Daily Blog • June 1st, 2010

The TRUCK IS HERE! That signals the “official” start of the College Football season when you have your Phil Steele College Football Preview in your hands.

To all of you who purchased the magazine over the winter and spring, we dropped your magazines in the envelopes today and they were the first ones out the door this morning!

After today all orders will be shipped within 24 hrs, unless ordered on Fri, Sat or Sun in which case they will go out on Monday. The cost is just $13.70. Call 1-866-918-7711 to order yours today or visit the PhilSteele.com store. The official on sale date of the magazine is June 8th, but some people have already seen them in the bookstores. If you see the magazine in your area before June 8th, just send me a note via the Questions and Answers with Phil Steele and we will post the different locations on our website.

Today’s blog continues my in-depth look at my new and improved experience chart. For 7 years I had listed an experience chart, which broke down the number of Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen each team had in the two deep and rated the teams experience level with a formula I devised. Last year, I made the experience chart FIVE TIMES better. I am just listing the Senior starters, and the seniors in the two deep and the points accumulated by using the system in the magazine (pg 311). In a future blog, I will break down each number of starters for the Junior, Sophomore and Freshman classes. The 2nd factor that goes into my overall chart is the % of yards returning which I featured in the April 28th blog. Another factor listed is the % of lettermen returning which I broke down over the weekend. Today I will discuss the % of tackles returning.

2010's % of Tackles Returning

Rank
Team
% TKL Return
Rank
Team
% TKL Return
1
BOISE ST
94.86%
61
LOUISIANA
64.82%
2
IDAHO
90.65%
62
E MICHIGAN
64.81%
3
UAB
87.32%
63
TEXAS  TECH
64.76%
4
N ILLINOIS
83.87%
64
MICHIGAN ST
64.75%
5
MIAMI OH
83.54%
65
SAN DIEGO ST
64.08%
6
COLORADO ST
82.52%
66
HAWAII
64.07%
7
MISSOURI
82.20%
67
PITTSBURGH
63.63%
8
TEXAS A&M
81.94%
68
ARKANSAS ST
63.46%
9
AUBURN
81.94%
69
KANSAS
63.43%
10
W KENTUCKY
81.32%
70
WAKE FOREST
62.95%
11
AKRON
81.04%
71
N MEXICO ST
62.84%
12
ILLINOIS
80.79%
72
VANDERBILT
62.02%
13
FRESNO  ST
80.47%
73
VIRGINIA 
61.57%
14
RICE
80.17%
74
MIDDLE TENN
61.23%
15
BUFFALO
80.02%
75
USC
61.13%
16
N CAROLINA
79.91%
76
MEMPHIS
60.85%
17
FAU
79.70%
77
TEXAS
60.72%
18
FIU
79.56%
78
STANFORD
60.61%
19
PURDUE
79.38%
79
MISSISSIPPI
59.62%
20
ARMY
78.98%
80
NEVADA
59.40%
21
OREGON
78.65%
81
NEBRASKA
58.58%
22
SYRACUSE
78.41%
82
FLORIDA ST
58.57%
23
SOUTHERN MISS
77.73%
83
KANSAS ST
58.16%
24
KENT ST
76.50%
84
AIR FORCE
58.09%
25
TEMPLE
75.60%
85
COLORADO
58.09%
26
MISS ST
75.03%
86
TULSA
57.19%
27
N TEXAS
75.03%
87
KENTUCKY
57.04%
28
WEST VIRGINIA
74.94%
88
NEW MEXICO
57.02%
29
UTAH ST
74.54%
89
NC STATE
56.73%
30
ARKANSAS 
74.30%
90
BAYLOR
56.65%
31
WYOMING
74.30%
91
TOLEDO
56.59%
32
S CAROLINA
74.23%
92
DUKE
56.29%
33
BALL ST
73.85%
93
CINCINNATI
55.29%
34
GEORGIA TECH
72.79%
94
RUTGERS
55.29%
35
NORTHWESTERN
72.66%
95
TROY
54.10%
36
W MICHIGAN
72.58%
96
NAVY
54.07%
37
TCU
72.54%
97
TENNESSEE
53.99%
38
CLEMSON
72.37%
98
TULANE
53.85%
39
WASH ST
72.14%
99
ARIZONA ST
53.42%
40
WASHINGTON
72.08%
100
OKLAHOMA
52.63%
41
MICHIGAN
71.96%
101
UCLA
52.20%
42
BOSTON COLLEGE
71.75%
102
PENN ST
51.49%
43
CONNECTICUT
71.49%
103
BYU
51.05%
44
LA TECH
71.48%
104
VIRGINIA TECH
50.59%
45
SAN JOSE ST
71.33%
105
GEORGIA
50.57%
46
MARYLAND
70.52%
106
FLORIDA
50.47%
47
NOTRE DAME
69.76%
107
LSU
46.98%
48
UNLV
68.98%
108
SOUTH FLORIDA
46.49%
49
OREGON ST
68.49%
109
UTAH
46.10%
50
IOWA 
68.23%
110
OKLAHOMA ST
44.47%
51
UCF
67.82%
111
IOWA ST
43.95%
52
C MICHIGAN
67.77%
112
BOWLING GREEN
43.84%
53
MIAMI, FL
67.51%
113
UTEP
43.68%
54
MARSHALL
67.44%
114
ULM
41.76%
55
WISCONSIN
67.44%
115
MINNESOTA
40.28%
56
OHIO
66.82%
116
LOUISVILLE
39.80%
57
HOUSTON
66.18%
117
INDIANA
39.78%
58
SMU
65.45%
118
ARIZONA
39.07%
59
CALIFORNIA
65.27%
119
E CAROLINA
37.96%
60
OHIO STATE
64.98%
120
ALABAMA
34.96%

Boise St again comes in at #1 (also #1 in letterman, yards) with 94.86%. The Broncos return 10 starters and were led by returning SS Jeron Johnson last year (91 tkls). Interestingly their in-state rival Idaho, who is fresh off their first winning season since 1999 returns 90.65% of their tackles and were led by FS Shiloh Keo (113 tkls). UAB is #3 with 87.32%.

At the bottom of the list is defending National Champ Alabama (34.96%) who returns just 2 starters from last year’s great defense (244 ypg, 11.7 ppg). They lose six of their top seven tacklers from last including #1 Rolando McClain (105 tkls). SS Mark Barron (76 tkls) is the only player that returns with 35+ tkls.

2-time defending CUSA Champ East Carolina (37.96%) is #119 and like the Crimson Tide return only 2 starters on D. The Pirates lost seven of their top eight tacklers from a year ago. At #118, is Arizona who returns just 39.07% of their tackles and lost their top four from a year ago.

Please check PhilSteele.com everyday to get my Top 30 Countdown, which posted #17 Arkansas yesterday. Thru June 16th, I will post both magazine pages on a new team ranked in the Top 30 and you can get an early look on how I breakdown your favorite team. Remember those magazine pages are available for only 24 hours for you to download. Today, Notre Dame comes in at #16.

I will be back tomorrow to take another factor at my experience chart with the number of career OL starts.

Only 93 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME!!!