Dirty Bird
Pokémon Master
Some have been anticipating this and here goes.
Dirty Bird's FBS rankings.
1. Georgia
2. Wisconsin
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Michigan
6. Texas
7. Nebraska
8. Boise State
9. Clemson
10. South Carolina
11. TCU
12. Oklahoma
13. Florida State
14. Oklahoma State
15. Stanford
16. Louisville
17. Oregon State
18. Florida
19. LSU
20. Vanderbilt
21. Virginia Tech
22. Ohio State
23. Michigan State
24. Georgia Tech
25. Louisiana Tech
26. Rutgers
27. California
28. NC State
29. USC
30. Northern Illinois
31. Ohio
32. Arkansas
33. Ole Miss
34. Notre Dame
35. Cincinnati
36. Western Kentucky
37. Baylor
38. San Jose State
39. Maryland
40. San Diego State
41. Toledo
42. East Carolina
43. Utah State
44. Missouri
45. Illinois
46. Miami (Fl)
47. North Carolina
48. Houston
49. Arkansas State
50. Marshall
51. Wake Forrest
52. Louisiana-Lafayette
53. UCLA
54. South Florida
55. Utah
56. Texas A&M
57. Auburn
58. Kentucky
59. Connecticut
60. Texas Tech
61. Purdue
62. Arizona
63. Fresno State
64. Nevada
65. Navy
66. North Texas
67. Iowa
68. Kansas State
69. Arizona State
70. Virginia
71. Syracuse
72. Duke
73. New Mexico
74. Colorado State
75. Minnesota
76. Southern Miss
77. Tulsa
78. FIU
79. Middle Tennessee
80. Troy
81. Temple
82. Air Force
83. Wyoming
84. UTSA
85. Texas State
86. Mississippi State
87. Miami (Oh)
88. Kent State
89. Ball State
90. Western Michigan
91. Iowa State
92. Kansas
93. Northwestern
94. Penn State
95. UCF
96. Washington
97. West Virginia
98. Rice
99. Florida Atlantic
100. Boston College
101. Bowling Green
102. Eastern Michigan
103. Louisiana-Monroe
104. New Mexico State
105. SMU
106. Tulane
107. Tennessee
108. Washington State
109. UNLV
110. Indiana
111. Central Michigan
112. Pittsburgh
113. Akron
114. Buffalo
115. Massachusetts
116. BYU
117. Hawai'i
118. Army
119. Colorado
120. Memphis
121. South Alabama
122. UAB
123. UTEP
124. Idaho
125. Georgia State
1) They will be updated weekly as the season progresses.
2) They are based on my predicted W-L ranking from pre-season. Each week the only thing that might change is the winner of the Championship games. It'll be unlikely if a team can move up or down more than 10 spots in any week. eg, Arkansas can start 5-0 and the only way they can move is if others above them lose a game I have as a win. It wont be until Arkansas start winning games I have them down for an L that they start moving up. (It's why Stanford rose late last year, I had them winning early and losing late, so it wasn't till mid season when they got movement on my rankings)
Now, my weekly write-up.
1. Georgia @ 9. Clemson - Clemson are reaching their peak in terms of output in the near future. If not this year, the next. They have the talent to push anyone in the game, but their offence is a little too high risk high reward for my liking. Georgia has by SEC-standards, an average defence, but that should be more than enough to pressure Clemson and break down their offensive drives. Georgia wont walk over Clemson though, but they should be able to do enough to win by a comfortable margin. Georgia to win 35-21
2. Wisconsin vs 115. Massachusetts - You see the vast difference in rank? Yeah, that's legitimate. That's how far apart these guys are. Having UMass outside of the bottom 10 is probably a little lenient to be honest. They were in the bottom 3 in FBS football last year. They might still be there. They wont be able to put up a fight. They only way I can see them scoring is if they have their 1st team players vs Wisconsin's 3rd team players in the 4th and only on the condition that Wisconsin stop trying. I see this happening, but I feel the margin will be beyond 50 by that time. Wisconsin to win 66-7.
3. Alabama vs 21. Virginia Tech - Alabama's defence will feel giving up double didgets to Virginia Tech will be a failure, that's how dominant and deep these guys are. The offence, like many SEC offences have a lot of questions around, but an average ACC defence wont be enough to pose a threat. Alabama will be able to do as they please vs Virginia tech. Alabama to win 31-10
4. Oregon vs (UR) Nicholls State - I just suspect Oregon will be out to show there will be no change after Chip Kelly. I actually think they'll try and run it up to send that message. Oregon to win 87-0
5. Michigan vs 111. Central Michigan - Sometimes I really to wonder why the **** powerhouse schools like this schedule s**t teams. (Though, I did find that hard to say as Boise State has UT-Martin next week...) Central Michigan is a poor, poor, poor, poor mans Clemson. Too bad they're that s**t in comparison that they'll be lucky to get 2 scores. Michigan to win 49-3
6. Texas vs 104. New Mexico State - Just one of those matches we see a bit in the opening 2-3 weeks. A big school just getting a tune up game. This will be no different, Texas to win 45-3
7. Nebraska vs 83. Wyoming - Some MWC homers think Wyoming might put up a fight this year. I don't see that. Nebraska is a fairly decent team as is, but after the pounding they took vs Wisconsin last year, I feel they'll be fired up and on fire this year to make amends and today will be a demonstration of the wrath we'll see this season. Nebraska to win 73-7
8. Boise State @ 96. Washington - Washington is better than 96. But they have their harder games at home and the more 50/50 games away. If Sarkisian has morals and suspends ASJ, they aint moving the ball on Boise State, if he sells his soul they might be competitive. Might be Boise State vs Michigan State all over again where Washington can use a play action attack to take down the Broncos. But if not, then we know what we're getting; Boise State to win 31-10
9. Clemson vs 1. Georgia - See above
10. South Carolina vs 47. North Carolina - North Carolina will struggle offensively, that I have no doubts. But as most week 1 matches, there's a few questions about their (South Carolina) offence. If they can get going, a 5+ TD win is plausible, do I think they'll be hot from snap 1? No, but give it a while. a 3-4 TD I feel is going to happen. South Carolina to win 31-3
11. TCU vs 19. LSU - Here's me about to tip LSU. I just feel LSU will get 3 losses in the SEC while TCU will finish a 2 loss team but Big XII champs. Hence TCU's higher ranking. But I do think LSU is better, defence they're even, but Paschall has never seen a defence this ferocious. LSU is going to get after him that hard that it'll take a while for him to settle after a year out due to suspension. It will be low-scoring (unless defences and special teams score a few times) and they're even, but, yeah, that little bit of inexperience for Paschall is the tipping point for me. LSU to win 16-10
12. Oklahoma vs 103. Louisiana-Monroe - Sigh, I'm getting sick of the Big vs Small s**t now. Lets get it over and done with. Oklahoma to win 49-10
13. Florida State @ 112. Pittsburgh - The best (last year) from the ACC vs the worst from the Big East? Being in Pittsburgh might keep it under 5 touchdowns, but that'll be pushing it. Pittsburgh suck. Congratulations on downgrading your conference ACC
Florida State to win 49-7
14. Oklahoma State vs 86. Mississippi State - Oklahoma State who's building a great program behind the man who's 40 should be able to wipe aside one of, if not the worst team in the SEC West with ease. Oklahoma State has them beat across the field just about and should show that the depth in the SEC isn't as deep as the media like us to believe. Oklahoma State to win 42-14
15. Stanford - Idle
16. Louisville vs 31. Ohio - Louisville would be higher if in another conference, they're still maturing but they have the talent to beat anyone, but I feel a few mental lapses will cost them later in the year. They put up a good score vs Florida last year! They can do more now with age! Ohio wont be able to stop them if the Cardinals turn up. If they don't turn up however, it might actually be close. Louisville to win 45-10
17. Oregon State vs (UR) Eastern Washington - Would much rather this on the Red Turf, but oh well. Wont be as much as a thumping as we'll see elsewhere. Eastern Washington is a good FCS team and could've held their own in the WAC last year, and Oregon State doesn't RUTS as much as others, so will slow up as the game goes. So with these factors taken into account, I'm leaning to; Oregon State to win 38-13
18. Florida vs 41. Toledo - Toledo's ranking is inflated due to a poor MAC schedule. It really will be a whitewash, Florida's strength is their defence, it's good enough that they might feasibly keep Toledo to sub-100 yards. Here's me thinking their defence might be in a fight head to head to outscore their own defence. Florida to win 52-0
19. LSU vs 11. TCU - See above
20. Vanderbilt vs 33. Ole Miss - I might be the only person in the world who thinks this'll be a good game. Vanderbilt is on the improve and has planted themselves right on the tails of the SEC powerhouses. Ole Miss is speculation, but after some good recruiting, they should have the talent to be a great challenge. It's really a flip of the coin in my eyes. Both have good offences, while I speculate that Ole Miss' defence will be improved enough to avoid a thumping. Vanderbilt to win 24-17
21. Virginia Tech vs 3. Alabama - See above
22. Ohio State vs 114. Buffalo - Not wasting my time here, Buffalo suck, Ohio State is good.
Ohio State to win 49-3
23. Michigan State vs 90. Western Michigan - You know what I hate with BigTen schools? Their attempt to take the moral high ground by avoiding FCS teams is pointless as they take the closest thing to an FCS school, a MAC school; and the bad ones at that. Michigan State to win 56-7
24. Georgia Tech vs (UR) Elon - The Triple option offence isn't designed to blow teams out, but their TOP advantage (wouldn't be shocked if it's 45min vs 15min) will. Georgia Tech to win 56-0
25. Louisiana Tech @ 28. NC State - You know what, I have the Bulldogs going 12-1 this year. ONLY losing this game. If they get up, they might be up in the top 10 after week 1..... But lets be honest, their defence wont be stopping the wolf pack. NC State will be able to keep up with Louisiana Tech, though. If they cant get a few stops, this could go down to the wire in an absolute classic. They're evenly matched but home field advantage will probably be enough to get NC State up. NC State to win 56-49
Dirty Bird's FBS rankings.
1. Georgia
2. Wisconsin
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Michigan
6. Texas
7. Nebraska
8. Boise State
9. Clemson
10. South Carolina
11. TCU
12. Oklahoma
13. Florida State
14. Oklahoma State
15. Stanford
16. Louisville
17. Oregon State
18. Florida
19. LSU
20. Vanderbilt
21. Virginia Tech
22. Ohio State
23. Michigan State
24. Georgia Tech
25. Louisiana Tech
26. Rutgers
27. California
28. NC State
29. USC
30. Northern Illinois
31. Ohio
32. Arkansas
33. Ole Miss
34. Notre Dame
35. Cincinnati
36. Western Kentucky
37. Baylor
38. San Jose State
39. Maryland
40. San Diego State
41. Toledo
42. East Carolina
43. Utah State
44. Missouri
45. Illinois
46. Miami (Fl)
47. North Carolina
48. Houston
49. Arkansas State
50. Marshall
51. Wake Forrest
52. Louisiana-Lafayette
53. UCLA
54. South Florida
55. Utah
56. Texas A&M
57. Auburn
58. Kentucky
59. Connecticut
60. Texas Tech
61. Purdue
62. Arizona
63. Fresno State
64. Nevada
65. Navy
66. North Texas
67. Iowa
68. Kansas State
69. Arizona State
70. Virginia
71. Syracuse
72. Duke
73. New Mexico
74. Colorado State
75. Minnesota
76. Southern Miss
77. Tulsa
78. FIU
79. Middle Tennessee
80. Troy
81. Temple
82. Air Force
83. Wyoming
84. UTSA
85. Texas State
86. Mississippi State
87. Miami (Oh)
88. Kent State
89. Ball State
90. Western Michigan
91. Iowa State
92. Kansas
93. Northwestern
94. Penn State
95. UCF
96. Washington
97. West Virginia
98. Rice
99. Florida Atlantic
100. Boston College
101. Bowling Green
102. Eastern Michigan
103. Louisiana-Monroe
104. New Mexico State
105. SMU
106. Tulane
107. Tennessee
108. Washington State
109. UNLV
110. Indiana
111. Central Michigan
112. Pittsburgh
113. Akron
114. Buffalo
115. Massachusetts
116. BYU
117. Hawai'i
118. Army
119. Colorado
120. Memphis
121. South Alabama
122. UAB
123. UTEP
124. Idaho
125. Georgia State
1) They will be updated weekly as the season progresses.
2) They are based on my predicted W-L ranking from pre-season. Each week the only thing that might change is the winner of the Championship games. It'll be unlikely if a team can move up or down more than 10 spots in any week. eg, Arkansas can start 5-0 and the only way they can move is if others above them lose a game I have as a win. It wont be until Arkansas start winning games I have them down for an L that they start moving up. (It's why Stanford rose late last year, I had them winning early and losing late, so it wasn't till mid season when they got movement on my rankings)
Now, my weekly write-up.
1. Georgia @ 9. Clemson - Clemson are reaching their peak in terms of output in the near future. If not this year, the next. They have the talent to push anyone in the game, but their offence is a little too high risk high reward for my liking. Georgia has by SEC-standards, an average defence, but that should be more than enough to pressure Clemson and break down their offensive drives. Georgia wont walk over Clemson though, but they should be able to do enough to win by a comfortable margin. Georgia to win 35-21
2. Wisconsin vs 115. Massachusetts - You see the vast difference in rank? Yeah, that's legitimate. That's how far apart these guys are. Having UMass outside of the bottom 10 is probably a little lenient to be honest. They were in the bottom 3 in FBS football last year. They might still be there. They wont be able to put up a fight. They only way I can see them scoring is if they have their 1st team players vs Wisconsin's 3rd team players in the 4th and only on the condition that Wisconsin stop trying. I see this happening, but I feel the margin will be beyond 50 by that time. Wisconsin to win 66-7.
3. Alabama vs 21. Virginia Tech - Alabama's defence will feel giving up double didgets to Virginia Tech will be a failure, that's how dominant and deep these guys are. The offence, like many SEC offences have a lot of questions around, but an average ACC defence wont be enough to pose a threat. Alabama will be able to do as they please vs Virginia tech. Alabama to win 31-10
4. Oregon vs (UR) Nicholls State - I just suspect Oregon will be out to show there will be no change after Chip Kelly. I actually think they'll try and run it up to send that message. Oregon to win 87-0
5. Michigan vs 111. Central Michigan - Sometimes I really to wonder why the **** powerhouse schools like this schedule s**t teams. (Though, I did find that hard to say as Boise State has UT-Martin next week...) Central Michigan is a poor, poor, poor, poor mans Clemson. Too bad they're that s**t in comparison that they'll be lucky to get 2 scores. Michigan to win 49-3
6. Texas vs 104. New Mexico State - Just one of those matches we see a bit in the opening 2-3 weeks. A big school just getting a tune up game. This will be no different, Texas to win 45-3
7. Nebraska vs 83. Wyoming - Some MWC homers think Wyoming might put up a fight this year. I don't see that. Nebraska is a fairly decent team as is, but after the pounding they took vs Wisconsin last year, I feel they'll be fired up and on fire this year to make amends and today will be a demonstration of the wrath we'll see this season. Nebraska to win 73-7
8. Boise State @ 96. Washington - Washington is better than 96. But they have their harder games at home and the more 50/50 games away. If Sarkisian has morals and suspends ASJ, they aint moving the ball on Boise State, if he sells his soul they might be competitive. Might be Boise State vs Michigan State all over again where Washington can use a play action attack to take down the Broncos. But if not, then we know what we're getting; Boise State to win 31-10
9. Clemson vs 1. Georgia - See above
10. South Carolina vs 47. North Carolina - North Carolina will struggle offensively, that I have no doubts. But as most week 1 matches, there's a few questions about their (South Carolina) offence. If they can get going, a 5+ TD win is plausible, do I think they'll be hot from snap 1? No, but give it a while. a 3-4 TD I feel is going to happen. South Carolina to win 31-3
11. TCU vs 19. LSU - Here's me about to tip LSU. I just feel LSU will get 3 losses in the SEC while TCU will finish a 2 loss team but Big XII champs. Hence TCU's higher ranking. But I do think LSU is better, defence they're even, but Paschall has never seen a defence this ferocious. LSU is going to get after him that hard that it'll take a while for him to settle after a year out due to suspension. It will be low-scoring (unless defences and special teams score a few times) and they're even, but, yeah, that little bit of inexperience for Paschall is the tipping point for me. LSU to win 16-10
12. Oklahoma vs 103. Louisiana-Monroe - Sigh, I'm getting sick of the Big vs Small s**t now. Lets get it over and done with. Oklahoma to win 49-10
13. Florida State @ 112. Pittsburgh - The best (last year) from the ACC vs the worst from the Big East? Being in Pittsburgh might keep it under 5 touchdowns, but that'll be pushing it. Pittsburgh suck. Congratulations on downgrading your conference ACC
Florida State to win 49-7 14. Oklahoma State vs 86. Mississippi State - Oklahoma State who's building a great program behind the man who's 40 should be able to wipe aside one of, if not the worst team in the SEC West with ease. Oklahoma State has them beat across the field just about and should show that the depth in the SEC isn't as deep as the media like us to believe. Oklahoma State to win 42-14
15. Stanford - Idle
16. Louisville vs 31. Ohio - Louisville would be higher if in another conference, they're still maturing but they have the talent to beat anyone, but I feel a few mental lapses will cost them later in the year. They put up a good score vs Florida last year! They can do more now with age! Ohio wont be able to stop them if the Cardinals turn up. If they don't turn up however, it might actually be close. Louisville to win 45-10
17. Oregon State vs (UR) Eastern Washington - Would much rather this on the Red Turf, but oh well. Wont be as much as a thumping as we'll see elsewhere. Eastern Washington is a good FCS team and could've held their own in the WAC last year, and Oregon State doesn't RUTS as much as others, so will slow up as the game goes. So with these factors taken into account, I'm leaning to; Oregon State to win 38-13
18. Florida vs 41. Toledo - Toledo's ranking is inflated due to a poor MAC schedule. It really will be a whitewash, Florida's strength is their defence, it's good enough that they might feasibly keep Toledo to sub-100 yards. Here's me thinking their defence might be in a fight head to head to outscore their own defence. Florida to win 52-0
19. LSU vs 11. TCU - See above
20. Vanderbilt vs 33. Ole Miss - I might be the only person in the world who thinks this'll be a good game. Vanderbilt is on the improve and has planted themselves right on the tails of the SEC powerhouses. Ole Miss is speculation, but after some good recruiting, they should have the talent to be a great challenge. It's really a flip of the coin in my eyes. Both have good offences, while I speculate that Ole Miss' defence will be improved enough to avoid a thumping. Vanderbilt to win 24-17
21. Virginia Tech vs 3. Alabama - See above
22. Ohio State vs 114. Buffalo - Not wasting my time here, Buffalo suck, Ohio State is good.
Ohio State to win 49-3
23. Michigan State vs 90. Western Michigan - You know what I hate with BigTen schools? Their attempt to take the moral high ground by avoiding FCS teams is pointless as they take the closest thing to an FCS school, a MAC school; and the bad ones at that. Michigan State to win 56-7
24. Georgia Tech vs (UR) Elon - The Triple option offence isn't designed to blow teams out, but their TOP advantage (wouldn't be shocked if it's 45min vs 15min) will. Georgia Tech to win 56-0
25. Louisiana Tech @ 28. NC State - You know what, I have the Bulldogs going 12-1 this year. ONLY losing this game. If they get up, they might be up in the top 10 after week 1..... But lets be honest, their defence wont be stopping the wolf pack. NC State will be able to keep up with Louisiana Tech, though. If they cant get a few stops, this could go down to the wire in an absolute classic. They're evenly matched but home field advantage will probably be enough to get NC State up. NC State to win 56-49
(Or close enough for A&M)
