re: Phil Steele Top 40 Countdown UPDATED 6/24

Hell, they lost all 3 of their top producing WRs didn't they?


ETA: Reading comprehension fail on my part.

Here's the difference between Steele's projected lineup and actual facts.

QB: Kyle Allen (MATCH)
HB: Tra Carson (MATCH)
WR: Speedy Noil (MATCH)
WR: Ricky Seals-Jones (MATCH)
WR: Malcome Kennedy (MATCH)
WR: Joshua Reynolds (MATCH)
LT: Cedric Ogbuehi (MATCH)
LG: Jarvis Harrison (MATCH)
C: Mike Matthews (MATCH)
RG: Joseph Cheek (Garrett Gramling is the starter)
RT: Germain Ifedi (MATCH)

DE: Gavin Stansbury (MATCH)
DT: Alonzo Williams (Justin Manning is the starter)
NT: Isaiah Golden (kicked off the team. Hardreck Walker is the starter)
DE: Julien Obioha (not even close. Obioha moved back to SDE. Daeshon Hall or Myles Garrett as starter.)
SAM: Donnie Baggs (not even close. Shaan Washington is the starter. Baggs will only play in garbage time)
MIKE: Jordan Mastrogiovanni (MATCH)
WILL: Darion Claiborne (kicked off the team. A.J. Hilliard is the starter)
CB: Deshazor Everett (MATCH)
CB: DeVante Harris (MATCH)
FS: Floyd Raven (have absolutely no clue here)
SS: Howard Matthews (MATCH)
P: Drew Kaser (MATCH)
K: Josh Lambo (MATCH)

Other errors with Steele's pdf:

-Pope is ahead of Parker on the WR depth due to injury.
-Eluemunor backs up Ogbuehi, not Harrison
-Stuckey backs up Harrison, not Ogbuehi
-Joas Aguilar is medically retired
-Julien Obioha backs up Stansbury at SDE. Tyrell Taylor is not even close to big enough to play SDE
-Hardreck Walker is nose, not DT
-Ivan Robinson is medically retired
-both Josh Walker and Otaro Alaka are SAM LB
-Justin Bass is a backup at MIKE
-Brett Wade moved to WILL
-Tommy Sanders is 4th string at best at any LB position
-Wiggins was moved to LB. He certainly never played FS

These are not recent developments. Many came out back in March.

Well at least he got most of the offense right

quote:

---

that clown is one of the most respected college football analysts out there

---

Compare his pre-season rankings to post season reality (every stinkin year) and you'll see where he basically NEVER actually looks at teams and schedules -- just school names.

Miss State has 4 daisy non-con games, gets Vandy and UK from the East, then plays Ark and A&M in Starkville, and Ole Miss (who we beat last year) -- all while returning virtually all skill players and almost our entire defense. Any luck whatsoever produces a 10-2 record (losing 2/3 against Aub, Bama, and LSU). And no, beating Ole Miss, while not easy, would not be luck.

I think the primary concern for Mizzou on offense besides simply replacing the guys parkjass mentioned is that you lost 70% of your rushing/receiving TDs from last season. That is a ton. Somebody has to step up and fill that void. Combine that with losing the left side of your OL/senior QB and there are rightfully some questions.

As for the defense, I would like to know more about them. I believe in Golden, less so in Ray, but I admittedly don't know a ton about him. I know that he only had 1 TFL in conference play that wasn't a sack. It's an exceedingly small sample size, but that number combined with his weight would suggest that you could run the ball right at him.

What I'm more interested in is what your LBs/DBs look like? Did you lose 5 from the back 7? Is that accurate?

quote:

---

Any luck whatsoever produces a 10-2 record

---

I've not seen anybody besides unreasonable Miss St fans predict a 10-2 record for state. I'm not saying it can't happen, but I think it would require a little more luck than you're letting on. Bama and AU are clearly top 10 teams to open the year. You don't beat LSU. Ole Miss will be battle. If you can split those and not falter the rest of the way, that would be sweet. But, historically, you don't split those.

ETA: I'm not trying to knock all State fans, just questioning some of the less reasonable ones.

UGA comes in at number 8

what am i missing on UGA, specifically the offense?... they'll once again have a mediocre OL and replacing one of the best passers the SEC has ever seen... Mason will be solid, no doubt... but there will be a drop off in production, meaning they'll have to lean more on the running game. Gurley is a beast, but Keith Marshall won't be 100%.

if you're going to have a mediocre OL, you'd better be elite everywhere else on offense... mason is good, but not elite.

quote:

---

they'll once again have a mediocre OL

---

Maybe, no way of knowing until they all play together.

quote:

---

Mason will be solid, no doubt... but there will be a drop off in production

---

Yea, most likely but when you're going from averaging something like 3,300 yards and 25 TD's there's hard not to be a drop off. I don't think we'll necessarily have to lean on the running game but it will definitely be an integral part of our offense, as it has been. Bobo and Richt are two the best QB coaches in the country so I don't expect them to try and hide Mason in our offense.

quote:

---

but Keith Marshall won't be 100%.

---

From all reports we've seen, he'll be ready for the season.

quote:

---

if you're going to have a mediocre OL, you'd better be elite everywhere else on offense... mason is good, but not elite.

---

Mason isn't elite, but he's good enough to get it to our really good WR's and hand it off to Gurley, Marshall, Douglas, Turman, Chubb, and Michel.

His top 5 I think are

FSU
Bama
Ohio State
Oklahoma
UCLA

so I guess Oregon is 6