Why Look Ahead When The Backward View of College Football Is So Clear?

It's November, which means college football is filled with BCS griping, the quest for bowl eligibility and the launch of coaching searches. But why look ahead, when reviewing what we thought was going to happen is so much fun?

Do you remember the hot August afternoons when Clemson was going to win the ACC Championship at last? And Tennessee was a Top 25 team?

Let's take a look back at the preseason AP Top 25 Poll and see how good the experts were on forecasting the 2008 season, prior to Labor Day:

1. Georgia (22)
The Dawgs are 8-2, but the losses were very bad. Alabama had UGA whipped by halftime in Athens and Florida made Georgia watch multiple end zone celebrations. By the way, when it comes to the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, what indoor cocktail party forces the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville to include the word outdoor?

2. Ohio State (21)
Lost to Southern Cal. Goodbye National title game. Lost at home to Penn State.

3. USC (12)
Suffered the yearly inconceivable conference loss. This year it's Oregon State

4. Oklahoma (4)
Sooners are ranked fifth this week. The pollsters have OU pegged correctly.

5. Florida (6)
Gators are actually two spots higher this week and will get a spot in the national title game if they win out.

6. Missouri
Fell by five at home to Oklahoma State before Texas crushed the Tigers one week later.

7. LSU
Three losses now for the Tigers who are ranked 19th this week

8. West Virginia
Fell out of the Top 25 after losing at home to Cincinnati

9. Clemson
Let's just say this is a big, fat miss and end it at that.

10. Auburn
See 9. Clemson

11. Texas
I would have never had Texas behind Clemson and Auburn. Longhorns are now number four.

12. Texas Tech
Undefeated and ranked second now. Who would have thought it?

13. Wisconsin
Lost four straight games. Not bad enough for you? Badgers lost to Michigan.

14. Kansas
Received one vote this week in AP Poll.

15. Arizona State
May be worst preseason selection, considering they lost six straight games before finally beating Washington State last weekend.

16. Brigham Young
Benefited from worst call of the year on "throwing football" celebration whistled against Washington.

17. Virginia Tech
Out of Top 25.

18. Tennessee
Home loss to a bad Wyoming team last Saturday may be the worst defeat I can recall in all my years of watching college football.

19. South Florida
Beat Kansas head-to-head, also has one vote in latest Associated Press survey.

20. Illinois
Play in the Rose Bowl and lose to Western Michigan in the same year. Zooker has four other losses this season.

21. Oregon
Ducks are the second best team..in their state.

22. Penn State
Loss at Iowa ended longshot hope of another national title for Joe Paterno. Long shot because they play in the Big Ten.

23. Wake Forest
Deacons are 6-3. Not bad, but dreadful losses at home to Navy and got blanked at Maryland.

24. Alabama
The nation's number one ranked team. So much for the argument that if you don't start the season in the top five, you can't get a chance to play for the BCS Championship.

25. Pittsburgh
The Panthers are 21st this week. Another success story for the preseason prognosticators.