Way-too-early college football top-3

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

For those of you who have been anxiously waiting, here it is - the conclusion of the way-too-early college football top-25.

3. Ohio State
The Buckeyes appear poised to take another Big 10 title, something Jim Tressel appears to be able to do in his sleep. But will Ohio State be able to clear the hurdle they've been tripping on the last five years? The Buckeyes have a legitimate shot at the BCS championship game, something they have not been able to win it their last two tries (41-14 loss to Florida in 2006, 38-24 loss to LSU in 2007). The defense will be just as dominant as last year, anchored by Cameron Heyward. But the offense needs to be more two dimensional than it has in the past, which means Terrelle Pryor needs to show he can do it with his arms as well as his legs. This is his time to prove he's worth all the hype he's gotten.

2. Alabama
Sure, conventional wisdom says you should rank last year's national champion should be ranked first, but there are many who don't agree that the BCS championship was actually between the two best teams in the nation. On top of that, Alabama has enough holes to raise doubt. The offense should be just fine with Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram, quarterback Greg McElroy and wideout Julio Jones, but defensively the Crimson Tide is a very light on experience. Only three starters return and there are major gaps on the front line and the defensive backfield. At defensive tackle and end, the starters are all new and both starting cornerbacks are gone. Alabama has a lot of depth, but one has to wonder just how much turnover it can take as it goes for a repeat.

1. Boise State
Many, yours truly included, thought the Fiesta Bowl was in fact the true national championship game last year and Boise State won that in a terrific game. Boise State has lost just one game in the last three seasons, compiling a 39-1 record over that time, including bowl wins against TCU the past two seasons. And if the top team from last year is returning every single starter from last year's team, how can you even begin to argue against them? Sure, Boise State plays in the WAC, which is a joke of a conference, but everytime the Broncos have played on a national stage, they have proven their mettle. Kellen Moore should be very much in the Heisman discussion this season and the defense is just plain devastating. Early wins against Oregon State and Virginia Tech would go a long way towards legitimizing the schedule for Boise State.

Bruins off season off to a good start

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Despite the hurt still being there, here I am am writing a quick blog about the Bruins. If you ask me, this is the most important off season the B's have had for quite some time as they look to bounce back from the worst play off loss in team history.

With that being said, Peter Chiarelli has wasted no time bringing back incumbent players he wants on this team. Last week he resigned Shawn Thornton to a two year deal, and most importantly signed Dennis Seidenberg to a 4 year deal over the weekend. After coming over in a deadline day trade, the left handed defenseman was simply amazing while being paired with Zdeno Chara. Despite playing on 17 games for the Bruins, he had a +9 and helped solidify the blue line for the Bruins.

The new 4 year deal costs the Bruins $13 million and averages a $3.25 million cap hit per season. That's a relatively cheap price for a top 2 defenseman, especially since Dennis Wideman is going to cost you $3.97 million for each of the next two season. Yuck! The signing pretty much finalizes the position for the team as they now have Chara, Seidenberg, Ference, Wideman, Boychuck, Stuart and Hunwick. Thankfully, this should provide Chiarelli plenty of time to deal with Bruins lack of scoring. With the draft coming up, hopefully the Bruins can assure themselves of taking Taylor Hall. I'd even be open to Bruins using their other first round pick this season in a package to get them the #1 overall pick just to make sure.