Bringing back an old favorite for Season 26. In this column we'll evaluate those "other guys" that got some attention, but not quite enough to get them in to the Top 25... this week anyway.
#26 - Miami (FL): First up, we have Da U, being taken over by Coach Phreakk. After a very successful campaign witn Arizona, Phreakk took his talents to South Beach and is proclaiming an ACC title over reigning National Champ pimpin' & Uber Coach BigMike, the canes are poised to do big things. However as far as schedules go thus far, games against Pimpin, Tulsa, and FSU, there's not much to look at. There are a few tough opponents, but Phreakk is going to have to put in work early and often to keep himself in the Top 25. Look for him to show up in the polls next week, barring any set backs.
#27 - Missouri:Crowes, who has quietly been running a successful Dynasty comes in to his 6th season with Mizzou. He's posted a 31-8 record over the last 3 seasons, and has maintained a high level of play even with the move to the SEC. With a couple of lighter matchups, Coach Crowes needs to be careful not to look ahead to his meeting with the resurgent Bulldogs Week 3, take care of business and get in to the Top 25 next week.
#28 - Pedobear St:Coach Nole steps into a similar role of whipping boy of the conference. Unlike last year at the Buffs however, look for Nole to have early success with a mostly cupcake schedule & could very well secure Bowl eligibility before their second bye in Week 8. Look for a 6-0 run and a huge bump in the polls early on barring a Brain cramp by the crafty Coach. What happens in the 2nd half will ultimately determine this team's destiny.
#29 - Boise St:Boise St gets a seemingly revolving door of coaches, yet they all experience a sustained success. Coach Seeit is no exception here. Look for Boise to do it's typical curb stomping of lesser opponents and replace a slipping BCS team in the top 25 as early as next week.
#30 - K-State:Coach Champ has a very evenly distributed schedule, and could very easily move in to Boom or Bust territory if they aren't careful. If Champ can learn from his cup loss and get a revenge kill on Coach Phreakk, we may see the Thundercat over the Canes in next weeks poll.
#31 - SDSU:Coach WSDP is currently riding the train that Steamrollr started over last season. After making an unprecedented BCS trip last season, Coach Steam headed for green pastures, leaving WSDP with high expectations, as shown in the preseason poll. With some tough coachs on the dockett early on, SDSU could be on that Other list if he's not careful in the early going.
#32 - Arizona: Coach Liq made the move the big leagues, and appears to be a glutton for punishment, having 3 top 20 teams in the first 5 games, things could turn ugly very fast for the wildcats. Expectations are still somewhat high given Coach Phreakk's success last year with Zona. Should Coach Liq escape the initial brutal stretch, they could very easily be one of the hot teams to watch midseason.
#33 - Auburn:Autiger is back with his team of choice and is looking to make some noise in the always competitve SEC. Depending on what goes down with Arky and LSU, Auburn will be poised to make a leap in the rankings early in the season. Off to a good start with a win over an underrated Virginia squad, may be good enough to get the Tigers on the radar.
#34 - Baylor:Another Boom or Bust candidate, Coach Buckeye and the Bears have a brutal early schedule squaring off against USC, Clemson & WVU. Baylor could easily be inside the Top 20 as early as next week with an upset against a highly toted Clemson team.
#35 - Texas A&M:After a disappointing run The Aggies fired Coach Swelly and brought on Coach Quest. Quest has big dreams, with an opportunity to knock off two title contenders within the first six weeks. Alas, both are in hostile territory, and the home crowd won't even get to see their team until Week 7. Should Texas A&M make it through this stretch unscaved, they will without a doubt be in the Championship conversation with good reason.
#36 - San Jose St: Coach Baker is looking to capitalize on SJSU similar to how Coach Morbid handled business. Unfortunately, there are a few tough coaches that will no doubt be looking for bounce back seasons of their own. This ranking is more based on Morbid's own successes rather than the expectations of Baker
#37 - Tulsa:Coach Sammy somewhat shot himself in the foot in taking the very team he knocked off in the Conference USA championship last season. The coaches were not very pleased with the move apparently. I however disagree. This team is designed to put up points, but it may be hard for Tulsa to gain notice if they aren't able to knock off Stanford early.
#38 - TennesseeConsidering the overall inepetitude of previous Tennessee teams, I'm surprised returning coach Wasted got such a low grade. Then again, it may be that ineptitude that's holding the Vols back. With 1 in L column that was a W last year, Wasted faces an uphill battle, however, he has plenty of opportunities to make some noise, and I expect a top 25 appearance sometime during the season.
#39 - CincyCoach Tig is not off to a good start, and things aren't any easier after a tough matchup against a sneaky East Carolina team. Not expecting a fun trip on the SEC tour heading in to conference play, and Tig and the Bearcats will need a big run through the conference to sniff a top 25 spot.
#40 - UNCAnother surprising low rank from the coaches for Oracle and UNC. Entering his 5th season, and 2nd straight 8 win season, Coach oracle has two new giants to kill after derailing ND's promising season last year. The key for the Tar Heels to get on the radar is going to be what they do against Georgia. They take them down they should be able to solidify a spot in the top 25 to spice up their matchup with pimpin' midseason.
#41 - Mississippi St -As Coach Bearass mentioned, his schedule is clearly murder. In addition to being blessed with being in the already Tough SEC, The Bulldogs open against USC and Wisky back to back in hostile territory, followed by a week three no lube run with Clemson. The good news is, clearly a low win goal, and not much in the way of expectations. With one donkeystomping out the way, there's little chance of a top 25 appearance in the near future.
#42 - NC State -Holmey is a wildcard. He has a good team, but scheduling concerns may keep him from coming any higher. Depending on his availability, he could very easily sneak in to the Top 25. A win against perennial contender UConn would go a long ways to help that.
#43 - Kansas -Now that Coach Beefy has gotten his usual Bama thrashing out the way, he's looking to make some noise in the Big 12. Being a team with low expectations, he could very easily sneak up the polls before his showdown with OSU. Time will tell.
#44 - Georgia Tech -Coach Relio has Pimpin in the first block. Pending a meltdown, not seeing a Top 25 appearance anytime soon. But again, any given Saturday.
#45 - Arky St -With Coach Stimpin's departure, Arky St took a hit, but Coach OKS is clearly a glutton for punishment. Already done with the thumpin from the Vols, the Red wolves have Bama and Oregon coming up next. A win against either of these will keep this team in the mix for two loss teams to be considered toward the end of the season, should success come their way.
#46 - Louisiana Tech - With a Ho-Hum schedule and a loss already tallied, gonna take a serious run by coach workman to get the poller's attention.
#47 - UTSA - The new guy HeavyHitta steps in with a chance to shine and make a run. With no real history, this could honestly go either way.
#48 - UNLV - Another new guy getting called up, Coach Xenocide took a gamble by putting Arky on the schedule. May be able to make a name for themselves.
#49 - Washington - Coach George returns for a 3rd season after a disappointing late season run. After getting the harder OOC out the way, the huskies look to get a couple wins under their belt before conference play starts, and could make some noise early in conference play.
#50 - Army - Rounding out the 50 spot, coach Knapp has a "choose your own destiny with similarly scheduled teams. Could easily move up the ranks, but barring an undefeated run we most likely won't see him in the top 25.
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