Though my thoughts are obviously still on the ice, and football season seems like such a distant reach for something that’s really only about two months away, it’s probably about time to start playing nice again with the kids in the BlogPoll sandbox, before everyone starts knocking over sandcastles and peeing in the corners again come October.

The latest roundtable comes from the north, courtesy of Bruce Ciskie. Here goes:

Which preseason college football magazine is your favorite?

I honestly don’t know. With the wealth of information bumbling around the Internets anymore, I really don’t feel the need to dig into magazines to find out what’s up. Especially with the creation of the BlogPoll, where the preseason opinions are going to be incorrectly guessed by people with a connection to the team they’re incorrectly guessing about, not a writer, no matter how entrenched the reporter is.

If I had to pick one, though, to not totally dodge the question… I still couldn’t. I’ve always liked the look, the feel, the ease of use when the kids need to go swimmin’ of Athlon. Phil Steele is obviously crack for a stat-head or a gambler, and the information is tremendous, but  until I’m reading up on college football to figure out which game to lay my life savings on, I think I can pass.

What team is being supremely overrated in the preseason rankings?

Looking close to home, I have a hard time believing that both Notre Dame and Ohio State will live up to their hype. Obviously, Ohio State has lost a hell of a defense, but has some promise there while at the same time figuring out how to use an offense. I think in the end, the offense can balance out the defensive learning curve enough, and as long as they don’t pick the same games to hide, Ohio State can make things happen. With the Irish, I keep getting a feeling that too many stars aligned last year, and there may be more smoke and mirrors than alot of people want to admit.

(I’d also like to add that it’s a relief that Michigan is picked mid-teens by most polls I’ve seen this preseason, effectively ending their reign as the favorite answer to this question.)

Turn the tables. Who is underrated?

The same parenthetical statement above leads me to say Michigan. I’m sure there are many others, there are Purdue rumblings I’m hearing, and the SEC is always good for a feel-good story to go with the annual epic collapses, but Michigan in the mid-teens just feels funny. Considering the perfect blend of luck, unluck, and straight heads-up-their-assedness that led to last season’s misery, it’s hard to get a read on them. Will Henne ever decide to be a quarterback again? Will Mike Hart and the fifteen-headed running back find health and consistency? How vengeful is the _____-hating Godâ„¢ going to be this year?  If things go well, mid-teens will make these folks look foolish. If things go, um, like 2005, mid-teens will feel better than a train robbery.
Which conference will be the best in 2006?

More homering? Sure! I think the Big Ten will come around to impress with it’s overall depth. The usual suspects will hang around the Top 25 for sure, but the aforementioned Purdue thingy, and Indiana showing a pulse, the bottom of the conference will be alot closer to the top than people may think. Or at least closer to third than people think.

Which “non-BCS” conference will be the best in 2006?

I’d love to say the MAC here, but I’m going to have to hope the MAC proves my thoughts wrong and my inklings right. Too many questions at BG, East champ Akron (ugh!) lost some key folks, Miami(OH) did too, and as much as the Bobkitty faithful in Athens like to think Ohio U. is the next great thing, they did a major disappearing act after their “exciting” win over Pitt. The West should be hella competitive, but top to bottom, I’m not feeling it in the preseason.

Random guess is that one of the western conferences (WAC or Mountain West) will be the mid-major darling this year. C-USA never really impresses me, and the Sun Belt will be lucky not to trip over their own officials this year.

Which non-BCS conference team will have the best season?

No. Freaking. Clue.

Wyoming?

Let’s get your first read on this one…who will win the H*i*m*n? Oh, by the way, players whose last names begin with the letter “Q” are ineligible.

Adrian Peterson. 2005 was a rough go, with a new QB and injury issues. Get him back to form and a QB with a year of experience, I like his chances.