The Meaningless 2012 Preseason BlogPoll Ballot

I really hate preseason polls; they are meaningless predictions at best...but those preseason predictions become the baseline for future polls. In the past, I've tried to ignore it, but this year, I'm throwing in my meaningless ballot to counteract some of the misguided hype I read elsewhere.  So this is a bold ballot and mostly a crapshoot. But I'll tell you why I've ranked some teams where they are.  Disagree if you want. Better yet, tell me why.  I'll reflect on it and take it into consideration when the polls start for real next week.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 1

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	1
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
3	USC Trojans	2
4	LSU Tigers	-3
5	Oklahoma Sooners	-1
6	South Carolina Gamecocks	1
7	Georgia Bulldogs	-1
8	Florida St. Seminoles	6
9	Wisconsin Badgers	-1
10	West Virginia Mountaineers	2
11	Arkansas Razorbacks	14
12	Michigan Wolverines	-3
13	Nebraska Cornhuskers	4
14	Clemson Tigers	4
15	TCU Horned Frogs	1
16	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	3
17	Stanford Cardinal	-2
18	Kansas St. Wildcats	-8
19	Florida Gators	-6
20	Washington Huskies	--
21	Ohio Bobcats	--
22	Louisville Cardinals	-1
23	Auburn Tigers	--
24	Utah Utes	--
25	North Carolina Tar Heels	--
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

On all of these, I stand to be corrected.  Oregon is #1.  Why?  Just a hunch, and only that.  A lot of hype went to USC and I'm not sure Alabama is a lock to repeat.  I'm wishy-washy here, but I'll throw some love towards someone who isn't getting any.  Once the season actually kicks off, this will almost certainly change.

LSU still #4?  Honey Badger don't care...and the Tigers have enough talent to overcome his special teams magic.

Nebraska #13? I think a lot of people are dismissing Nebraska because they seem to disappoint each year.  Yet we see other recent disappointments like Texas and Notre Dame getting votes...and sometimes ranking them higher than Nebraska.  Have a little consistency folks; just what has Texas done to warrant a top 15 preseason ranking?

Ohio #21?  Hey, some call them a BCS darkhorse. They have just as much right to be here as the Bovines.

Who's not here?

Michigan State.

Ahh, Sparty.  The great defense, led by freak William Ghoulston...and defense wins championships.  True.  But you've got to have some offense, and the Spartans don't have one.  Or at least one that's played college football.  Andrew Maxwell hasn't even seen much garbage time at quarterback  Their top returning wide receiver caught four passes last year after switching from cornerback at midseason.  Yeah, Le'Veon Bell and four starters return on the line, but let's be honest.  Calling the Spartans inexperienced on offense is being generous.

Boise State

Kellen Moore and company are long gone.  They might be ranked eventually, especially if they take down Sparty.  But not for now.

Texas

Give me a reason other than "recruiting" and we'll talk.

Ohio State

Probation.  I have to learn to be more consistent about either including them or not.  They're out for now.