HUNTINGTON -- Let me get this straight.

There are 119 teams in Division I-A college football, and only four of them will be worse than Marshall in 2008.

According to Sports Illustrated, that all-knowing national magazine of journalistic genius, it will.

In its annual college football preview, dated Aug. 11, Sports Illustrated ranked all of the Division I-A teams from No. 1 to No. 119.

Only a pair of Sun Belt Conference teams (Nos. 116 and 118 Louisiana Lafayette and Florida International) and a pair of Western Athletic Conference squads (Nos. 117 and 119 Idaho and Utah State) are less suited to play college football in 2008, Sports Illustrated claimed.

Unbelievably, it gets worse for Marshall. The Conference USA member will win only one game, its season opener against Division I-AA Illinois State, Sports Illustrated predicted.

A No. 115 ranking and a 1-11 record. Ouch.

To their credit, Marshall's players aren't worried about Sports Illustrated's rankings or predictions.

"The only thing they can go by is what we did last year and everybody knows what we did last year," sophomore left guard Josh Evans said of the Thundering Herd's 3-9 campaign in 2007.

"People are saying you have been down the past few years. Well, they're right. But we're going to go out there and prove them wrong this year."

"We mostly just try to shrug it off," junior defensive end John Jacobs added. "We don't pay much attention to it. A lot of the guys really don't read it and a lot of them might not know that came out."

Evans admitted Sports Illustrated's rankings and predictions provide motivation for him and his teammates.

"But, then again, we were already motivated because we all want to win a conference championship," the former Fayetteville High star added. "That's what motivates us the most.

"The preseason rankings and predictions, that's what other people think of us. We know who we are. We just have to go out there and show them who we are."

"We do need to get better and we are getting better," Jacobs added. "Hopefully, we can definitely put the critics to rest. We're going to start the season fast and end it fast and try to finish in a lot better position than a lot of people predict us to be."

Marshall Coach Mark Snyder couldn't care less about the preseason rankings and predictions from magazines such as Athlon and experts such as Phil Steele.

"All that stuff takes you right up to kickoff," Snyder said. "You still have to go out here and play the game."

Judging from the players' comments, the Thundering Herd will do so with a chip on its shoulder.

"As a whole, we're just looking forward to this season and proving a lot of people wrong," sophomore tailback Darius Marshall said. "We're hoping by the end of the season to be in the Top 25. With the team we have, I don't expect anything less."