I’ve got to get to class, so I can’t give these rankings the full explanations it deserves (and probably needs.) But remember, as always, these rankings are totally fluid from week to week, I won’t hold myself to them moving forward, and expect significant changes even after the first set of games this weekend. But your input is requested and typically heeded, so let’s talk.

Oklahoma is kind of the gimme at #1, but after that, I’m kind of going out on a limb. Wisconsin loses J.J. Watt and John Clay, but unlike most of the teams that have been ranked ahead of them by both traditional media and my fellow Bloggers alike, they don’t have major question marks at the quarterback position–Russell Wilson is a dynamic playmaker, and adding that kind of wrinkle to a dominant running offense like the Badgers always have could mean a dominant offense. This is a team that loses Clay, who ran for 1012 yards and 14 touchdowns…and returns two other backs who both ran for 1000 yards and 14 or more touchdowns. You probably know that, but it needs to be repeated as many times as possible.

I like Texas A&M for the same reasons–like Wisconsin, they really hit their stride as the season went on last year, and lost their best defensive player–Von Miller, in the Aggies’ case. But I loved what I saw from Ryan Tannehill after taking over as the starter, and in the absence of teams that I really like, I’ll put A&M at #3 mostly on speculation. Alabama is at #5 because I don’t want to put a team that still doesn’t know who their quarterback is any higher than that. After week 1, provided that A.J. McCarron or Phillip Sims plays well, they could just as easily be #1. So preemptively, stop your bitching.

I’m hating on LSU because that’s what I was born to do–seriously, I don’t know why, but I’ve never particularly liked LSU teams–not as a school, or as a program, but as one deserving to be ranked higher than I put them. But even I wasn’t going to have them way down at #17, not until Jordan Jefferson curbstomped a marine, and, well, as perverse as it is to coming away thinking about it, the Tigers now have quarterback issues. Not that Jefferson was particularly good, but breaking in a new starter in a week won’t be easy. But of course, I count on Les Miles to somehow luck his way into a last-second win…over an Oregon team that I also don’t like. This is, admittedly, one I can’t pinpoint, but it’s not that I’m down on the Ducks, just that I’m higher on the teams above them. Yada yada, preseason, meaningless, and one of these two teams will get a bump.

I’m obviously a Big Ten homer, with Wisconsin and Nebraska in the top 6, Michigan State at 12, and Penn State, Ohio State, and Northwestern filling out my bracket. Yeah, you got me. But at least I’m not as high on the Buckeyes as everyone else seems to be–seriously, are we going to assume that without Tressel, without Pryor, and without another handful of players for 5 weeks that Ohio State is still going to be Ohio State? I guess so. And sure, Penn State at #20 seems like a homer pick, especially given my public distaste for teams still figuring out their quarterback situation. But that #20 is conditional on Rob Bolden being named the starter at tomorrow’s press conference. Should JoePa pick Matt McGloin, drop the Lions down to #25. But they’ve still got an experienced defense with a tremendously deep group at linebacker, plenty of talent and depth among the offensive skill positions, and line play that ought to be improved from a year ago. Yeah, I’m giving my own team the benefit of the doubt. Sue me.

I think everyone else is within a slot or two of where they ought to be in the composite rankings, so I probably don’t need to explain. Tell me in the comments why I’m an idiot.