Phil Steele Tabs William & Mary #1

[smallcollegefbfan]

With 12 starters returning from last season’s team that advanced to the national semifinals and equaled a school record with 11 victories, the William and Mary football team has garnered a No. 1 national ranking in Phil Steele’s College Football Preview 2010 preseason poll. Additionally, junior running back Jonathan Grimes and junior linebacker Jake Trantin earned preseason second-team All-America honors from the publication, while six Tribe players earned preseason all-conference accolades.

One of the most productive offensive players in the country during the past two seasons, Grimes is coming off an outstanding sophomore season in which he earned first-team all-conference honors after leading the league with 1,294 rushing yards – a figure that ranked eighth nationally and third on W&M’s single-season list. The Palmyra, N.J., native also led the Colonial Athletic Association and ranked 13th nationally with 145.9 all-purpose yards per game, as he hauled in 46 catches for 289 yards to go with his impressive rushing totals.

In addition to becoming the fastest player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards – reaching the milestone in just 13 games – Grimes will enter his junior season with 2,223 career rushing yards and already ranks 10th on the program’s career list.

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/10440/

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Where is the rest of the ranking scfbf?

[smallcollegefbfan]

Where is the rest of the ranking scfbf?

Here it is:

1. William & Mary
2. Appalachian St
3. Villanova
4. Montana
5. Northern Iowa
6. Elon
7. Southern Illinois
8. James Madison
9. Northern Arizona
10. McNeese St
11. Wofford
12. SF Austin
13. Illinois St
14. Cal Poly
15. Delaware
16. Weber St
17. Richmond
18. South Dakota St
19. Eastern Illinois
20. Montana St
21. South Carolina St
22. Jacksonville St
23. Colgate
24. Penn
25. Liberty
26. Grambling St
27. Eastern Washington
28. New Hampshire
29. Texas St
30. Robert Morris
31. Samford
32. Eastern Kentucky
33. Central Arkansas
34. Furman
35. Harvard
36. Dayton
37. Chattanooga
38. Maine
39. UC Davis
40. Missouri St

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

New Hampshire at #28 and only 1 PL team in the top 40. Interesting....

[TexasTerror]

This top 40 is VERY suspect. Phil must hang out a bit too much on the east coast, as he completely shows an incoherent understanding of the SLC and SWAC. I'll let the Big Sky and Great West give their opinion...

Grambling is No. 26 and there is no Prairie View A&M in the top 40? I'd like to know how Phil ranks the SWAC..



10. McNeese St
12. SF Austin
29. Texas St
33. Central Arkansas

McNeese being ranked ahead of SFA? No appearance by SLU in the top 40, let alone behind TXST and UCA for apparently 5th place? I must disagree. Just does not make sense.

I have SLU at #2 in my predictions. I could see you dropping them to #3, but #5 and out of the top 40 teams in the country?


New Hampshire at #28 and only 1 PL team in the top 40. Interesting....

Hey - what can you say? Perhaps he is not too well versed on the east coast either!

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I don't see any problem with it. Since nobody has anything to really base the season on it's a solid as any other poll.

[McNeese75]

This top 40 is VERY suspect. Phil must hang out a bit too much on the east coast, as he completely shows an incoherent understanding of the SLC and SWAC. I'll let the Big Sky and Great West give their opinion...

Grambling is No. 26 and there is no Prairie View A&M in the top 40? I'd like to know how Phil ranks the SWAC..



McNeese being ranked ahead of SFA? No appearance by SLU in the top 40, let alone behind TXST and UCA for apparently 5th place? I must disagree. Just does not make sense.

I have SLU at #2 in my predictions. I could see you dropping them to #3, but #5 and out of the top 40 teams in the country?



Hey - what can you say? Perhaps he is not too well versed on the east coast either!

Come to Lake Charles on October 9th and let's see what you think after the game. xnodx

[LeadBolt]

I thought the AGS pre season poll had W&M too high. I would like to think of W&M as a #1 team, but I don't think they are any better than 3rd (and will be lucky to finish there) in their own conference...

[TexasTerror]

Come to Lake Charles on October 9th and let's see what you think after the game. xnodx

That was not the biggest issue I had. McNeese did perform well defensively against SFA and this year's game will be in 'The Hole'. Biggest issue is SLU being omitted and the clear lack of respect for Prairie View.


I don't see any problem with it. Since nobody has anything to really base the season on it's a solid as any other poll.

Returners and letterwinners lost?
Starters returning and loss?
Win-loss from a season ago?

Preseason polls are by no means perfect, but let's just look at one VERY questionable example.

In the case of the SWAC - when you have Grambling at No. 26 in the nation and do not have Prairie View listed anywhere in the top 40. I am hard pressed to think there will be many, if any media publications that tab Prairie View A&M behind Grambling.

[asknoquarter21]

In case anyone wanted to compare with the AGS poll


Any Given Saturday Poll Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis), Points
1. Villanova (81) 2344
2. Montana (7) 2106
3. Appalachian St. (2) 1965
4. William & Mary (3) 1909
5. Southern Illinois (1) 1825
6. New Hampshire 1644
7. Elon 1578
8. Richmond 1414
9. South Dakota St. 1359
10. South Carolina St. 1352
11. Stephen F. Austin 1218
12. Northern Iowa 1028
13. McNeese St. 1011
14. Eastern Washington 1002
15. Delaware 885
16. James Madison 871
17. Jacksonville St. 720
18. Weber St. 639
19. Liberty 582
20. Furman 491
21. Eastern Illinois 480
22. Montana St. 377
23. Cal Poly 319
24. Pennsylvania 277
25. Holy Cross 262


Others receiving votes (minimum of 5 votes): Prairie View A&M (43), Texas St. (41), Northern Arizona (36), Massachusetts (31), Maine (30), Colgate (25), Wofford (22), Eastern Kentucky (20), Lafayette (19), UC Davis (17), Chattanooga (15), Illinois St. (15), Florida A&M (14), Georgia Southern (14), North Dakota St. (13), Central Arkansas (11), Youngstown St. (11), Harvard (10), Lehigh (10), Stony Brook (10), Southeastern Louisiana (9), Albany (8), Grambling St. (7), Dayton (5), Missouri St. (5)

[ursus arctos horribilis]

That was not the biggest issue I had. McNeese did perform well defensively against SFA and this year's game will be in 'The Hole'. Biggest issue is SLU being omitted and the clear lack of respect for Prairie View.



Returners and letterwinners lost?
Starters returning and loss?
Win-loss from a season ago?

Preseason polls are by no means perfect, but let's just look at one VERY questionable example.

In the case of the SWAC - when you have Grambling at No. 26 in the nation and do not have Prairie View listed anywhere in the top 40. I am hard pressed to think there will be many, if any media publications that tab Prairie View A&M behind Grambling.

I'm not saying that there aren't key factors to discuss as pertains to these TT. Hell, I wouldn't even argue with you on what you said at all. The thing to me is that those factors will mean something for a few teams but by the end of the year there are gonna be a team or three that were not even discussed that are gonna pop on the radar and they aren't being discussed because of those exact reasons you listed.

These things don't bother me too much because it's just a guessing game.

[danefan]

I'm not sure there's really a team on there that doesn't deserve it or one that was left off that does.

I think UNH is way too low and W&M shouldn't be #1 without a returning QB, but everything else is a crapshoot and I think Steele did a pretty good job.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I'm surprised nobody has remarked on Northern Arizona's ranking.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I'm surprised nobody has remarked on Northern Arizona's ranking.

They possibly have the best QB in the land so it's tough to guage them also. They are as likely to make the playoffs as anyone else below them.

[ur2k]

I'm surprised nobody has remarked on Northern Arizona's ranking.

Call them this year's Hofstra for Steele

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Call them this year's Hofstra for Steele

xlolxxlolxxlolx xrotatehx

[UNI Pike]

I am wondering why UNI rates so high? With essentially a completely new O & D line, new QB, etc. etc. what does Phil know that I don't? Not that I wouldn't like that outcome, but let's be real, there are a ton of open spots to be filled when compared to other contenders.

[GoAgs72]

Hmmm! Cal Poly 14, UC Davis 39, no one else from conference in top 40. This poll is whacked.

[Squealofthepig]

Would love to see a regression analysis to see how much his poll differs from the average AGS voter; UNH, NAU and Wofford are huge deltas. Some teams seemed to get bonus points for specific talent; others seem to have had no regard for very suspect things like, say, not having a clear quarterback; and others were dinged for not being in a major conference (note that he seemed to have remembered SC State and Jacksonville State at about the same time). As others have pointed out, definitely as valid as any other guess out there, but this seems to not have a strong affinity for others' wild guesses. :)

[ValleyChamp]

UNI is WAY to high.

[bluehenbillk]

A couple of question marks, but overall a pretty good job.

[msusig]

Now that we potentially have a QB, I don't think we are overranked any more. That was the only position that made me worried about this season.

[apaladin]

November 21, 2009:
Furman 58 Wofford 21
Steele's rankings:
Wofford #11
Furman #34
Makes sense to me.

[th0m]

Any poll that doesn't have 5 CAA teams in the top 10 is suspect if you ask me :D

[jmufan999]

November 21, 2009:
Furman 58 Wofford 21
Steele's rankings:
Wofford #11
Furman #34
Makes sense to me.

geez, that's a freaking beating.

yeah, he hits the nail on the head sometimes, and totally misses on other occasions. take it with a grain of salt... i think JMU is a top 15 team but i don't think we're #8. at least not right now.

[Rob Iola]

Any poll that doesn't have 5 CAA teams in the top 10 is suspect if you ask me :D
I haven't had a chance to read the article - which CAA team does he have beating Montana in the playoffs?

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I haven't had a chance to read the article - which CAA team does he have beating Montana in the playoffs?

And also which SoCon team beating CAA and also which Socon team does he have MT beating?

[ThompsonThe]

South Carolina State is WAY too low! I believe he put team names on a dart board and threw blindfolded.

Can someone post his predictions from last year, and then final AGS rankings?

Preseason polls are normally terrible, but just no excuse for some teams being so far from where they should probably be.

[Rob Iola]

And also which SoCon team beating CAA and also which Socon team does he have MT beating?
Hmm, a few years back App State had a nice run against the CAA before they returned to Earth. And Wofford had a memorable game in Missoula - oh wait, you're asking which Socon team was beaten by MT - dunno, UT Chattanooga? Was that your last win in Chatty?

[paward]

I could never understand why everyone gets their panties in a whod about pre-season polls. FYI I like our spot.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Hmm, a few years back App State had a nice run against the CAA before they returned to Earth. And Wofford had a memorable game in Missoula - oh wait, you're asking which Socon team was beaten by MT - dunno, UT Chattanooga? Was that your last win in Chatty?

Good guess, a little short but you hear that a lot I suppose. Griz fans kinda don't use the rest of the conference as a measuring stick a single team but I know how you do it.xrotatehx

It's actually kinda cute that you get your big brothers to do it for ya.:D

[Tribe4SF]

I'll take the Tribe #1! Deserved, or not, it's selling tickets in Williamsburg.:D

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I'll take the Tribe #1! Deserved, or not, it's selling tickets in Williamsburg.:D

They looked as good as any team in the nation to me last year. The final four teams last year were about as equal as I've ever seen. If you're looking at the preseason poll as how the teams are gonna finish the year then I don't see how people can argue against Villanova, W&M, Montana, or the outside possibility of App being back there.

[WestCoastAggie]

Phil must be looking at Recent Success in the Playoffs as a factor in this poll.

[NHwildEcat]

Wow...terrible poll...UNH outside of the top 25? On what planet?