Photo Credit: @On3 on X
The AP Preseason Top 25 is here, a list that will be meaningless in just a matter of weeks as chaos ensues in what has the makings of one of the most unpredictable and new college football seasons we’ve ever seen. Preseason polls don’t tell us much because we have not seen a single down of ball played yet. We go off of rosters that have now been largely overhauled, coaching staffs, recruiting rankings, and, most subjectively, programs that have garnered a sense of trust with their pedigree. It just leads to fan bases arguing that one school is too high and one was too low and builds the animosity before actual football is played because we love to argue about lists.
So, how did we get here? We’re going to translate the top 10 means from the actual hundreds of ballots that created the top 10 teams without having played a snap heading into the year.
#1 Georgia Bulldogs: “It may be the boring and safe pick, but it’s the right pick.”
While Georgia didn’t make the College Football playoff last year after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship, there’s not a more known product at their level in the rest of the nation. Kirby Smart is the only head coach not named Mack Brown or Dabo Swinney left with a National Championship and has lost only 4 total games in the last 4 years. Carson Beck is coming back and will have the usual Georgia team where they have third-stringers that could be starting everywhere else no matter the position. The top end superstar talent might not be as eye-catching as some other programs, but now that Saban is gone, the SEC is Kirby’s until proven otherwise.
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes: “You’ve got the ingredients, Ryan Day. Now prove it to us.”
As crazy as it may appear, this is likely the deepest Ohio State roster that Ryan Day has ever had. There’s been questions about his coaching capabilities in the past with recent losses to Michigan and in-game decision-making from diehard Buckeye fans that wanted him out because he couldn’t win the big one, but he’ll have no excuses now with this roster and Chip Kelly taking a step back just to be their assistant. His schedule will be a lot tougher with realignment, but with their top-end talent and depth they’ll be favored in every game this year.
#3 Oregon Ducks: “We believe in your talent on paper. Now, go win the big one.”
Oregon is still going to be considered the new kids on the block, entering the B1G and Dan Lanning having lost some prominent games, most-notably to Washington twice last year. They’ve done everything else right to finally get over the hump with the first-overall ranked transfer class in the B1G, a Heisman favorite in Dillon Gabriel, and the highest expectations in program history with Phil Knight and company desperate to try and finally bring a title to Eugene. They could make an argument that they’re as talented as the top two, but we have to see it first.
#4 Texas Longhorns: “You’re finally back now. Okay, cool, hook ‘em.”
Texas finally garnered trust last year, making the College Football Playoff for the first time and beating the “we’re back” fraud allegations that seem to happen every year. Ewers will be back and they have a backup quarterback that makes more money than Brock Purdy. They lost a massive amount of depth to the NFL and already lost CJ Baxter to a preseason injury, but last year’s success and the high-end transfers are enough to where the committee still has them high enough to believe in last year. The game against Washington was a dud, so there’s still another step to take, but the transfers and another year of Ewers is still reliable in their venture to the SEC.
#5 Alabama Crimson Tide: “Saban is gone, but we still know you’re Alabama.”
For years, Nick Saban has rightfully gotten the benefit of the doubt at Alabama as he was the face of the program. In the first year without him after what was one of his most visibly miserable years, Alabama is still going to be Alabama with 88% blue chip players. The adjustment to having a new coaching staff is the unknown and why the Tide are fifth, but if you have to replace the greatest coach ever, a coach coming off of a National Championship appearance ain’t bad.
#6 Ole Miss Rebels: “Big bad Saban is gone. Now, go do it, Lane!”
Perhaps no one has better utilized the portal and social media branding than Lane Kiffin AKA the Lane Train AKA Joey Freshwater. He’s built up an Ole Miss program that has consistently been in contention to go to the SEC Championship game only to lose convincingly to Nick Saban and come so close yet so far. He knows he’s gone, and they’re coming off of a massive Peach Bowl win against Penn State, and with Jaxson Dart back with a roster that replenished top-end talent everywhere, they’ve got the expanded playoff on their mind.
#7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: “We think you have a schedule that looks like it lines up nice.”
Perhaps the largest reaction online was that Notre Dame was ranked too high. It’s death, taxes, and college football couch analysts claiming that Notre Dame is overrated. With a new OC and an offensive coordinator coming off of two ankle surgeries, they might not be a top 10 team in the nation right now if they’re ranking it based off of talent. However, the consensus is that Notre Dame has a schedule where WITH that talent, anything worse than 10-2 and missing the playoff with the 51st ranked schedule would be a disappointment. They like the schedule and want to look right if they continue to win games.
#8 Penn State Nittany Lions: “This expanded playoff arguably was made for you.”
Penn State would have made the College Football Playoff the most of any school that did not make it if the 4-team format playoff had originally been expanded. They’ve always been the bridesmaid and never the bride in the B1G to Ohio State and Michigan. They’ve got a new-look Tom Allen top-end defense, one of the best runningbacks in Nick Singleton, and Drew Allar looking to finally be the leader of the team. With their talent and the schedule of no Michigan and Ohio State at home, the pressure is necessary!
#9 Michigan Wolverines: “Yes, you lost a lot, but the champs still deserve some respect.”
Harbaugh is gone and further punishment could be coming, but banners fly forever! There’s also some garnered respect with Sherrone Moore having taken over for Jim when he was suspended last year and there’s still some consistency within the program, and the top-end talent on that defensive front and Donovan Edwards back. The biggest question mark is the quarterback and how much Harbaugh really made the engine go, so the ninth placement has much more to do with the respect for the Natty it would appear.
#10 Florida State: “We still believe in Mike Norvell and apologize.”
They sure didn’t believe in Norvell and the Noles when they were left out of the College Football Playoff when Jordan Travis went down, and this Seminole team certainly lost a lot of talent. However, Norvell is a program-builder that has attacked the portal, and the biggest question marks now are probably the skill position pass-catchers, an issue that can certainly be addressed. In the ACC, the other contenders either don’t have the big game pedigree (Miami) or refuse to use the portal at all (Clemson), so they’re likely the most trustworthy in the conference leading into the year.