Sports Illustrated has TCU #3... and Boykin not in the Heisman race

Sometimes, success can be a bit of a curse, especially in college athletics. Like the senior that comes back despite a shot at the draft, TCU seems to be suffering from overexposure as we get closer to the season actually/finally kicking off for real. Case in point: Sports Illustrated. The long standing magazine and erstwhile web competitor to ESPN has released their preseason rankings, and while #1 Ohio State is of little surprise, the #2 team is a bit of a shocker. Listed ahead of the Frogs is an SEC team from Alabama, but it's not the Crimson Tide. The Auburn Tigers hold that spot - after finishing 8-4 last year and getting beat in their bowl game by the same Wisconsin team that was humiliated by the Buckeyes.

Also possibly suffering from over analysis is QB Trevone Boykin, who does not make their Top 5 Heisman candidates, despite being the early favorite in Vegas. The Frogs are slated to make the playoffs in 2016 according to the magazine, along with the aforementioned Buckeyes and Tigers, and another sleeper pick in Notre Dame. While this is certainly no slight or bulletin board worthy print, it is interesting to see the Frogs go through the journey of lovable underdog, to overlooked powerhouse, to preseason favorite, to overhyped, all to maybe eventually end up where they actually belong. All I know is, actually games can't get here quickly enough so we can stop guessing and start seeing who does actually #ProveThemRight.

Here is the full release:

OHIO STATE TOPS SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S 2015 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW

SI Ranks Top 25 Preseason Teams; Predicts Ohio State, Auburn, TCU, Notre Dame in Playoff

College Football Preview Issue Features 4 Different Covers with Ohio State, TCU, Notre Dame and Mississippi State All Represented

Today, Sports Illustrated releases its college football preview and unveils its annual list of the top 25 teams heading into the 2015 season. Ohio State comes in at No. 1, followed by Auburn at No. 2, TCU ranks third and SI selects Notre Dame as the No. 4 preseason team. The college football preview also includes SI's list of the top five Heisman hopefuls, with four out of the five coming from SEC teams: Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State; Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU; Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama; Jeremy Johnson, QB, Auburn and Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State.

See the full list of the top 25 below and on SI.com, along with scouting reports on each team, here: http://on.si.com/1Naarbe

This week's issue has four different regional covers featuring players and mascots from each of the following teams: Joshua Perry and Joey Bosa for Ohio State; Trevone Boykin for TCU; Jaylon Smith and Ronnie Stanley share Notre Dame's cover and Dak Prescott is on the Mississippi State cover. See all four covers and read more about them, here: http://on.si.com/1OQtbgs

SI Senior Writer Andy Staples writes in his intro to the college football preview: "It’s difficult to remember a season that opened with this much uncertainty. There is one obvious ­national-title contender: Ohio State remains loaded, and the Buckeyes could be even better than they were last season. Yet even they have a massive question mark…. Who else will compete for playoff spots? Who knows?…. The fact is we don’t know who will start at quarterback for Ohio State, what the committee will do, who will make the playoff. That’s what makes this season so damn exciting. It could get crazy. Let’s embrace it." http://on.si.com/1KQEt3v

You can see the SI TCU Preview here. And the TCU regional cover is available on newsstands today, so be sure to pick your copy up!