie) |
1209 |
37. |
Washington |
1207 |
38. |
Louisiana
State |
1200 |
39. |
UCLA |
1198 |
40. |
Houston |
1196 |
41. |
Oklahoma |
1172 |
42. |
Michigan
(tie) |
1171 |
43. |
Illinois
(tie) |
1171 |
44. |
Alabama |
1147 |
45. |
Mississippi |
1131 |
46. |
Oklahoma
State |
1126 |
47. |
California |
1118 |
48. |
Minnesota |
1114 |
49. |
Mississippi
State |
1108 |
50. |
Brigham
Young |
1093 |
51. |
Nebraska |
1092 |
52. |
Wisconsin |
1086 |
53. |
Louisiana
Tech |
1085 |
54. |
Iowa
State |
1081 |
55. |
Washington
State |
1080 |
56. |
Colorado
State |
1070 |
57. |
Texas |
1060 |
58. |
Oregon |
1053 |
59. |
Kansas
State |
1037 |
60. |
Syracuse |
1028 |
61. |
Missouri |
1010 |
62. |
Temple |
984 |
63. |
Marshall |
974 |
64. |
Southern
Cal |
944 |
65. |
UNLV |
942 |
66. |
Cincinnati |
939 |
67. |
Southern
Miss |
915 |
68. |
San
Diego State |
885 |
69. |
Louisville |
804 |
70. |
Bowling
Green |
800 |
71. |
UCF |
793 |
72. |
New
Mexico |
787 |
73. |
UAB |
782 |
74. |
East
Carolina |
781 |
75. |
Arkansas
State |
773 |
76. |
Ball
State |
766 |
77. |
Pittsburgh |
743 |
78. |
SMU |
741 |
79. |
Western
Michigan |
725 |
80. |
Troy
State |
715 |
81. |
West
Virginia |
699 |
82. |
Miami
OH |
696 |
83. |
South
Florida |
683 |
84. |
Utah
State |
678 |
85. |
Ohio |
673 |
86. |
Akron |
668 |
87. |
Boston
College |
664 |
88. |
Army |
658 |
89. |
Idaho
(tie) |
655 |
90. |
Wyoming
(tie) |
655 |
91. |
Rutgers |
635 |
92. |
Rice |
624 |
93. |
Fresno
State |
622 |
94. |
Toledo |
617 |
95. |
Northern
Illinois |
612 |
96. |
Memphis |
597 |
97. |
Eastern
Michigan |
593 |
98. |
Air
Force |
588 |
99. |
Kent
State |
577 |
100. |
Tulane |
565 |
101. |
TCU |
560 |
102. |
Connecticut |
559 |
103. |
San
Jose State |
546 |
104. |
Utah |
539 |
105. |
Tulsa |
529 |
106. |
Buffalo
|
528 |
107. |
Louisiana-Monroe
|
527 |
108. |
Central
Michigan |
525 |
109. |
North
Texas |
507 |
110. |
New
Mexico State |
499 |
111. |
UTEP |
493 |
112. |
Nevada |
474 |
113. |
Middle
Tennessee |
471 |
114. |
Hawaii |
467 |
115. |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
428 |
116. |
Boise
State |
427 |
117. |
Navy |
327 |
|
|
|
Geez,
not only does Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt have
to contend with the fact that 18 starters need replacing
in 2004; he now has to battle the nation's top rated
preseason schedule according to our calculations.
The 11-game slate on the Hog plate: |
-
Two Top 4 teams (Georgia, LSU)
- Three
Top 10 teams (Georgia, LSU, Texas)
- Eight
Top 50 opponents
- A
six game stretch consisting of six Top
40 teams (Sept. 25 - Nov. 13)
- A
three game stretch versus three Top 13
teams, two on the road (at Florida, at
Auburn, Georgia).
|
|
|
|
For
over a decade, NationalChamps.net - as well
as fans - have ridiculed the Hokies' schedule
for being full of cupcakes. Either Coach Frank
Beamer or Athletic Director Jim Weaver heard
the outcry and have put together the third
toughest schedule on our list. Much of the
reason has to do with joining a new ACC, which
still includes nemesis Miami. However, the
non-conference slate includes a preseason
special versus the defending national champion
USC Trojans and a continuation of their rivalry
versus Big East neighbor (and highly touted)
West Virginia. Could all of those one-loss
Virginia Tech teams through the 1990's have
managed the same record under these circumstances?
Only 2004 will tell the tale. In the long
run, this will only help the program, take
our word for it or not. |
|
|
|
With
the ACC only one year removed from becoming a 12-team
conference (Boston College joins in 2005), the current
11-team version already demonstrates why the ACC
is the toughest it's ever been throughout the league's
history. All but two ACC teams (nine) dot our SOS
Top 25 for 2004 - the most of any conference. Of
course, this only makes sense considering five ACC
teams sit in the Top 20 Preview rankings. We find
it quite amazing that teams such as NC State and
Georgia Tech, while being ranked in the Top 40,
are being predicted to finish in the bottom half
of the pack. But it's more than that...the ACC has
managed to keep the non-conference slates full of
big time opponents such as Florida, Georgia, Ohio
State and USC. |
|
NationalChamps.net
still continues to use the same sliding scale formula
as last year, where you receive more credit for
playing higher ranked opponents. For example, the
formula awards Team A more points for playing the
#1 and #85 ranked opponents as opposed to Team B
playing the #35 and #36 ranked opponents. However,
unlike most computer versions, where they have a
skewed version of a preseason poll that more resembles
the season before, NationalChamps.net operates under
a human notion by utilizing our current Top 50 rankings
as decided on by people. All 117 teams are assigned
two different point totals based on either a home
or road score. For an 11-game schedule, we add the
points assigned to each opponent depending on whether
the game is on the road or at home. The importance
is to realize the difference between the #46 team
and the #62 team, which basically is not much on
any given Saturday. Thus, teams falling outside
the Top 50 are grouped into tiers instead of attempting
to put an exact ranking label on each one. The difference
in tier points on the lower end of the rankings
is kept at a minimum (very small sliding scale).
In other words playing UCLA at home is no different
than playing Arizona State at home. Playing Louisiana-Lafayette
is no different than playing Idaho. |
|
Didn't
you just know the BCS system would get tinkered
with this off-season after the dual national championship
debacle of 2003? It's as if tinkering with the
system will fix a situation where you have multiple
teams with the same record complaining. In a highly
questionable move, NCAA heads have now removed
SOS and "Quality Win" totals out of
the formula. In other words, it doesn't matter
who you play
just win, baby.
Southern California
- Thumbs down for the USC Trojans and the non-championship
game Pac Ten conference. As ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit
was quoted as saying last fall when Oklahoma and
LSU were awarded the BCS Championship Bowl slots,
"Don't cry for USC...they don't play a conference
championship game." Yes, the Trojans face
ONE Top 25 opponent in 2004, that being 20th ranked
Cal. This can be reflected in their paltry 64th
schedule ranking. In defense of USC, the Pac Ten
is down in terms of Top 25 competition and the
non-conference slate of Virginia Tech, Colorado
State, BYU and Notre Dame is nothing to scoff
at during most seasons. But, it just so happens
that these teams are all on the current preseason
downswing.
Utah
- OK, maybe not a BCS title shot, then again...just
win baby (see above note). The Utes can be found
in many of the current Top 25 preseason polls.
In fact, Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com even has Utah
as his #10 team. Hmmmm...Utah finished #21 in
last year's AP Poll...Utah has a hot second-year
coach in Urban Meyer...Utah has 14 starters back
from a 10-2 campaign...Utah plays the nation's
104th ranked schedule! Besides our own foresightfulness
(see our 2004 Utah preview), our hats are off
to Ivan Maisel for having the fortitude to see
this one coming. If the Utes get by the Labor
Day Weekend Thursday opener on ESPN versus Texas
A&M, it could be the start of something real
special in Salt Lake City - not one Top 50 team
would be left on the list.
West
Virginia - A
large buzz was created when Athlon Sports picked
WVU as their #5 team. If we had 25 cents for every
time the question "why" came up, arcade
games could be free for the rest of our lives.
So why? With 16 starters back, including practically
an all-senior lineup at their offensive skill
positions, and the 81st SOS rank, the Mountaineers
play the weakest schedule of anyone in our Top
24. The toughest opponent is #19 Maryland in Morgantown,
versus a team that has manhandled WVU the last
four outings. Watch out Coach Friedgen! The entire
Big East was decimated by the departure of Miami
and Virginia Tech. In fact, on only three occasions
since 1991 has a team other than Virginia Tech
or Miami won the Big East outright (WVU 1993,
Syracuse 1997 & 1998). You really cannot blame
the remaining conference teams for their lack
of a 2004 schedule while trying to piece one together
on such short notice. But maybe, just maybe, the
cause and effect of these departures could turn
out to be the biggest blessing in disguise for
a team like WVU in 2004. Burn those couches down
in Sunnyside.
|
|
There
are three teams who are making an attempt
to climb out of their respective cellars.
Kansas made the biggest push in 2003 under
second year coach Mark Mangino, a season culminating
in KU's first bowl invite since 1995. So the
Jayhawks were rewarded with the Big XII's
toughest schedule (#4 overall SOS). Eight
bowl teams are on the slate. Starting the
first week of October: Nebraska, Kansas State,
Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Missouri...Oh my!
Texas A&M did not fair much better in
the SOS results (#5 overall SOS) while trying
to get new coach Dennis Franchione off the
quickly built hot seat. Closing strong will
be difficult once again (to say the least),
with Oklahoma and Texas dotting the final
two-out-of-three match ups...Oh my! |
|
Notre
Dame just cannot catch a break in the new
millennium. According to some faithful Domers,
admission requirements are too high, classes
too challenging, and coaching selections have
been handled poorly. We might add for the
116th time since 1887, their schedule is loaded.
Roll those dollars...Oh my! |
|
|
The
Naval Academy finishes last in the NationalChamps.net
SOS rankings. Thus is the case for any low-major
independent. Well, Navy is the only low-major
independent since UConn joined the Big East and
Troy State joined the Sun Belt. Head coach Paul
Johnson took a 2-10 Navy team in his first season
to an 8-5 bowl team in his second season. Was
it a product of schedule? Maybe so, but I-AA opponents
surely cannot be the sole reason for the low ranking
as the Delaware Blue Hens made an unfitting Homecoming
opponent for Navy last fall by visiting Annapolis
and marching out with a 21-17 victory. Delaware
marched all the way to a I-AA championship. The
Blue Hens remain on the Navy 2004 schedule and
could be one of the toughest opponents on the
list.
|
|
|