College Football Fans Take on the Experts and Voice Their Predictions for 2011-12 Season

LEXINGTON, Ky., Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The college football preseason elicits scores of college football media, pundits and sophisticated computer programs projecting postseason glory for some teams and bitter disappointment for others. Sometimes these pollsters are dead on and other times well off the mark. Valvoline™ and SportingNews.com have created a powerful platform to let a bigger, louder and just as knowledgeable group of experts share their forecast for the upcoming season – passionate college football fans. Valvoline has empowered fans who fervently follow their teams through the Sporting News Fan Poll backed by the Valvoline Engine Guarantee.

In just over a month's time, more than 15,000 fans have submitted their top 25 selections for this coming season. The poll – which runs through Aug. 31 – allows fans to go head-to-head with expert predictions and mainstream media-generated polls by visiting sportingnews.com/fanpoll and offering their take on what they think should transpire on the field this season.

"The fans have come out in force to showcase their expertise, and we're looking forward to seeing just how deep their knowledge runs as the season kicks off," said Peter Demko, Director of Marketing, Global Brands at Valvoline.  "We're anxious to find out if what the fans think should happen actually plays out this season. Picks, predictions and projections aside, the Valvoline Engine Guarantee is the only sure thing in this equation."

As of today, Valvoline's SportingNews.com college football fan poll top five is headlined by Alabama at No. 1, followed by Oklahoma, LSU, Oregon and Florida State, the same teams highlighted in the coaches poll top five, released on Aug. 5.  The fans' selections also mirror those of the national press whose Aug. 20 preseason rankings included the same teams, except for Florida State's exclusion from the top five in favor of Boise State.  'Bama is playing second fiddle to the Sooners in both the writers and coaches rankings, though the fans have the Tide "rolling" high at the top of the Valvoline poll on SportingNews.com.

A complete listing of the top 25 fan selections can be viewed at SportingNews.com/fanpoll.

A Guarantee for Your Engine

The Valvoline Engine Guarantee™, sponsor of the fan poll, is delivering one sure thing during this unpredictable college football season. Fans who register their vehicle at engineguarantee.com and use Valvoline motor oil regularly can ensure their car or truck's engine is protected up to 300,000 miles. To guarantee your engine for optimal performance season after season, visit engineguarantee.com to sign up.  Registration is required by 125,000 miles; see valvoline.com for detailed benefits and limitations.

Participants can choose to opt-in to the Valvoline Engine Guarantee program at various levels. Use Valvoline Premium Conventional motor oil for a guarantee up to 150,000 miles; MaxLife™ or DuraBlend™ Synthetic Blend  motor oils for a guarantee up to 225,000 miles; and, for maximum protection and a guarantee up to 300,000 miles, use SynPower™ Full Synthetic or MaxLife™ Full Synthetic motor oils.

About Valvoline

Valvoline, a brand of Ashland Inc., has been serving American motorists longer than any other motor oil. The Valvoline family of products includes Eagle One™ appearance products, Car Brite™ car restoration products, Zerex™ antifreeze, SynPower™ performance products, MaxLife™ products created for higher-mileage engines and NextGen™ motor oil, created with 50 percent recycled oil. With more than 870 locations throughout the United States, Valvoline Instant Oil Change™ is a leader in serving the quick lube market.

About Sporting News

Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011, Sporting News is a multi-media company catering to real sports fans. Its content is available through a bi-weekly publication, Sporting News Magazine; the world's first and only daily digital sports publication, Sporting News Today; the online source for real-time, breaking sports news and information, SportingNews.com; the ultimate premium destination for fantasy content, tools and information, Sporting News Fantasy; a video and community-based website, Rowdy.com; and 11 annuals covering all major sports.  Sporting News also serves as the national sales representative for CineSport, a leading video reach vehicle in the sports category. Sporting News is a division of American City Business Journals, Inc., publisher of 40 city business journals, SportsBusiness Journal, SportsBusiness Daily, NASCAR Illustrated and Inside Lacrosse.

SOURCE Valvoline