AP Top 25: First reaction
- Owen Pannell
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports
The AP Poll is the thing we all care so deeply about that doesn’t matter at all. It plays no role in determining who makes or doesn’t make the playoffs at the end of the season, yet we all want to see our team with the lowest number next to their name on Saturdays. The first AP Poll of the season has been released, so let’s take a look at it.
_____
Texas
Penn State
Ohio State
Clemson
Georgia
Notre Dame
Oregon
Alabama
LSU
Miami
Arizona State
Illinois
South Carolina
Michigan
Florida
SMU
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Indiana
Ole Miss
Iowa State
Texas Tech
Tennessee
Boise State
What jumps out
Texas at 1 - Obviously, this is going to be a main talking point of this poll. Personally, I don’t see how Texas is the best team in the country, but everybody and their mama is glazing the heck out of them. I see how they’re there, but not why.
Miami at 10 - This implies that the voters have a ton of faith in Carson Beck. I believe he will be alright, but I don’t think the Canes are a top-10 team. They lost a ton of talent, including the best QB in the country, and last season they didn’t even make the playoffs. They aren’t a top-10 team in my eyes—they will have to prove it on the field.
Penn State above Ohio State - Saying that the defending national champs aren’t the best team in their conference is a bold move. It’s definitely arguable, but for now, I would have to put OSU above PSU. We’ll find out who the Buckeyes are in Week 1, when they play the #1 team in the country.
Tennessee at 24 - Tennessee is in a tough spot this season. It’s most likely going to be a reload year for them, and I wouldn’t have had them ranked in the top 25—especially over some of the teams that got left out (we’ll get to that later). They could very well be an eight- or nine-win team, but their floor is pretty low.
Michigan at 14 - This is pretty high for a team with extreme question marks on the offensive end. As good as Bryce Underwood might be, I don’t think a true freshman QB is good enough to make you a top-15 team. We’ll see who the Wolverines really are when they head down to Norman in Week 2 (OU should not be below Michigan).
Who got left out?
Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets are a popular pick for a dark-horse playoff team, and they aren’t even ranked to start the season. They had a solid season last year, finishing 7–6, but they return a bunch of talent and had a good portal class. They should certainly be ranked, in my opinion.
Auburn - I’m not dead set on the Tigers being in the top 25, but I do think they should be above Ole Miss and Tennessee, who are both SEC teams that made it. I get that Jackson Arnold is a huge question mark, but surrounded by a loaded offense, he should be good—along with the team itself.
Baylor - I didn’t even have Baylor in my top 25, but there’s a great argument for having them in there. They return great talent on both sides of the ball and have a top-20 QB, RB, and WR, which is always a recipe for success.
Who is overrated?
Texas at 1 - This is the obvious one to start. The Longhorns are banking on Arch Manning to be as good as everyone says he is, which is far from a guarantee. Their offense has a lot of holes going into the season, which have been demonstrated in fall camp thus far. If they win Week 1 in Columbus, by all means put them number 1—but I just don’t feel they deserve that ranking right now.
Miami at 10 - As mentioned earlier, Miami is not a top-10 team. Losing the talent that they did and not even being a CFP team last season, they should not be in the top 10.
Florida at 15 - This is expected with all the DJ Lagway hype, but I still don’t see how the Gators are a top-15 team. Will they be a lot better this season? Yes. Will they contend for a playoff spot? No. And putting them at 15 implies they will be contending for a spot in the CFP, so this is too high for them.
Who is underrated?
LSU at 9 - LSU is a clear top-5 team in my eyes—I’ve even got them winning the national title at the end of the year. They return a top-3 QB in the country, who is surrounded by arguably the best weapons in the league, plus they have a solid defense. Nine is too low for them; at the absolute lowest, put them at 7.
Clemson at 4 - I know, I know—4 is really high. However, Clemson should be the clear #1 team at this point. They have a top-5 offense and defense, as well as one of the best coaches paired with an elite QB he’s had for years. This team is going to be hard to beat; Week 1 vs LSU will be cinema.
Texas A&M at 19 - Usually, we are saying that A&M is overrated at this time, but I’m actually doing the opposite this year. They have QB Marcel Reed, who should take a big jump. They had a good portal class and have weapons around him, along with a good defense. This is a top-15 team to me, and they could be fighting for a playoff spot in November.
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