More on Phil Steele's magazine :: Defense and Unit Rankings

I already covered the offense in the first half of coverage. Now, we'll turn our attention to the defensive rankings, as well as the unit rankings. But first I wanted to mention where PS predicts PSU will go bowling... The... Rose... Bowl. I know, I know, he predicted PSU would go to the Orange Bowl last year, but who cares? This is a new year, and I'd take the Rose Bowl over the freaking Alamo Bowl any day.

Now for the individual defensive rankings. Maurice Evans came to Happy Valley as an All-American, and now he's looking to leave with the same honor. PS ranks Evans as the No. 3 overall DE going into 2008. As I said earlier, he's also the No. 17 overall NFL Draft prospect for 2009, should he declare. Unfortunately, neither Josh Gaines or Jerome Hayes make the list, but it's expected. Gaines is a solid player, not fantastic, and Hayes was injured. Nothing lost there. However, surprisingly PS ranked THREE PSU DTs in the top 60 in that position: Phil Taylor (No. 36), Jared Odrick (No. 55) and Chris Baker (No. 56). Should Baker get out of the dog house, these rankings will hold true, and PSU should have the best rotation of linemen in the country.

Now to the linebackers. Let's get it out of the way. Sean Lee's injury sucks hardcore, but PS still sees fit to rank him as the No. 8 overall OLB for 2008. I guess that's looking at him as if he wasn't injured. But Tyrell Sales pleasantly makes the list, as a very respectable No. 37. That's a bit higher than I thought he'd be, but who's arguing? The out lier in the LB rankings is Chris Colasanti, who has shot up the charts to a No. 38 ILB slot. That could make for an interesting summer for PSU fans that aren't so pleased about Josh Hull jumping Colasanti on the depth chart this spring. We'll see how that plays out.

AJ Wallace, after only a few starts in 2007, makes his appearance as the No. 11 cornerback. Prior to 2007 PS had Wallace as the No. 12 CB, so it's not much of a stretch to figure he's improved, even if slightly. In the middle of the secondary, PSU fails to land a free safety on the board, but that's partly due to Mark Rubin taking over the main role for Tony Davis. I'm sure had Davis been back at FS, he would have been ranked in the top 44, as he was in 2007. Anthony Scirrotto is looking to get back to his 2006 form, and PS thinks he can do it, placing him at No. 8 on the strong safety rankings.

On special teams, Jeremy Boone hasn't let down PSU's growing reputation for top-flight punters. PS has him at No. 10 nationally at his position. Returning punts, PS also has a Lion highly rated, with Derrick Williams coming in at No. 5. AJ Wallace also makes multiple appearances in these rankings, coming in as the No. 3 overall kickoff returner.

Unit Rankings:

I'm a little ho-hum about PS's unit rankings, mainly the quarterbacks. Usually, the team with the best QB has the best QB "unit." So really, there's no real stretch going on with this unit's rankings. It's basically an extended version of the individual rankings. PSU doesn't make the top 32. Florida has the best QB "unit" for 2008. For running backs, I'll give PS a pass, as none of the PSU backs have had more than a few games' worth of playing experience. Only one, Royster, has had any real playing time, yet PS couldn't rank PSU's backs this year for that reason. Look for PSU to take to the top 15 in this category in 2009.

PS took a stab last spring, ranking PSU's wide receivers No. 11. (yes, I have my 2007 preview right next to me, too) That's not the case in 2008. PSU comes up just short at No. 17, and I don't necessarily disagree with PS on this one. Everyone expected PSU to blow up the passing charts, but it never happened. I do think PSU should be somewhere near the top 15 WR units by season's end, though. Rounding out the offensive unit rankings, I can't remember the last time we saw such excitement around a PSU offensive line, and PS justifies why. He has the PSU OL at a lofty No. 10 in the nation. If this holds true, it looks like that BCS bid is well within reach.

Getting defensive, LSU still holds the top line spot, but PSU was not far behind at No. 2 in the nation! PS points out that seven of PSU's DLs have starting experience, and the tackles average 300 lbs. Not a bad thing to have going through that bad October schedule this season. The biggest disappointment for me was seeing PSU's linebacking corps fall all the way to No. 27. That's of course because of Lee's injury, so we have to take this ranking in stride. PSU will once again break the top 15 for this unit in 2009.

I'm not sure if it's just PSU's defense taking a big step back for 2008, or if other teams are just that much better, but like the LB rankings, PSU's secondary doesn't break the top 15--they get a No. 16 ranking for 2008--after coming in at No. 3 before 2007! I'm not so sure we'll see such a drop off, as Justin King wasn't nearly the impact player many hoped he'd be. It's not as big of a loss as many--apparently PS included--may think.

And finally, PSU's special teams get a boost this preseason, as PS ranked them No. 2 nationally! (have you figured out that I'm using exclamation points a lot, in honor of Phil) PS apparently feels PSU's special teams could make a huge difference in 2008, especially in the return game. There's no doubt in my mind that PSU could see as many as FOUR returned kicks for TDs in 2008.

One last note:

I noticed in this year's preview, instead of the team's ranking, PS inserted each game's attendance. I like that much better, as you had the rankings progression in two different spots last season. Plus, it's a good indicator of how a team performs, and what kind of crowd it can attract when visiting opponents' home fields.

PS also has PSU at the No. 5 Surprise Team for 2008. He thinks that if PSU can use the first few games to warm up the offense, mainly the QB play, then they won't be in such trouble come October. PS believes that if PSU can hold the losses down to one, there's a strong chance we could see the Lions in the national championship game. Of course, that would mean other teams would have to lose. But in case we forgot, LSU won the title last year with TWO LOSSES! 2008 is going to be so much fun.

*Check back all this week for more of my thoughts on Phil Steele's 2008 College Football Preivew. Also coming this week: The Big Ten Bloggers All-Conference picks. And on Monday: First Look: Syracuse Orange(men). See you then!