What does Phil Steele’s college football preview and TCU’s Jerry Hughes have in common?  Aside from the fact that they are both passionate about college football, Steele has put Hughes on the cover of his Texas addition.  I picked up my copy on Friday at Borders Books, and have began the annual pilgrimage through the pages of Steele’s masterpiece preview.

Last year I reviewed four of the college football previews, but this year, I am just buying Steele.  Phil Steele’s magazine is full of numbers.  There is a misunderstanding that Steele’s magazine is a better’s magazine, but it really is not.  He uses a complicated system of numbers to create power rankings in several different areas which means when the season is through, you will see he is pretty accurate.

True, the sports betters use his magazine, but that is because he is so accurate.  If you want to pour through numbers and facts, Phil Steele’s magazine is for you.  Just a word of warning.  When he has a “read here first” to understand what he is doing, you need to follow instructions.  Without the preface readings, you might be lost.

On the Texas cover with Hughes is Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy and Baylor QB Robert Griffin.

While compiling this list, I constructed a rating system for returning QB’s.  I pulled out my trusty Phil Steele magazine and crunched the numbers.  This list is skewed in that it does not take into account the QB’s running ability hurting QB’s such as Pat White or others who play in a very run dominated offensive system.  That being said, it is interesting to note that a few good running QB’s ended up on this list.  A dual QB is only as good as his ability to pass.  My system took into account total yards passing, QB efficiency, yard per attempt, TD’s and INT’s.  Because I didn’t want the fact a QB passed for 4000 yards to be too much of a weight, I averaged those stats with QB efficiency.  Basically, you had to be really good in all of these areas to make the list.  The need for a dangerous QB becomes more important with each year.  An offense really needs more than just a “bus driver” to win championships.

1.  Sam Bradford, Oklahoma–Sooner fans should be happy.  This time last year OU didn’t know who would start, now Bradford has become a phenom.  He is big and strong with a rocket arm.  This year we might see him run the ball some from the Spread.  He led the nation in efficiency last year as a Redshirt Freshman.  When Bradford struggled, the Sooners lost.

2.  Tim Tebow, Florida–Tebow won the Heisman with his famous 20 TD’s and 20 TD passes mark.  His efficicency was slightly below Bradford’s as the two rated the same in my system.

3.  Todd Reesing, Kansas–Do you think that Kansas might be good again?  If they are, they can thank Todd Reesing.  Reesing is undersized and very ungalmorous on the field, but he gets results.  Kansas runs what I call the Blue Collar version of the Spread Offense, and Reesing is the catalyst.

4.  Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic–Who is the second best QB in Florida?  Rusty Smith.  He is also the fourth best returning QB.  Look for a FAU game this fall and see what others have seen.  Smith and FAU absolutely throttled Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl.  Who’s their coach?  Howard Schnellenberger who has a national championship to his credit.

5.  Nate Davis, Ball State–I didn’t seen this one coming.  I didn’t even know the Ball State threw the ball.  But Davis’ numbers are good across the board.  Davis had 3667 yards passing, 30 TD’s and only 5 INT’s.  Don’t know anything about him?  Me neither.  I gues we can find out more.

6.  Graham Harrell, Texas Tech–Harrell was last year’s CFTT Offensive Player of the Year.  He threw for 5705 yards and 48 TD’s.  It does help when you can throw the ball to Michael Crabtree.  He may pass for 5000 yards again unless Texas Tech finds a running game.

7.  Chase Daniel, Missouri–The pride of Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, TX was a Heisman finalist last year.  Daniel burst on the scene two years ago when everyone thought Mizzou had a big chore replacing Brad Smith.  Never mind.  Daniel will do just fine, thank you.

8.  Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP–That’s the University of Texas El Paso for those who don’t know the initials.  They are the Miners.  Vittatoe had very good numbers as a Freshman for the Miners, and he should only get better.

9.  Colin Kaepernick, Nevada–Kaepernick was a sensation for the Wolfpack in his first year starting.  His best stat, only 3 INT’s in 247 passes.  He finished the season with a 150.8 efficiency rating.

10.  Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State–Lost in the fiasco involing head coach Mike Gundy’s rant was the fact that Robinson was living up to his potential and making plays for the Cowboys.  Robinson will be the clear cut starter this year and should see his stats improve even more.

While Phil Steele has TCU’s schedule ranked number 85, it’s hard to believe the Frogs will have an easy time playing Oklahoma in Norman and hosting Stanford.  Add to that what I believe to be the toughest non BCS conference, and TCU will have a challenge to win 10 games.  But, for the Horned Frogs, it is possible that they return to double digit wins in 2008.  Here is TCU’s schedule.

@ New Mexico, August 30, 5 PM

They don’t seem to excited to see TCU in August out in Albuquerque.  And for good reason, the Lobos only return 10 starters from a year ago, including just one on the Offensive Line.  Also gone are the two leading receivers from 2007, both of whom had over 1000 yards receiving.  But the Lobos return Jr. QB Donovan Porterie (6-3, 206) who passed for 3006 yards and 15 TD’s.  They also return Sr. RB Rodney Ferguson (6-0, 229) who rushed for 1177 yards a year ago.  On defense, the Lobos return their top tackler Jr. Lobo Ian Clark (6-0, 210) and their unique 3-3-5 defensive scheme.

Stephen F. Austin, September 6, 6 PM
Not much went right for the Lumberjacks last year as they were 0-11.  SFA, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), will need more than a few axes when they come into Amon G. Carter Stadium for their appointment with the Horned Frogs.

Stanford, September 13, 6 PM
One week after Stanford had the biggest upset of the year beating USC in the L A Coliseum, the Frogs overcame a 14 point lead in the second half to beat the Cardinals 38-36 in Palo Alto.  The Cardinals return 16 starters and look to improve on last season’s 4-8 record.  The Cardinals return their top three tacklers from 2007 including Fr. FS Bo McNally (6-0, 208) who recorded 114 tackles.  On offense the Cardinals return So. RB Tony Gerhart (6-1, 228) from a Medical Redshirt in 2007.

@ SMU, September 20, 7 PM
2008 is the beginning of the June Jones era in Dallas.  The Mustangs will have to improve dramatically, but with Jones in charge, SMU may make a big turn around.  This year’s game is being dubbed the DFW Duel:  The Battle for the Iron Skillet.

@ Oklahoma, September 27, TBA
The Sooners cannot forget 2005 when the Frogs went in to Norman and beat OU in front of 80,000 fans.  Not only did the Frogs beat them in 2005, but they beat them in 1996 as well.  The Sooners will run some no huddle Spread Offense this year, but I don’t know how well So. QB Sam Bradford (6-5, 213) moves.  The Sooners return 8 starters on Offense including Bradford and the entire Offensive Line.  The Defense only returns 5.

San Diego State, October 4, 5 PM
There is good news, bad news, and very bad news for the Aztecs which finished 4-8 last year.  The good news is they return 8 starters on Defense.  The bad news is that defense was not good as it gave up 242 yards rushing per game, 257 yards passing per game and 34.4 points per game.  TCU had 694 yards of total offense and 45 points against SDSU in 2007.  Now for the very bad news.  SDSU only returns 3 starters on Offense.

@ Colorado State, October 11, 5 PM
The Rams were really close to being a winning team last year.  They took Colorado to Overtime, the scared Cal when the Bears were ranked 10th, and would not go away against TCU.  On Offense, the Rams return 7 starters, including Sr. RB Gartrell Johnson (6-0, 227) and Sr. RB Kyle Bell (6-2, 231) who combined to rush for 1648 yards in 2007.  On Defense the Rams return 5 starters including 2007 leading tackler Sr. MLB Jeff Horinek (6-3, 234) who had 94 tackles.

BYU, October 16, 7 PM
Heading into 2008, it seems most people think BYU will be great.  The media has tabbed them as their favorite to win the MWC, Jr. QB Max Hall (6-1, 201) is the Preseason MWC Offensive Player of the year and has been added to the 2008 O’Brien Watch List, and Jr. DE Jan Jorgensen (6-3, 256) has been named to the 2008 Ted Hendricks Award Watch List.  Last year BYU began the year losing at UCLA and at Tulsa before going undefeated in the MWC.  The Cougars finished the year 11-2, winning 10 straight games including nail bitters against Utah, TCU and  UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.  BYU only returns 3 starters on Defense, but 10 of the projected starters are upperclassmen.  The Offensive should be great, led my Max Hall who passed for 3848 yards and 26 TD’s they also return their top 4 receivers and So. RB Harvey Unga (6-0, 243) a big punishing back who averaged 5.0 yards per carry for 1227 total rushing yards in 2007.

Wyoming, October 25, 5 PM
This a game the Horned Frogs want to win to avenge last year’s 24-21 loss in Laramie.  The Cowboys return 8 starters on offense and 6 on deffense.  Sr. RB Devin Moore (5-10, 191) rushed for 965 yards in 2007 and Sr. RB Wynel Seldon (6-0, 219) added 554 yards.  Jr. QB Karsten Sween (6-2, 222) is back looking to improve on his 2028 yards passing.  The Defense returns 2 of its top 5 tacklers.  Sr. WLB Ward Dobbs (6-0, 230) had 98 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 INT.

@ UNLV, November 1, 7 PM
TCU has owned UNLV the past three years, but this Rebels team might be a dangerous one.  UNLV returns 9 starters on Offense that rushed for 141 yards per game and passed for 213 yards per game but averaged only 18.2 points per game.  The top two QB’s return, and that may be the biggest battle in Fall camp, and both are capable performers.  UNLV also returns their top RB, Sr. Frank Summers (5-10, 200) who rushed for 928 yards and 6 TD’s.  The Offensive Line returns 7 with starting experience.  The Defense only returns 5, but their projected starters include 9 upperclassmen.  The Rebels return their number two tackler from 2007, Jr. SS Daryl Forte (5-11, 185) who had 94 tackles.

@ Utah, November 6, 7 PM
The media voted BYU to be the preseason favorite of the MWC, but Phil Steele, the college football magazine guru, has the Utes as his favorite.  One reason may be the return of Sr. QB Brian Johnson (6-1, 205).  Johnson who redshirted in 2006 due to an injury, played much of 2007 injured and only passed for 1847 yards while rushing for 314 (net just 150 yds.).  As a starter in 2005, Johnson passed for 2892 yards while rushing for 690 yards in 10 games missing the last three games due to, you guessed it, an injury.  A healthy Johnson will mean a good Utah Offense as they return 8 starters on that side of the ball including Sr. RB Darrell Mack (6-0, 219) who rushed for 1204 yards and 12 TD’s in 2007.  Defensively, Utah returns 6 starters including 2 of it’s top 3 tacklers from a year ago.

Air Force, November 22, 2:30 PM
This another game the Frogs will want to avenge.  The Frogs,  just 5 days after playing Texas, lost a heart breaker in Colorado Springs 20-17 in Overtime where it seemed the Frogs just ran out of gas.  The Falcons went on to win 9 games and receive a birth to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.  The Defense returns 5 starters and the Offense just 3.  The Falcons have to replace a lot of offense from 2007.

Photo Credit:  Keith Robinson Photography

I am trying to have a little reader participation.  I am calling out to the readers of CFTT to help me with some content.  First, I launched a Favorite College Football Preseason Magazine poll.  The possible choices are Phil Steele, Athlon, Lindy’s, and Sporting News.  So far it has been overwhelmingly in favor of Phil Steele which has 80% of the votes and Lindy’s with 20%, but there are no votes for Athlon and Sporting News.  Take the opportunity to express your opinion by voting here.

Next, I am planning on doing my Top Ten Off-Season Stories Segment again this year.  Email me your vote at offseason[AT]collegefootballtopten[dot]com.

And finally, I want to do a Top Ten Returning QB’s.  I would like to get CFTT Readers’ input.  Therefore, email me at todd(at)collegefootballtopten(dot)com with your pick for top returning QB.

While Phil Steele has SMU pegged number 6 on his most improved list, it’s hard to believe that the Mustangs will be much better at offense.  SMU averaged 170 yards rushing and 252 yards passing for a total of 422 total yards per game.  QB Justin Willis accounted for 3643 total yards, an average of 303.58 yards per game.  SMU had 31 turnovers in 2007, 19 INT’s and 12 fumbles.  Most of SMU’s major playmakers return including Willis, WR Emmanuel Sanders, RB James Mapps (550 yards rushing), RB DeMyron Martin (491 yards rushing), and WR Aldrick Robinson whom the new coaches are high on according Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.  With the arrival of June Jones, the offense should be a little more efficient, and the numbers will increase, especially the passing yardage.

Much of the attention in fall camp will be around who will start at QB.  While Willis is a returning 2 year starter, he was suspended in the spring for undisclosed reasons leaving SMU with one scholarship QB for spring drills, Logan Turner (Springtown, TX).  Turner should have an edge in knowing the offense when practices start in August.  Willis will return for the fall, and don’t count him out.  Joining those two will be freshmen QB’s Braden Smith (Rockwall, TX) and Bo Levi Mitchell (Katy, TX).  Mitchell was headed to Hawaii to play for Coach Jones before switching to SMU after Jones took its Head Coach position.

SMU returns WR Emmanuel Sanders and potential breakout player (see Texas Football) Aldrick Robinson.  The Mustangs also return experienced WR Zach Zimmerman.  The Mustangs will need the help of multiple receivers to operate out of the Run and Shoot Offense, so expect extensive play from several younger receivers.  Nevertheless, Sanders should cross the 1000 yard mark if he stays healthy as he had 889 yards a year ago.

If the Mustangs return the skill players to build the Run and Shoot system in Dallas, their biggest weakness would be the offensive line.  And, the O Line is critical if the Run and Shoot is to be effective.  Pass protection is a must.  One of the ways defenses defend the Run and Shoot is by getting to the QB and either making him hurry his passes or getting a sack.  SMU is slated to return 4 starters on the offesive line, however one was actually a Tight End last year.  If the line, who will be lead by Junior Mitch Enright (Southlake, TX) picks up the protections and gels as a unit, then SMU’s offense should be explosive by the end of the season.

According to Phil Steele, UNT’s 2008 schedule is ranked 92nd toughest out of 120 teams.  If you just take wins and losses of the teams on the 2008 schedule from the year before, UNT is ranked 82nd compared to 96th in 2007.  With their 92 ranking in Steele’s magazine, UNT’s schedule is considered tougher than Texas teams Rice, a UNT opponent, and Houston as well as nearby Tulsa, also a UNT opponent.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at the UNT schedule.

@ Kansas State, August 30, TBA
The Wildcats are known to Texas fans for knocking off the Longhorns the last two years.  In his first year as coach, Ron Prince took the ‘Cats to the Texas Bowl, but last year K State fell apart after a promising start.  The Wildcats return 7 offensive starters and 5 defensive starters and will be relying on some newcomers to get back to a bowl game.

Tulsa, September 6, 6 PM
This will be the home opener for the Mean Green, and it should be rough.  Tulsa had basically the best offense in the country last year with about 543 yards of total offense per game.  This is an interesting match up as UNT Coach Dodge was leading Southlake Carroll High School to the 2005 Texas 5A DII State Championship at the same time that Tulsa Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn was leading Springdale High School to the Arkansas 5A State Championship.  Both coaches employ a hurry-up, no huddle, spread offense.

@ LSU, September 13, 7 PM
Mark this down as a nice pay day.

@ Rice, September 27, TBA
Only once did Rice hold a team to less than 29 points, and that was FCS Nicholls State.  Rice will be looking to get better on defense, but the offense returns 9 starters.

Florida International, October 4, 6 PM
Simply speaking, FIU was the worst team in the nation last year winning just one game, but they beat UNT in the last game of the season.  I guess the Golden Panthers were due for a win.  They return 9 starters on both sides of the ball.  FIU was fairly competitive with most of its Sun Belt Conference foes, just don’t get them mad.

Louisiana-Lafayette, October 11, 6 PM
The Ragin’ Cajuns return 8 starters including the QB on an offense that rushed for 252 yards per game.  In fact, ULL rushed for 300 yards against UNT last year.  The Ragin’ Cajuns finished last year 3-9, and, of course, look to build on that toward a winning record.

@Louisiana-Monroe, October 18, 6 PM
The Warhawks return 7 starters on offense and 8 on defense.  The defense struggled last year, but the offense rushed for 209 yards per game.  ULM finished the season winning 5 of their last 6 after losing to North Texas including a stunning 21-14 upset at Alabama in front of 92,138 fans.  UNT is 3-2 against ULM in the last 5 years.

Troy, October 25, 6 PM
The Trojans, the Alabama version, returns 7 starters on both offense and defense.  Troy has a new Offensive Coordinator after OC Tony Franklin left to take the same position at Auburn.  Troy has been one of the most consistent teams in the Sun Belt the past couple of years winning 8 games in each year including a trip to the New Orleans Bowl as the representative of the Sun Belt Conference.  Trivia:  Ohio State plays back to back Trojans, first USC and then Troy (September 2008).

@Western Kentucky, November 1, TBA
UNT won a thriller last year in Denton, but the Hilltoppers who are still in transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Championship Subdivision, will return 7 starters on offense and 6 on defense.  WKU averaged 247 yards on the ground but a meager 162 through the air.  So, who wants to travel to Bowling Green?

@ Florida Atlantic, November 8, 3 PM
The Owls were the surprise champions of the Sun Belt Conference a year ago when they knocked off Troy at the end of the year to earn the trip to the New Orleans Bowl.  This season FAU returns 10 starters on offense and 8 on defense.  QB Rusty Smith may be the best QB in the state of Florida not named Tim Tebow.  Smith passed for 463 yards in their upset at Minnesota.  For the year, Smith threw for 3688 yards with 32 TD’s and only 9 INT’s.  In 2008, FAU begins the season in Austin against the Longhorns.

@ Middle Tennessee State, November 22, TBA
The Blue Raiders have flirted with the Sun Belt Conference Championship in each of the last 2 years with their best chance in 2006 when they were upset in the last game against Troy to lose the title.  MTSU returns their top QB’s Dwight Dasher and Joe Cradock.  The Blue Raiders return 6 starters on offense and defense.  Despite injuries at the QB position all year in 2007, the Blue Raiders averaged 336 yards per game including 202 yards passing per game.

Arkansas State, November 29, 1 PM
2008 marks the first year as ASU will be called the Red Wolves changing it from Indians per the NCAA.  The Red Wolves returns the dynamic duo of Corey Leonard and Reggie Arnold.  QB Leonard accounted for 3057 total yards of offense for ASU in 2008 for an average of 254 total yards per game.  Arnold was a 1000 yard rusher for the second year in a row, and when he and Leonard are healthy the Red Wolves are dangerous and never out of a game.  However, the Red Wolves lose a lot from a defense that included Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Tyrell Johnson who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round with the 43rd pick.

Continued from Part Two

I didn’t mean for this to be in three parts, but the information just kept filling up space.  Therefore, I kept breaking it up.  I certainly could have been even more specific than I was with many of the details.  My goal was to provide overviews and some comparisons.  Many of you have probably already purchased and digested your favorite magazine, so much of this is not news to you. 

In summary, there are some interesting characteristics about each preseason magazine.  For instance, there is the total number of pages.  Phil Steele has 328 pages.  That is 80 pages more than its closes competitor which is Lindy’s at 248 pages.  Athlon has a total of 200 pages while Sporting News has a total of 208 pages.  Phil Steele only considers the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.  However, Sporting News covers football in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Divisions II and III, NAIA, Junior Colleges and some high schools.  Lindy’s also picks up coverage of the FCS, Division II and Division III.  Like Phil Steele, Athlon just sticks with the Bowl Subdivision.

If you are interested in numbers and stats on each and every team, Phil Steele is your magazine.  It kind of has a reputation of being a “betters” magazine, but it is really stocked with a lot of good information, especially about teams that you probably don’t know much about (see Idaho).  If you want a general overview of all the divisions, all the way down to the JUCO’s, then Sporting News is the magazine you should probably buy.  Lindy’s is also pretty good for a general overview, except they don’t cover the lower divisions.  Lindy’s really ranks the units and positions.  Athlon, while it does a nice job of general coverage, may provide you with the most entertaining read.  Athlon has a pretty nice section on recruiting, a “Sideline Spirit” segment with some really pretty cheerleaders, their Pick’Em challenge with Trace Adkins and a major emphasis on its Fantasy Football for the fall.  Much of Athlon’s magazine is designed to drive you to their website for continued coverage throughout the football season.  The “Sideline Spirit”, the Pick’Em and the Fanatasy Football features are regulars on their website.  One final thing, Athlon seems to be interested in helping you if you have a gambling problem.

I hope you are able to learn more about your favorite team for the coming fall season.

Continued from Part One

To do further comparison, I decided to take two football teams, in this case Florida and Idaho, and see how each magazine does its analysis.  Why Florida and Idaho?  Florida is ranked as preseason number one by two of the magazines (Phil Steele and Athlon) and in the top ten by the others.  Florida returns Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow and WR Percy Harvin which will garner a lot of preseason press.  Florida represents the BCS teams.  Idaho, represents the non BCS teams.  There is not much hype surrounding Idaho which is not expected to be very competitive.

Florida

Phil Steele has two pages for Florida.  His features include Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebackers, Defensive Backs, Special Teams and Coaches.  Phil has his forecast for the Gators as well as his projected starting lineups.  He includes a Top Newcomers box at the bottom of the fist page.  His schedule box is pretty comprehensive including stats against each opponent as well as the type of turf, a place to write in the Line, the Final Score and whether it was a won or a loss.  Of course the box includes a phone number for the weather in Gainesville, FL.  The second page is lined with a series of stats, many of which go back 5 to 6 years including results from their games dating back t o 2003.  He also includes the last five bowl games.

Sporting News also has two pages.  The core is a narration based analysis of Florida which includes highlights of top players on the Florida team such as LB Brandon Spikes, RB Kestahn Moore, and Defensive Linemen Torrey Davis and Carlos Dunlap.  On the first page is a small box which includes the 2008 schedule along with results against that team from 2007.  There is a Power Ratings box and a Bowl Projection, a Next Big Thing.  SN also offers a Recruiting Report box.  The final page includes a Depth Chart along with a Returning Stat Leaders and 2007 Team Stats.  Finally, SN has a nice looking little graphic which covers Florida’s 5 Year Wins Trend.

Athlon and Lindy’s must have been edited by the same guy.  The format seems almost identical.  Each magazine gives Florida one page.  There are three small boxes on the bottom page which covers the 2008 Schedule, 2007 Results, and 2007 National Rankings.  The side box to the right is the depth chart with “returning starters in bold.”  Each magazine does an analysis with sections including Offense, Defense, Special Teams/Specialists, Final Analysis/Overview.

Idaho

Phil Steele repeats the exact same format for Idaho that it does for Florida (see above).  There are two pages, loads of stats, features, etc.  I find it interesting that Phil Steele gives the Vandals the same treatment that he does Florida, with a phone number for the weather in Moscow, Idaho and everything.  On the other heand, Sporting News does no such favor.  By the time one arrives to Idaho’s spot, he sees a half a page.  There is not Depth Chart, no Recruiting Report, no Team Stats or Stat Leaders, and no graphic with the 5 Year Wins Trend.  This lack of coverage does not seem to be the same with all of the non BCS teams in SN.  Teams which are projected to finish at the top of the conference get more coverage.  Life is tough win your program struggles to win games and is projected to finish low.

Lindy’s and Athlon uses the same format with Idaho that they do with Florida.  The Vandals get the same one page format with the analysis, the Depth Chart, the schedule and results.  At least Lindy’s and Athlon treat the two programs the same.  Of course, Florida gets more press in other areas like preseason awards and honors.

Continue to Part Three

Most people have the college football magazine that they love.  This can be seen in some of the results of my favorite college football magazine poll.  Some are die hard Phil Steele fans.  Others, it seems, are more of a Street and Smith fan (which is now, of course, just Sporting News).  Regardless, I set out to waste as much time as possible to flip through the four big college football magazines and jot down a few notes so that you would be well informed about stuff in which you probably already knew.

I decided to note the features present, and I have chosen four which are present in all four magazines, to some extent or another.  All have some kind of Heisman preview, or at least they all refer to it.  Athlon, it seems, wants you to go to its website to check out their Heisman preview.  The only place that I saw Heisman mentioned was on page 9, which is essentially a big advertisement for Athlon’s website.  On that page, it explains that you can keep up with the “Heisman Hopefuls” throughout the season at AthlonSports.com.  A quick check, however, shows that the “Heisman Hopefuls” section isn’t ready yet.  Oh well, we can always click on HeismanPundit.com.

The next feature is coaching changes.  Well, at least all four have something to say about it.  The Sporting News and Lindy’s does a coaching changes/coach hot seat kind of thing.  Phil Steele seems to delve into the philosophy and all of the scenarios involving coaching changes including, you guessed it, numbers.  Athlon also has a section which it calls “Coaching Carousels.”  Of course, there are other places you can learn about coaching carousels or hot seats.

The third feature is All American Teams.  All four have one.  And, drum roll please, Tim Tebow is Preseason First Team All American QB by all four magazines!  Popular choice for Second Team seems to be Pat White and Chase Daniel.  Chris Wells and Knowshon Moreno is choice by all four as First Team All American at running back.  It is also important to note that Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele rank either positions or units or both.  This is really interesting and an opportunity for bragging rights.

Finally, there is recruiting.

Sporting News reviews recruiting for many of the schools.  Sporting News also lists:

• Top JUCO’s (those moving on and the Super Sophomores)
• Top 50 High School Seniors
• Other Seniors to Watch
• Top 50 Juniors to Watch

Lindy’s lists include:

• Top 25 Recruiting Classes
• Top 100 Incoming Freshmen
• Top 100 for High School Seniors

Athlon also has a fairly comprehensive Recruiting preview.

• Rank each team by conference with the top 20 incoming freshmen in each conference.
• list a Top 50 Recruiting Classes
• list an “Athlon Consensus 100,” which is basically a top 100 incoming freshmen.
• list their “Top Rising High School Seniors”

Phil Steele:

• Top Frosh where lists the top 525 freshmen
• lists a Top 25 Recruiting Classes for the last 5 years
• Top 75 2008 “Frosh Recruiting Ratings,” which also includes JUCO’s
• “Conference By Conference 2008 Recruiting Ratings”

Continue to Part Two

Here it is. The top 4 magazines’ preseason top ten. You can buy each magazine at your local Borders.