Preseason Top 25
- Texas
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- Alabama
- LSU
- Miami
- Arizona State
- Illinois
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- SMU
- Florida
- Ole Miss
- Kansas State
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Tennessee
- Iowa State
- Oklahoma
- Texas Tech
- BYU
*These rankings are based on a data analytical formula.
Looking ahead to upcoming non-conference play
The first week of the season will see three top 10 matchups (Texas at Ohio State, LSU at Clemson and Notre Dame at Miami).
The rest of September will see three top 25 non-conference matchups.
It is important to keep traditional rivalries, but it would be nice to see big games outside of the opening weekend.
Notre Dame plays Miami, Texas A&M and Boise State in their first five games, as well as Arkansas on the road. Miami plays Notre Dame and Florida.
That means, as of now, there are only three ranked non-conference matchups that will not include the Fighting Irish or the Hurricanes.
My take on having a preseason poll
I love having a preseason poll.
The whole point of a poll is to see where the teams currently sit at. It is a great thing to have to see where the teams are at in this moment.
It does not mean this is where they will be at the end of the season.
Also, after the week one outcomes, there is more overreacting that flips the rankings more than every other week.
The further into the season, the more secured rankings are because there are more data points on each team.
Fans blaming preseason polls on their team not making the playoff is an excuse for people who need to blame others to make themselves feel better.
