Here are my Pre-Season Top 25 Teams for 2008. There’s a lot of parity among the top ten teams on the list. I’d group the top three teams into one category and teams four through ten in another. I believe any of the top three teams could claim the number one spot and in fact may on other pre-season rankings. Prep Nation ranked Brother Rice number one in Michigan and number 90 in the U.S. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s was in an honorable mention category. No other Michigan team was ranked.
I’ve given the nod to Macomb Dakota based on their two consecutive championships in the biggest division, the overall strength of their program and coaches and a strong core of returning starters. The second and third teams can claim similar strengths, except for the two consecutive championships. Any of three could drop in the rankings (as would any team) if they lose or don’t win impressively early.
The next group (teams 4-10) are also very close in my opinion. You could probably throw the names in a hat and pick them at random for this pre-season ranking. Most of these teams have tough openers, so we are likely to see a different order after the first game.
2008 Pre-Season Top 25 Teams:
1. Macomb Dakota
2. Birmingham Brother Rice
3. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
4. Rochester Adams
5. Rockford
6. Midland
7. Lowell
8. Inkster
9. Hudsonville
10. East Grand Rapids
11. Warren DeLaSalle
12. Oak Park
13. Detroit Martin Luther King
14. Lake Orion
15. Detroit Cass Tech
16. Farmington Hills Harrison
17. Menominee
18. Holt
19. Muskegon
20. Livonia Stevenson
21. Saginaw Arthur Hill
22. Detroit Country Day
23. Zeeland West
24. Dearborn Fordson
25. Battle Creek Central
Others to watch: (alphabetical order)
Bay City Central, Chelsea, Davison, DeWitt, Flint Powers, Grand Blanc, Jackson Lumen Christi, Marine City, Mt. Pleasant,
Novi, Traverse City West, Troy, Utica Eisenhower
I LOVE THE RANKINGS
8/21/2008 Inkster has a scrimmage with Macomb Dakota @4:00pm @ Macomb Dakota it should be a good scrimmage for both teams
JJ,
I figured you would like Inkster’s position. With a couple upsets in Week One, Inkster could move up if they get past Zeeland West. That will be a good test for Inkster. That’s a great scrimmage for them as well. Playing a program like Dakota in the scrimmage can only help.
Looks good.
Battle Creek Central has MSU RB signee Larry Capers back but faces JLC in week one, so their positions on your list may flip flop early.
With the first two games being Inkster and Coopersville. ZWest could start off 0-2. They have Shilito’s Wing-T still, which will test the discipline of the Inkster Defense, but the Dux had incredibly talented classes come thru the last two years. If the Dux happen to go 2-0 on the other hand….lookout D4.
Glad to see the Menominee Maroons made your list. The Maroons are on a 28 game win streak, but that will be tested early when they take on Mequon Homestead out of Wisconsin in week 2.
jj,
If you were happy with my #8 ranking of Inkster, you must be ecstatic over Rivals’ ranking of Inkster as the #1 team in Michigan and #49 nationally.
While Inkster will be a very good team, I can’t agree with Rivals. I don’t know what their critera are, but someone not too familiar with Michigan H.S. Football must be doing those picks.
I also think EGR, again a good team, is a bit high. They’re not even the best in the West, IMO.
Iam lost for words I am so excited
Prepseer
What I saw today out of Macomb Dakota I was not impressed at all Inkster dominated the scrimage, either macomb had a bad day or Inkster is just that good,
Looks like 60% of the love goes to the east side of the state and 40% to the GR area. No love for the North?
Jaxongil,
There’s a lot of love for the North in my Week One Predictions (Upset Pick of T.C. West over Hudsonville.
As for the Top 25, those of us that live in Metro Detroit think of Midland,Mt. Pleasant and Saginaw of North. Also, Menominee is clearly “up north.”
What north team do you think should have gotten Top 25 regognition–other than Menominee?
If TC West comes through with the upset this week, they will certainly move into the Top 25.
I think Menominee is quite a bit better than a lot of folks think. They play some schools with 3000+ populations and hand it to them every year, including state champs from Wisconsin and Minnesota. I thought they’d get more love riding a 28 game winning streak. TC West is always tough, though the league schedule doesn’t do the program justice. Is there any power in Saginaw?
Menominee is a darn good Football “program” and has been for years. The fact that they play in division 5 is why they dont get more credit.
Will they drop from all these pre-season list if they stumble (LOL) in week two against Wisconsin D1 power Mequon Homestead?
I for one am curious to see how Menominee does this year. Should be interesting.
OLSM, can we say “overrated”! No team ranked that high should get humiliated as bad as they were. Seven straight posessions with a TD? Either EGR is out of this world or OLSM is simply not very good. EGR called off the dogs. 42 – 7 at half?! EGR proved it once again, it’s not about the player, but the players.
I coached in the OK White for previous 5 years. EGR is that good! Coach Stuursma is not one to run up the score; get to the running clock and back off…Try competing against them and Lowell every year. Throw in a game against the best of the rest, and you have a very tough schedule.
Without a doubt, the OK has been the best conference in the state for many years.
[...] Well, “seer” may be a bit pretentious, especially considering his Eastern leaning preseason predictions last year, but we’ll give him the benefit of the [...]