Preseason is a funny time. Ambition runs wild, as everyone is undefeated and non one is out of the state championship race.

Now, we can look back on the season and realize what we thought might happen was really only a best gues. What played out on the field was way more exciting than what I predicted, anyway.

Here's our preseason football rankings, with a quick glance at how close they actually were to what happened:

Class 5A
1. Green River: Close! The Wolves were only a few feet away from a championship and finished second in 5A.
2. Natrona County: Too high. NC lost three times in the regular season and got booted out of the playoffs in the first round.
3. Cheyenne East: About right! East did win the South Conference and won a playoff game, but got rudely shoved out in the semis by Gillette.
4. Gillette: A little too low. Gillette finished second in the North Conference, but ran off three straight wins in the playoffs to secure the title.
5. Evanston: Too high. The Red Devils were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Cheyenne Central. Right on! Central lost in the first round.
Also to playoffs: Kelly Walsh. Whoops.
Also to playoffs: Sheridan. Too low. The Broncs had a great year, winning the North Conference title, but lost to Green River in the semis.
Out: Laramie. Yep.
Out: Rock Springs. Too low. Rock Springs did make the playoffs, but lost in the first round.
Out: Riverton. Yep.

Class 4A
1. Buffalo: Close! The Bison finished as state runners-up.
2. Douglas: Close! The Bearcats finished as state champs.
3. Cody: Right on! The Broncs won the West Conference title but lost to Buffalo in the semis.
4. Powell: Right on! The Panthers finished tied for second in the West and reached the semis before losing to Douglas.
5. Jackson: Whoops. The defending champs didn't make the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Wheatland. Whoops. Wheatland missed out on the postseason.
Also to playoffs: Worland. Right on! Worland made the playoffs and got bounced in the first round.
Also to playoffs: Star Valley. Whoops. Star Valley missed out on the playoffs.
Out: Rawlins. Whoops. The Outlaws did make the playoffs, but didn't stay long, losing to Douglas.
Out: Lander. Whoops. The Tigers had a pretty successful season with a new coach, finishing tied for second in the West and with a playoff spot.
Out: Torrington. Whoops. The Trailblazers took some baby steps this fall and made it to the playoffs, losing in the first round to Cody.

Class 3A
1. Kemmerer: Close! The Rangers finished as state runners-up.
2. Glenrock: Close! The Herders finished as state champs.
3. Lovell: A bit too high. The Bulldogs had a pretty good middle of the season, but the beginning and end were rough as Lovell lost in the first round.
4. Mountain View: A bit too high. The Buffalos made the playoffs but lost to Kemmerer in the first round.
5. Newcastle: Whoops. The Dogies missed the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Wright. Right on! Wright made the playoffs and lost in the first round to Moorcroft.
Also to playoffs: Big Piney. Whoops. The Punchers missed the playoffs for the first time in eons.
Also to playoffs: Pinedale. A bit low. Pinedale finished second in the West and made the semis of the playoffs before losing to Glenrock.
Out: Moorcroft. Whoops. The Wolves had a fantastic season and lost in the semis to Kemmerer. Looking back at this one stings.
Out: Lyman. Yep.
Out: Thermopolis. Whoops. The Bobcats won the games they needed to win to make the playoffs.

Class 2A
1. Big Horn: Close! The Rams finished as state runners-up.
2. Burns: Close! The Broncs finished as state champs.
3. Lusk: Right on! The Tigers finished second in the East and lost to Big Horn in the semis.
4. Riverside: A bit too high. The Rebels finished third in the West and lost to Lusk in the first round.
5. Pine Bluffs: Whoops.
Also to playoffs: Rocky Mountain. Right on! RM started strong but faded late, but still had enough juice to make the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Wind River. Too low. The Cougars finished second in the West and reached the playoff semis before falling to Burns.
Also to playoffs: Saratoga. Whoops.
Out: Sundance. Yep.
Out: Lingle. Whoops. The Doggers had a solid season and reached the playoffs easily.
Out: Greybull. Whoops. The Buffaloes ran off a few solid victories and made the playoffs.
Out: Tongue River. Yep.

Class 1A
1. Southeast: Right on! The Cyclones won the title.
2. Cokeville: A bit high, but maybe by only a point. The Panthers finished second in the West and lost to Southeast in the semis.
3. Burlington: A bit low. A solid season led the Huskies to the West Conference championship and a state title game appearance.
4. Guernsey: A tad high. Guernsey lost to Cokeville in the first round.
5. Hulett: A tad low. The Red Devils finished second in the East and reached the semis before bowing to Burlington.
Also to playoffs: Shoshoni. Right on! The Wranglers made the playoffs and lost in the first round.
Also to playoffs: Normative Services. Right on! The Wolves, too, bowed out in the quarterfinals.
Also to playoffs: Upton: Right on! Upton made the postseason, losing to Southeast in the quarters.
Out: Hanna. Yep.
Out: Dubois. Yep.
Out: Wyoming Indian. Yep, but the Chiefs were ineligible for the playoffs anyway.

So there it is, a quick, sobering look back at the preseason picks we made in late August/early September. I just ask to keep these in mind when we do our preseason basketball poll; No. 1 in December doesn't necessarily mean No. 1 in March (just like only one August No. 1 was the No. 1 in November for football).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com