Didn't you see this coming in the preseason? Photo by Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE
I got something right last year, as Alabama topped my preseason AP ballot.
The Crimson Tide wasn’t a unanimous No. 1 in the final AP poll — receiving 55 of 60 first-place votes — but I didn’t have much to think about after its deconstruction of LSU in the national championship game.
Sorting out the top of the Pac-12 was more arduous, with three two-loss teams who went 1-1 against the others. Oregon gets the “tiebreaker” edge with its Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. Stanford, which beat USC in the regular season, is next on my ballot.
The Ducks and Trojans will be near the top in everyone’s early Top 25 for 2012. Look for Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma to be right back up there, too.
Here is my final AP ballot:
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma State
4. Oregon
5. Stanford
6. USC
7. Arkansas
8. South Carolina
9. Boise State
10. Wisconsin
11. Michigan State
12. Baylor
13. Michigan
14. TCU
15. Oklahoma
16. Kansas State
17. West Virginia
18. Southern Miss
19. Houston
20. Georgia
21. Nebraska
22. Clemson
23. Auburn
24. Virginia Tech
25. Florida State