Jason Whitlock has decided to bless us all by disclosing his AP pre-season top 25.
He begins by letting everyone know that this is only the 2nd time in five years he has been given a vote in the poll and that he takes this job seriously. It's a good thing, because we can all appreciate how he takes his other jobs seriously.
He has Ohio State #4 behind West Virginia, Notre Dame and Texas:
I'm picking Texas to beat the Buckeyes, and I'll never rank Ohio State ahead of Texas the rest of the season unless the Longhorns lose two games. You follow? If Texas loses a game late, I won't let a one-loss OSU squad leapfrog Texas in my poll. Plus, I think the Buckeyes are a bit overrated. They lost nine starters on defense. I can see Iowa and Michigan beating OSU this year.
Whitlock spews the same tired analysis we're getting out of all of the national voices this year - that there isn't a clear-cut favorite to win it all. If topping the AP, USAToday/Coaches, SI and ESPN Power polls isn't a clear-cut early season favorite, I don't know what is.
Whitlock says that Texas will beat the Buckeyes and that even if Texas loses somewhere else, he won't let Ohio State jump a one loss Texas squad that beat them earlier. He's obviously completely stoned, but the good news is that we only have a few weeks to wait and see if he's right.
The national press is just starting to come to the conclusion that Jim Tressel, albeit not flashy, is a very gifted coach. Whitlock is just a little slow.
