Originally Posted by
homie1975
florida state loses 5 underclassmen to the draft let alone the seniors who are finished with eligibility so we'll see just how good they are. these just some of the reasons it is so tough to repeat.
i have to say it's pretty insane to sit here right now and have much of an idea who the 4 teams will be that make the playoff in 2014.
last summer, NO ONE would have picked Auburn and Mich State in the final 4 for 2013 yet in the bcs rankings right after the conf title games, there was Aub at 2 and Mich State at 4.
aub had so many question marks going into 2013 after winning only 5 gms in 2012 and with a new coach, new qb, new schemes.
then there was mich state who had a great D but was miserable on O in 2012. they did not even know who their qb would be because andrew maxwell was so disappointing in the passing game 2012.
there were also lots of question marks about just how good Jameis Winston would be in his redshirt frosh year, so you would have seen plenty of people, probably more than 50% of people surveyed, who would have left FSU out of a final 4 if you had to pick them last summer.
that leaves just Bama, who was ranked 3 in the BCS rankings after the conf championship, as the only team that most people surveyed would have gotten right in a preseason final 4 pick for last season.
25% is not bad is it? of course it is.
one day people will realize that the more returning starters you have and the more preseason hype, the worst it usually is for you team. not always, but most of the time. the expectations are so high that your players start believing their own headlines and get complacent, and all it does is put a target on your back every time you play someone and you become their super bowl every road game. too much pressure.
aub and mich state just two examples of teams that finish in the top 4-5 every year that literally NO ONE has on their radar in the preseason rankings.
but carry on with your predictions for 2014, they are amusing at least.