I carry 3 different cranking rods. One is a 6'6" BPS rod, one old Lew's 7', and one 7'6" Loomis. In all honesty, if I'm throwing cranks that go deeper than 10' that Lew's is the best one. I can get much more distance out of the Loomis (it has a much better whip on it) but the Lew's handles the deeper baits better. For shallow and medium depth baits the Loomis is hard to beat. I use the BPS rod for top waters. If you don't feel like dropping the money for the Loomis (and can't find an old Lew's) the BPS cranking rods are decent for the money. I haven't tried one longer than 6'6" but the one I have does a decent job for what I paid for it.
You will get more casting distance by changing your line and your reels than out of your rods. Upgrade the bearings on your reels or buy premium reels and they should cast better regardless of what rod you have them on.
My .02 cents.