The votes are in for the preseason edition of the Bloggers Poll. After some gentle prodding, kind encouragement and out-and-out detective work, we have the votes from our panel of 26.  A few voters blogged their picks, and several more incuded enough great comments to make me think they should have.   Has10, our 11 year-old voter form the West Coast, even made his selections in the schools team colors.  Here are some links to voters who blogged their picks, including Lisa, Gcoach, JGrace, Nostradomus and EdClinch.  

 Meanwhile, ShooterB, our resident expert on the non-BCS conferences gave us his summary of the mid-majors:

" Even after a miraculous display last year, Boise State isn't getting much love in many of the pre-season polls.  In the WAC, it's likely that there will be 2 two undefeated teams going into the final game of the season(Hawaii & BSU).  While the trendy pick is to go with the aerial attack of Hawaii , my money is on BSU's overall balance.  Don't forget running back Ian Johnson...who is ready for another Heisman campaign with 4 returning starters on the offensive line.

The TCU defense is ready to dominate the Mountain West Conference once again.  New faces on offense will adapt well with 3 experienced offensive linemen and a style that favors the running game.  BYU is no slouch in this conference, but TCU looks like the early favorite to run away with a title."

Nooch, one of our great PAC 10 reps, gave this West Coast insight into areas to watch as the Cal Bears head into the '07 season:

" A lot of people like Cal higher than #18, but I think losing Lynch is going to hurt (Forsette is a great back but he did most of his damage as a change-up to Lynch.  Now that teams will be gunning for him, things may be different.), and I'm not sold on Longshore at QB.  Losing Bishop and Hughes on the other side of the ball takes the heart right out of the Bears' D." 

With great stuff like this, it's obvious this Bloggers Poll was a great idea.

As would be expected, the votes reflect the widespread views of the panel, with 37 teams receiving votes. Seven teams received first place votes, and the top 5 teams were all from different conferences. In all, six different conferences are represented in the top 10.

FoxSports bloggers seem as infatuated with the SEC as everyone else. Seven SEC teams are included in the top 25, leading all conferences. The Big 12 and Big 10 follow with four teams each, the PAC 10 and Big East have three each, and the ACC and WAC have two.

BLOGGERS PRESEASON POLL (1st place votes in parentheses)

1. USC  (15)                    505
2. LSU  (1)                      458
3. Texas  (1)                    381
4. Michigan                      376
5. West Virginia  (2)          370
6. Florida  (5)                    350
7. Wisconsin                    336
8. Oklahoma                    304
9. Louisville  (1)                253
10. Virginia Tech  (1)          252
11. Ohio State                   214
12. Auburn                        162
13. California                     150
14. Nebraska                     147
15. UCLA                          141
16. Georgia                        117
17. Tennessee                    98
18. Penn State                    94
19. Rutgers                         89
20. Arkansas                      87
21. Hawaii                          53
22. Florida State                 42
23. Texas A&M                  41
24. South Carolina              40
25. Boise State                  31

Also receiving votes:  Miami (30), Notre Dame (28), Oregon State (26), Boston College (23), TCU (23), Oregon (17), BYU (9), Georgia Tech (9), Missouri (9), Wake Forest (9), Pittsburgh (4), Alabama (3) 

Finally, I'll leave you by featuring the great comments and picks by Hoit.  Hoit, buddy, I appreciate the hard work, and congratulations.  You're our Preseason Star Voter.  Honorable mention goes to Demonicume, who appears to have gamed his, and JGrace, who sent in a composite poll.

Hoit's Picks

Alright man, here we go.  I gave this a lot of thought and you'll see my picks aren't all USC and LSU.  We both know most of the time the preseason teams always flame out anyway.  Shoot, the BCS title game could be Arkansas-Michigan.  McFadden against Hart.  You against your cousin Flying Pig!  It's beautiful.
 
Here is my top 20 based on how I see it.
 
#1 Virginia Tech- Defense is nasty as usual.  Senior leaders all over and the inspiration of a community behind them, the game against LSU September 8 will open everyone's eyes to this team.
 
#2 West Virginia- No defense wants to face Slaton and White.  The Big East will challenge them, but in the end Slaton and White draw comparisons to Frazier and Phillips.
 
#3 Texas- Consensus is they are now a step ahead of Oklahoma.   Colt McCoy will only get better.
 
#4 USC- I'm holding off all the sucking up to this team until they at least they go thru their conference unbeaten.  Didn't happen last year and that schedule is a beast.
 
#5 LSU- Hopefully the players aren't as obsessed with Nick Saban as the media.  If they are, they will lose their focus, and ultimately any chance at a huge season.  September 8 hosting Virginia Tech is a huge game.
 
#6 Florida- Lose a lot of talent, but return a lot also.  Won the recruiting battle and will still battle for the SEC title.
 
#7 Michigan- Offense-SWEET  Defense-SOUR?  It's all on the D.  The offense will be fine, the schedule is favorable and the time is now for Big Blue......or else.
 
#8 Louisville- So everyone is happier now that Petrino left.  But will they be better?  At West Virginia November 8, don't miss that.
 
#9 Wisconsin- P.J. Hill will be a household name if he isn't already by the end of October.  No recent success against Michigan, but they get Big Blue in Madison November 10.
 
#10 Georgia- Stafford came on strong last year, can they possibly upset the Gators for once? 
 
#11 UCLA- Can they live up to expectations?  If they can, the game December 1 at USC could be the game of the year.
 
#12 Penn State- All those freshman that won a share of the Big Ten title two years ago have matured.  Difficult part of their schedule is first, so they have to be ready off the bat.
 
#13 Oklahoma- They have fallen behind Texas, do they now slip another notch?  Don't bet against Stoops.
 
#14 Cal- Forget battling USC, they have to worry about UCLA.  Revenge game September 1 against Tennessee will set the tone for what kind of season they have.
 
#15 Nebraska-  Here you go Keller, here is your chance.  The scene should be epic when they host USC September 15, if they are improved the October 27 game at Texas could loom very large in the big picture.
 
#16 Auburn- They are just below the elite in the SEC, but you better be ready to play them.  Tough, physical team.
 
#17 Florida State- Are they back?  At Clemson to open the season and against Alabama in Jacksonville in the fourth game of the year should be a big clue.
 
#18 Ohio State-  Graduation and early NFL jumps gutted the Buckeyes, you know they won't fall to far though.
 
#19 Hawaii- Do they play in the Arena League?  Looking at Brennan's stats you might thinks so.  They get a BCS bid if they stay focused.
 
#20 Rutgers- So Cinderella, what do you do for an encore?  Yeah, I'd give it to Ray Rice every play also.

 Next Up:  Preseason outlooks on the Bloggers Top 25 teams.