I agree we really cannot be a surprise team with the talent level and expectations both being high. And while agree Steele does give a lot of great info that others don't give every year, if he really ranked our D-line as 9th in the conference he is way, way off on that.
9th in the COUNTRY. Sorry if I confused, the numbers I quoted in parentheses are our national rankings. As for being a surprise, while I agree that we have lots of talent (and so does Phil apparently), NO ONE (except for him) will be picking us to play in the Rose Bowl. Yes, we'll get a few 5-7 slots and lots of 10-12 picks, but that's it. So, that's why we are considered a "surprise" in his book. Hell, I'm pretty damn surprised! But, like he says, he has Purdue at the #1 surprise since them winning the Big11Ten and finishing #3 would be an even bigger surprise than LSU in the Rose. All that said, I'm ready to be surprised again in early January.
Phil Steele is about as good as any of the preseason prognosticators, which is to say, not any better than your average football fan. The magazines are fun, they help fill the in-between seasons void, but you shouldn't take them too seriously. A few notable Phil Steele predictions from last year: National Champion - Oklahoma SEC Champion - LSU ACC Champion - Florida State Heisman Trophy - Timmy Chang (Hawaii)
Last year Phil Steele was #1 in overall predictions http://preseason.stassen.com/prediction-accuracy/2004.html 2003 saw him 9th out of 12 http://preseason.stassen.com/prediction-accuracy/2003.html 2002 saw him 8th out of 12 http://preseason.stassen.com/prediction-accuracy/2002.html The guy isn't god
But he's first over the past 5 years. http://preseason.stassen.com/prediction-accuracy/2005-5yr.html And second over the past 3 (even with those 2 down years) http://preseason.stassen.com/prediction-accuracy/2005-3yr.html
I wasn't saying he was bad but being that low 2 of the last 3 years shows that even the best in reality....suck
I'd put you right up there with ramah. You are definitely good at one thing: calling up ott with a take then repeating it on this board. :grin:
