If you were annoyed with all the way-too-early season predictions that began months ago then get ready to be super annoyed by the release of Jerry Palm’s PRESEASON BRACEKTOLOGY. PRESEASON. BRACKETOLOGY.

I’m a fan of following the bracketology in February as the final month of the season unfolds and I like Jerry Palm’s as being fairly accurate. Bracketology released on November 10th, that’s 4 days before the first real game will be played for the 2014-15 season, may be a bit much. The good news (if you take this seriously) for the Big East as a whole is that Palm believes 4 teams will be in the field of 68 with a 5th team being part of his “First Four Out” group.

Villanova being the highest-seeded team as a 4 seed after presumably winning the Big East may not speak too highly of the league though. Palm has the Wildcats in Pittsburgh (East Region) as the 4 seed against 13th seed Northeastern. He has Georgetown as an 8 seed in Portlant (West Region) against 9 seed Kansas State. Next is Xavier as a 9 seed in Louisville against 8th seeded Dayton. The final team in the field of 68 for Palm is St. John’s as a play-in game 12 seed in the Midwest Region against fellow play-in game 12 seed Baylor.

Palm’s “First Four Out” are St. Mary’s, New Mexico, Providence and Richmond. Getting in ahead of the Gaels, Lobos, Friars and Spiders is Rhode Island (seriously!), Illinois, St. John’s and Baylor.

I have to assume CBS Sports made Palm put this out as a way to drive traffic and excite the fanbases, negatively and positively, the Monday of opening week. Based on that assumption I won’t take too much away from this preseason bracketology. For what it’s worth, I should note than in a season preview article I wrote for Big East Coast Bias last week I had the Friars finishing 21-10 in the regular season, winning 1 game in the Big East Tournament and ending up as a #1 seed in the NIT while being in the “Last Four Out” of the NCAA Tournament bracket.

To see Jerry Palm’s full preseason bracketology, click here.