First Ever Project CFB Top Ten

We here at Project CFB have worked together to create the official Project CFB preseason top ten list. This is a list which is made up of several lists (more specifically a top ten list from each of us), averaged out to make one final preseason top ten.

In the coming days, we will reveal all ten teams in our top ten, starting obviously with #10 and working our way down to our preseason #1.

Today however, we will discuss a few of the teams who almost made the top ten. It was a close list. Here are our honorable mentions.

Michigan Wolverines

Led by junior quarterback Devin Gardner, the Wolverines will have its first season sans Denard Robinson as the starting quarterback since 2009.

Gardner is an accurate quarterback, who can also make plays with his feet. As long as veteran wide receivers Jeremy Gallon and Drew Dileo can step up and help Gardner out, Michigan's offense, which will finally be playing Al Borges' kind of football, could be amazing.

Of course Michigan's star linebacker Jake Ryan injured his ACL in the spring. The Wolverines will look for other defensive players, like Blake Countess, Courtney Avery and Desmond Morgan to step up and make the plays while Ryan is out.

Michigan has a couple tough road games this season, taking on the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing, as well as Penn State at Beaver Stadium. However they do have the luxury of playing Notre Dame, Nebraska and hated rival Ohio State at the Big House.

Florida Gators

Last year Florida's defense allowed only seven plays of 30 yards or more. Their defense will look to continue dominating in arguably the toughest conference in college football, while their offense gets things done on the other side of the ball.

Junior quarterback Jeff Driskel looks to lead the Gators to another pretty successful year of college football. Las season they went 11-2 (7-1 in SEC play), and they'd like nothing less then to make it to the SEC Championship Game, and come out victorious.

Sophomore running back Matt Jones will look to lend Driskel a helping hand, as well as junior Loucheiz Purifoy who plays wide receiver as well as cornerback.

Florida faces the Miami Hurricanes, LSU and South Carolina in away games while they take on teams like the Georgia Bulldogs and the FSU Seminoles in the Swamp.

LSU Tigers

Another SEC team, the Les Miles led LSU Tigers are led by senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger threw for 2,609 yards last season, as well as 12 touchdowns. However he did toss up seven interceptions.

LSU's new offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron is known to be a strong tutor for quarterbacks. Mettenberger looks to only get better under Cameron's tutelage.

Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr will look to step up and help make Mettenberger's job a little easier.

LSU's defense unfortunately will see a lot of new faces, however the defensive squad stepping up could h r more potential than the group that just left.

LSU faces of against TCU this year, as well as SEC opponents Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M.

All three of these teams could very well find their way into the top ten this season, however they just missed the cu in our first ever preseason top ten.

Make sure to check back tomorrow for the unveiling of our #10 ranked preseason team!

- Matt Lytle
@mattlytle
matt.projectcfb@gmail.com

Project Rivalry: Florida vs Florida State

The Florida/Florida State rivalry goes back to the early 1900's, when due to different legislatures and Acts, the Florida State College got turned into many different forms of colleges, from an all-women school, thus ending football, back to an all-male school.

It wasn't until 1947 that the Florida Legislature reorganized the state's university system again, and we finally wound up having the Florida Gators, and the Florida State Seminoles. The Gators and Seminoles played their first game in 1958 where the Gators defeated their in-state rival 21-7.

Florida dominated the rivalry up until 1977, which was a year after the Seminoles hired a man who would become a legendary coach at Florida State, Bobby Bowden. The Gators also changed leadership, hiring Charley Pell as their head coach. Under Pell's leadership, Florida took their turn dominating the rivalry from 1981 to 1986. Unfortunately under Pell's run as head coach, the NCAA uncovered multiple violations and Pell ended up being fired by the Gators.

In 1986 the Gators extended their win streak over the Seminoles with a 17-13 win in Tallahassee. However, Florida State won four straight against their rivals, and became a fixture of the NCAA's Top Ten rankings. Florida floundered under heavy NCAA sanctions.

In the 1990 season, Steve Spurrier, who was a former Heisman Trophy winner for the Florida Gators, returned to his alma mater, but this time he became their head coach. Between the years of 1990-2001 the Gators and Seminoles went back and forth, not only defeating one another, but also winning National Championships, or ruining the other's chance at a National Championship birth.

Spurrier left the Gators after the 2001 season and Ron Zook took his place. In 2005 Zook left, and Urban Meyer took over as head coach. Although the rivalry didn't hit the magnitude it did with the Bowden/Spurrier era, the teams shared much hatred toward the other. 2009 marked the last season that Bobby Bowden would coach the Florida State Seminoles, and his protege Jimbo Fisher took his place. 2010 marked the last year Urban Meyer would coach the Gators as well. Unfortunately for Meyer, the 2010 UF/FSU game marked his only loss in 11 games against the Seminoles.

This rivalry has seen many heated games, many close games, and many controversial games. It has given us the "Choke at Doak", which saw the Seminoles score 28 points in the last 15 minutes of the game to end the game in a tie. It has also given us the rematch that very same season when the Seminoles defeated the Gators 23-17 in the Sugar Bowl.

This rivalry has also given us many great coaches, players and plays. And the rivalry is far from over. Bobby Bowden and Urban Meyer may have moved on, Bobby to retirement and Urban to the Ohio State Buckeyes, but this rivalry is just as heated as it was when these two teams were playing to spoil each other's National Championship hopes. Florida may lead the feud with an overall record of 34-21-2, but the Seminoles are hell bent on taking the feud over. Whether they play in The Swamp, or at Doak Campbell Stadium, these teams come to play each time they lock horns, and they will continue to do exactly that!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida Gators vs #21 Lousivlle Cardinals Preview

Tonight at 8:30, the #3 Florida Gators will take on the #21 Louisville Cardinals in the 79th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl. Last year's Sugar Bowl wound up going to overtime where the Michigan Wolverines held off the Virginia Tech Hokies with a final score of 23-20. We are all hoping for an equally as entertaining game this year.

The Florida Gators are led by sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, who has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards. He has connected to receivers for 11 touchdowns, and only tossed three interceptions. He has been a very reliable quarterback for the Gators. He will look to take advantage of Louisville's defense who is allowing about 24 points per game. Florida is also equip with running back Mike Gillislee, who will look to add on to his season total of 10 rushing touchdowns. He too will look to take advantage of this Lousiville defense.

Florida's defense however is only allowing about 13 points per game. They're ranked 3rd in the nation for points against. Louisville's outstanding quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is looking to use his skills to take down the tough Florida defense, and add on to his season total of 3,452 yards passing, 25 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Bridgewater, who was a Project CFB Award finalist, was looked at with a little bit of doubt just because of the team that he plays for. But him and the Louisville Cardinals have proven that they're a legit team, only losing two games this season.

The last time Florida was in the Sugar Bowl, they beat one of Louisville's rivals, the Cincinnati Bearcats with a final score of 51-24. They will look to dominate the field tonight like they did against Cincinnati in 2010. When you compare team stats, Florida has the edge in rushing yards per game, and points against, while Louisville has the edge in passing yards and points scored.

Seems like this is the typical high scoring offense (Louisville) against the tough defense (Florida). That's the perfect matchup, for quite a chess match of a football game. The game kicks off tonight at 8:30 and will air on ESPN. Make sure to tune in, as this one seems to be quite the matchup! Can Louisville pull the upset against a top SEC team, or will Florida do what the SEC is known for, win the bowl game?!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#4 Florida Gators at #10 Florida State Seminoles Preview

Saturday afternoon at 3:30, the #4 Florida Gators will travel to Tallahassee to take on the #10 Florida State Seminoles in their annual rivalry game. These teams have met 56 times, and Florida leads all-time with a record of 33-21-2.

The biggest strength the Gators have is their defense, only allowing an average of 11.7 points per game (making them ranked third in the nation in points allowed). Their offense hasn't been real hot, averaging  25.8 points a game, making them ranked 80 in the nation for points scored.

Mike Gillislee most likely will break 1,000 yards rushing
this season in Saturday's game against FSU.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel will look to lead the Gators past the Seminoles on Saturday, but with a lot of help from senior running back Mike Gillislee and his favorite target, junior tight end Jordan Reed.

Driskel is 125/193 for 1,324 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. His tight end Jordan Reed has reeled in 40 catches, for nearly 500 yards and three receiving touchdowns. And as far as the running game goes, Mike Gillislee has carried the ball over 200 times for 964 yards and punched it into the endzone eight times this season. He will be looking to break the 1,000 yard marker against Florida State this Saturday, but FSU's defense isn't a push over.

Florida State's defense is ranked fifth in the nation for points allowed, only giving up an average of 13.1 per game. And as far as their points scored ranking goes, they're ranked seventh, scoring an average of 42.9 points.

Many of the matchups here are very good. It's lining up to be quite a game. And with it being a rivalry game, you really don't know what's going to happen. Rivalry games in college football are the best.

EJ Manuel looks to lead FSU to it's 22nd victory over Florida.

FSU is led by Heisman hopeful senior quarterback EJ Manuel. Manuel is 203/295. He has thrown for 2,785 yards. Manuel has tossed 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Very good stats.

He has two very capable wide receivers, sophomore Rashad Greene, who has 38 catches for 549 yards and five touchdowns, and freshman receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who has reeled in 28 catches for 479 yards and four touchdowns.

These teams' defenses seem to be quite similar, not allowing many points. And if you look at both teams only loss of the season, Florida lost to Georgia by eight, and Florida State lost to NC State by only one point.

The biggest differences are their offenses. Florida State is ranked higher than Florida in passing yards and rushing yards per game, as well as points scored per game. Also with the game being in Doak Campbell Stadium, I think most experts will lean toward FSU to pull this one out. But with rivalry games, you always have to expect the unexpected. Both teams will look to pull out trick plays, hurry up offenses, and all kinds of tricks.

The game will be broadcast on ABC at 3:30 PM ET. I encourage everyone to tune in for this rivalry game!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle