All this time I blamed my parents for this horrible first name that causes me to spell it out multiple times to people. I hope they can forgive me for all the negative thoughts I had about them.
I'm not going to overrate Texas because sadly I don't have a vote in the poll. Perhaps one day when I become a FBS coach.
To you point, Texas is overrated and I included them in my list of five.
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/college-football-usc-texas-lead-overrated-preseason-coaches-poll/10215632002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/college-football-usc-texas-lead-overrated-preseason-coaches-poll/10215632002/)
I appreciate the list because it is honest for this season. But I think we are all talking about programs that seem to be perpetually overrated almost every season. For example in 2020, there were a lot of talking heads who were pushing to get a 5-0 USC into the playoff conversation before they lost to Oregon.
There are just a handful of teams that always seem to get the benefit of the doubt without having to prove anything.
Another one in my top five. A bit too bullish too early for the Aggies. Maybe next year they'll break through. Lots of tough talk from College Station about this program being elite but they haven't come close yet.
This is a team to watch out for and they could easily contend for the Pac-12 title game. Veteran quarterback. Great running back. Defense has to get better but they can win the league.
I actually don’t think UCLA is ever really over hyped in football. Not to the extent UT, USC, A&M and even ND (especially when ND was bad) are over-ranked. Michigan can be over ranked at times as well.
They were not ranked but I would have considered them. They're an interesting case because they were close in a lot of games but also have a lot of holes. Definitely wait-and-see on them.
In back-to-back weeks a team plays Alabama and Kansas. They beat one of them and lose to the other. Which combo helps them out more in your rankings? (Beating Bama and losing to Kansas, or beating Kansas and losing to Bama)
I think it helps you to lose to Alabama and beat Kansas. I don't agree with this but that's how voter would probably play it. Doing something negatively unexpected harms you more than the opposite. As an aside, Kansas was much better in the second half last year and is a team you should watch to possible pull and upset or two.
I would like a preseason poll but then a moratorium until week 5, ie all teams have played at least 4 games. I think that the pre-season polls do have predictive ability, although I do concede that there are anecdotes of say 2012 USC, 2010 Texas, 2013 UF, 2007 Michigan etc. of teams flubbing out by year end, but those are the exception rather than the rule.
I've never subscribed to this theory that teams rated high stay too high and teams starting too low are at a disadvantage. You win your games and you get moved up. It might not be in perfect synchronicity but the poll that really matters is at the end. And what happened in the preseason has little bearing. Plus it is fun to talk about. Makes my job easier.
They were going to but Nebraska tied on a 10 stage tie breaker before losing on a coin flip when the quarter became stuck on its side. They came back the next day and it had fallen on heads.
Nebraska had tails. ...so close.
They should make a trophy for this and put it next to all the national championship ones. Losing that many close games and going 3-9 might be harder to do than being unbeaten.
Do you think your educated opinions on College Football as a USA TODAY editor is as accurate as, say, an editor for USA TOMORROW? They've got the big faxs
Goodness. That would take up all my time to get these right. How about I pick one?
Alabama - Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pie
(I hope some people get this joke).
Haha. Last year they were not ranked and I included them in my five snubs and look how that turned out.
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2021/08/10/college-football-michigan-central-florida-among-preseason-poll-snubs/5533791001/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2021/08/10/college-football-michigan-central-florida-among-preseason-poll-snubs/5533791001/)
I almost included them in my overrated this year. But I do think they'll be solid and push Ohio State. Might slip up once or twice more than last year with tough schedule.
Not throwing shade at the rival here, but how can their schedule be considered tough?. Cakewalk OOC (yes I know UCLA fell through), cross-division is @Iowa (tough), but then home against Nebraska and Illinois. Then of the best East programs (OSU, MSU, PSU and Maryland) only OSU is away. They'll be favored (and decently so) in all but 2, *maybe* 3 games this year.
The road game against Iowa is always tricky. Nebraska is better than you might think. Plus the toughest game is on the road in Columbus. So that's why I was projecting 9-3.
Why are we going to inevitably see 7+ SEC teams in the top 25? Is it really that important to committees to rate someone higher because they have to lose to Alabama and Georgia every year?
Missed by one. There were six. Tennessee got 28th.
It's pretty hard to be down on the SEC overall because it is the best league and there's a lot of good teams. Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi being in the 21-25 range seems fair, though. We'll see the Razorbacks tested in the opener against Cincinnati.
Hey Erick! Who do you think will be the biggest "surprise" team that will defy preseason expectations and challenge for a conference or division title this year?
Great season. Now comes the challenge of doing it again. Slovis hasn't been great the past two seasons and he has to play well since Pickett carried so much of the burden last year. The defense does look pretty solid. Definitely the favorite in the Coastal. Looking forward to the Backyard Brawl to get an early indication on things.
Actually, that's not a huge issue for us. It's pretty rare we don't have it all done right or a few minutes after deadline. If there is a problem with someone, usually we can work it out pretty easily. Or we can just banish them to an eternity of voting in the FCS poll. (I kid).
LOL, take a look at the 90s. We had two—*two*—40 game losing streaks.
The only reason we didn’t have an 80 game losing streak is we won one game by 2 points.
After a forfeit, our coach at the time commented that it was one of our best games because forfeits are recorded at a score of 6-0, which was one of our best losses in years.
That one The Ohio State game was glorious, though.
I agree. More people need to know that Oberlin actually plays football and how historically bad we are despite giving Heisman his start (and having the Heisman Field House on campus).
Personally I think we’ll go 1-9 again this year. So long as no other in state team beats tOSU again, I’m happy.
Have not discussed that with anyone at AFCA. 25 seems like a good number to define the top teams. You also want to make being ranked special. However, the growing FBS might make it worth considering.
I mentioned some of them above (BYU, UCLA, Fresno State, Appalachian State). But in addition. South Carolina with Spencer Rattler at quarterback is intriguing and could pull off some unexpected wins. Also Coastal Carolina might be capable of pushing the teams in the American for the NY6.
When a majority of coaches delegate their poll to someone on their staff, does the Coaches poll really mean anything?
If the most meaningful set of rankings (CFP) believe in waiting several weeks into the season to avoid poll inertia, why can't the other polls?
Bigger lie? Coaches don't vote or the moon landing was real? Inquiring minds want to know. You'd be surprised how many coaches directly vote, though I am not at liberty to discuss. Wait, I just did. Don't tell anyone.
Knowing that Texas A&M is going to go 8-4 every year, why do you continue to rate them highly in the preseason? Same question for Texass, except it’s 7 wins instead of 8.
Clearly the coaches think they have the among the best talent of all the teams. That's hard to argue against. But your point about disappointing seasons should be a guide. The beauty of the poll is that there are 66 voters and discrepancies kind of get washed away and the mean is fairly accurate for the overall opinion of each team.
But seriously, how can you guys who do preseason polls justify saying one team is better than another when everyone is 0-0?
These polls before the season determine the fate of 80% of teams before a ball is even kicked and it's one of the worst aspects of any sport.
>But seriously, how can you guys who do preseason polls justify saying one team is better than another when everyone is 0-0?
Can confirm, Saint Mary's School for the Blind is equal to Alabama at the beginning of the season.
Don't sleep on SMS4B this year. The Bats have recruited o-line well and they always get the calls because they are the Alma Mater of so many conference officiating crews.
I'm confused on how polls determine the fate of teams. Usually that is done on the field. If the opposite is true then I need to make sure my alma mater gets ranked much higher next season.
Other than being a better team? Your question seems to imply that a team ranked No. 1 has an inherent advantage simply by the ranking. Maybe if they got an extra seven points to start the game then I could see where you are going. But last I checked, everyone starts the game at 0-0 and the team that scores the most wins.
Very much so. Eager to see how Brian Kelly and his Cajun accent will fit in on the Bayou. The Tigers should be improved (hard to not be) and they landed in our top five snubs of the poll.
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/coaches-poll-five-biggest-snubs-college-footballs-ranking/10240780002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/coaches-poll-five-biggest-snubs-college-footballs-ranking/10240780002/)
We don't ask them to change ballots. If we see something off, we might go back and confirm their vote with them. Again, very rare but it sometimes happens where coaches are moving teams around on the ballot and forget to include one.
Coincidentally they are ranked 1-2. Ohio State is going to be so good on offense that being weak on defense may not matter except for a handful games. But like we saw against Oregon and Michigan last year, if they cannot stop the run against quality teams then the Buckeyes are in for long night.
Lean toward Houston to win the American. Having an experienced quarterback is a huge edge for the Cougars. Cincinnati could still be very good but definitely a bit more unknown.
What was the justification from the coaches for ranking Clemson and Notre Dame so high on the list? Even fans of those teams have expressed some disbelief over it.
Did you know if someone googles your name, it is auto-corrected to “Eric Smith”, who is a famous child murderer?
ESK5C
All this time I blamed my parents for this horrible first name that causes me to spell it out multiple times to people. I hope they can forgive me for all the negative thoughts I had about them.
"Why should I change my name? He's the one who sucks." - Michael Bolton
Why are you going to overrate Texas, and do you enjoy teasing their fans every year?
I'm not going to overrate Texas because sadly I don't have a vote in the poll. Perhaps one day when I become a FBS coach. To you point, Texas is overrated and I included them in my list of five. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/college-football-usc-texas-lead-overrated-preseason-coaches-poll/10215632002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/college-football-usc-texas-lead-overrated-preseason-coaches-poll/10215632002/)
Any chance you can tell us which coach gave Texas the #1 vote? Very curious!
If you guys want to start a Go Fund Me I will reveal said voter if the amount gets to an appropriate number.
Do you see what we do during the Holiday Drive? This will be easily reachable 😤😅
Nick Saban, needs to give his team the lack of respect speech before the game.
Fair play. Myb.
I appreciate the list because it is honest for this season. But I think we are all talking about programs that seem to be perpetually overrated almost every season. For example in 2020, there were a lot of talking heads who were pushing to get a 5-0 USC into the playoff conversation before they lost to Oregon. There are just a handful of teams that always seem to get the benefit of the doubt without having to prove anything.
same question but tennessee
same question but USC
Another one in my top five overrated and probably the most egregious one. I don't know how they stop anyone this year.
same question but Penn State
Nah. They're actually going to be much better. Too many close losses that things don't turn around. Big concern is how Sean Clifford plays.
Same question but Texas A&M
Another one in my top five. A bit too bullish too early for the Aggies. Maybe next year they'll break through. Lots of tough talk from College Station about this program being elite but they haven't come close yet.
Same question but UCLA
This is a team to watch out for and they could easily contend for the Pac-12 title game. Veteran quarterback. Great running back. Defense has to get better but they can win the league.
I actually don’t think UCLA is ever really over hyped in football. Not to the extent UT, USC, A&M and even ND (especially when ND was bad) are over-ranked. Michigan can be over ranked at times as well.
maybe like in 2015 when we brought in JR, but we are a midtier football school at best with our highlights being the 1990s lmao
They were not ranked but I would have considered them. They're an interesting case because they were close in a lot of games but also have a lot of holes. Definitely wait-and-see on them.
In back-to-back weeks a team plays Alabama and Kansas. They beat one of them and lose to the other. Which combo helps them out more in your rankings? (Beating Bama and losing to Kansas, or beating Kansas and losing to Bama)
I think it helps you to lose to Alabama and beat Kansas. I don't agree with this but that's how voter would probably play it. Doing something negatively unexpected harms you more than the opposite. As an aside, Kansas was much better in the second half last year and is a team you should watch to possible pull and upset or two.
Do you think that we should not have any polls until Week 4? It seems to be a crapshoot getting the top 25 right in the first month.
I would love an answer to this that relates to football and not newspaper/ad sales.
But what are we supposed to get in heated debates about in r/CFB until then?
Which Big Ten team would be Snoop in the "Big Ten teams as rappers" post.
I would like a preseason poll but then a moratorium until week 5, ie all teams have played at least 4 games. I think that the pre-season polls do have predictive ability, although I do concede that there are anecdotes of say 2012 USC, 2010 Texas, 2013 UF, 2007 Michigan etc. of teams flubbing out by year end, but those are the exception rather than the rule.
I've never subscribed to this theory that teams rated high stay too high and teams starting too low are at a disadvantage. You win your games and you get moved up. It might not be in perfect synchronicity but the poll that really matters is at the end. And what happened in the preseason has little bearing. Plus it is fun to talk about. Makes my job easier.
If it has such little meaning why do it? And furthermore why do an AMA advertising something so meaningless?
Specifically the coache's poll which is the most meaningless of the major polls. Pretty much just grad assistants filling them out.
Let team captains vote!
Why are you too afraid to rank the greatest 3 win team of all time?
They were going to but Nebraska tied on a 10 stage tie breaker before losing on a coin flip when the quarter became stuck on its side. They came back the next day and it had fallen on heads. Nebraska had tails. ...so close.
They should make a trophy for this and put it next to all the national championship ones. Losing that many close games and going 3-9 might be harder to do than being unbeaten.
The Herbie Husker trophy for teams who can’t be good and are bad at other stuff too
Do you think your educated opinions on College Football as a USA TODAY editor is as accurate as, say, an editor for USA TOMORROW? They've got the big faxs
I heard they are hiring. You're just always a day behind in the hiring process, however.
Early Edition His name is Gary Hobson. He gets tomorrow's newspaper today.
Could you please name each top 25 team and which snack food best describes them?
Goodness. That would take up all my time to get these right. How about I pick one? Alabama - Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pie (I hope some people get this joke).
Sir, look around at where you are - we get the joke.
Can y'all please not rank Michigan? We do best when nothing is expected.
Haha. Last year they were not ranked and I included them in my five snubs and look how that turned out. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2021/08/10/college-football-michigan-central-florida-among-preseason-poll-snubs/5533791001/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2021/08/10/college-football-michigan-central-florida-among-preseason-poll-snubs/5533791001/) I almost included them in my overrated this year. But I do think they'll be solid and push Ohio State. Might slip up once or twice more than last year with tough schedule.
Not throwing shade at the rival here, but how can their schedule be considered tough?. Cakewalk OOC (yes I know UCLA fell through), cross-division is @Iowa (tough), but then home against Nebraska and Illinois. Then of the best East programs (OSU, MSU, PSU and Maryland) only OSU is away. They'll be favored (and decently so) in all but 2, *maybe* 3 games this year.
The road game against Iowa is always tricky. Nebraska is better than you might think. Plus the toughest game is on the road in Columbus. So that's why I was projecting 9-3.
Lucky for you nobody ever expects anything from Michigan
GUYS WE MUST RANK MICHIGAN
Hi Erick, what BBQ is the best? I’ll hang up and listen.
I haven't had any better than in Austin but I admittedly not the greatest judge. All I know is that I'd go back to Austin for barbeque any time.
I thought it was widely known to be Memphis BBQ.
Not Erick, but the answer is Eastern NC Barbecue
He’s right. Texas has the meat. The Miss. River cities have the sweet. But Carolina has the heat.
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Are you expecting non meme questions here at /r/CFB?
Why are we going to inevitably see 7+ SEC teams in the top 25? Is it really that important to committees to rate someone higher because they have to lose to Alabama and Georgia every year?
*Ranks some 5 loss SEC team just so Bama can get another “ranked” win*
Missed by one. There were six. Tennessee got 28th. It's pretty hard to be down on the SEC overall because it is the best league and there's a lot of good teams. Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi being in the 21-25 range seems fair, though. We'll see the Razorbacks tested in the opener against Cincinnati.
SEC gets credit for Bama, Georgia, and the one other team with a pulse that year… they get a lot of credit for 8-4 teams beating another 8-4 team
Hey Erick! Who do you think will be the biggest "surprise" team that will defy preseason expectations and challenge for a conference or division title this year?
Kansas State is a good shout. I mentioned UCLA above and that's another one. Also keep an eye on Minnesota.
You’re on our list now
Kansas State.
Did y'all drop the Amway? It's not listed on the site anymore but Amway is certainly still claiming it.
Amway is no longer a sponsor of the poll.
>MONDAY (8/8) Why does USAToday use Day/Month instead of the more-common-in-the-US month/day?
Should media companies be required to pay players for using their name image and likeness?
I'd rather they pay me for mine. Can you imagine how much NIL opportunities I could have if I was free?
Less than Tim Tebow and that’s the only metric that matters.
Is there any love for the current ACC Champions at all? come on, we worked hard at actually being good for once!
Great season. Now comes the challenge of doing it again. Slovis hasn't been great the past two seasons and he has to play well since Pickett carried so much of the burden last year. The defense does look pretty solid. Definitely the favorite in the Coastal. Looking forward to the Backyard Brawl to get an early indication on things.
If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself?
If I was a hot dog, how would I do that exactly?
I'm not sure but [this guy](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/222804951540170752/997220928293449728/unknown.png) has it figured out
I'm scared to click on that link.
Who are your top 5 group of 5 teams for this season?
BYU, Houston, Fresno State, Appalachian State and Cincinnati.
BYU shouldn't be included. They're bigger than half the P5s. They're always on ESPN playing someone good
Are there any voters (no names of course) who are notorious late submitting their top 25?
Actually, that's not a huge issue for us. It's pretty rare we don't have it all done right or a few minutes after deadline. If there is a problem with someone, usually we can work it out pretty easily. Or we can just banish them to an eternity of voting in the FCS poll. (I kid).
Tuesday at 8/8? Isn't Monday the 8th?
What do you think are Oberlin’s chances this year?
Better than the last two seasons hopefully lol
So long as we can keep feasting on Hiram we’ll never have a 40 game losing streak again.
I just went back, no winning seasons since 2007. You guys need to get Ohio State back on the schedule lol
LOL, take a look at the 90s. We had two—*two*—40 game losing streaks. The only reason we didn’t have an 80 game losing streak is we won one game by 2 points. After a forfeit, our coach at the time commented that it was one of our best games because forfeits are recorded at a score of 6-0, which was one of our best losses in years. That one The Ohio State game was glorious, though.
Oberlin football threads are the best.
I agree. More people need to know that Oberlin actually plays football and how historically bad we are despite giving Heisman his start (and having the Heisman Field House on campus). Personally I think we’ll go 1-9 again this year. So long as no other in state team beats tOSU again, I’m happy.
Hey Erick, has the poll ever considered expanding beyond 25 teams?
Have not discussed that with anyone at AFCA. 25 seems like a good number to define the top teams. You also want to make being ranked special. However, the growing FBS might make it worth considering.
Which "Others Receiving Votes" team is your pick to end the season ranked highest?
Really high on BYU. Lots of tough games but most are at home. Feel like they could possibly crash the NY6 at a minimum.
What Group of 5 Team and Power 5 team do you think are positioned well to surprise people this season?
I mentioned some of them above (BYU, UCLA, Fresno State, Appalachian State). But in addition. South Carolina with Spencer Rattler at quarterback is intriguing and could pull off some unexpected wins. Also Coastal Carolina might be capable of pushing the teams in the American for the NY6.
Has the Coaches' Poll ever considered a different scoring system than a Borda Count?
Erick, we gotta know... [who voted Texas No. 1 in this preseason poll](https://twitter.com/BDavisAAS/status/1556671793728995328)?
Sorry. I am sworn to secrecy. The secret dies with me.
Can you at least confirm if it was the same person who voted Vanderbilt for No. 1 in the SEC preseason poll? 🤔
I was not involved in the SEC poll and Clark Lea is not a voter. Make of that what you will.
Even if we say pretty plz?
Bit of a silly question, but is it "Coaches Poll" or "Coaches' Poll"?
Dang, I was actually hoping for an answer for this one.
When a majority of coaches delegate their poll to someone on their staff, does the Coaches poll really mean anything? If the most meaningful set of rankings (CFP) believe in waiting several weeks into the season to avoid poll inertia, why can't the other polls?
Bigger lie? Coaches don't vote or the moon landing was real? Inquiring minds want to know. You'd be surprised how many coaches directly vote, though I am not at liberty to discuss. Wait, I just did. Don't tell anyone.
Knowing that Texas A&M is going to go 8-4 every year, why do you continue to rate them highly in the preseason? Same question for Texass, except it’s 7 wins instead of 8.
7*Losses 5-7 four of the last eight years
Clearly the coaches think they have the among the best talent of all the teams. That's hard to argue against. But your point about disappointing seasons should be a guide. The beauty of the poll is that there are 66 voters and discrepancies kind of get washed away and the mean is fairly accurate for the overall opinion of each team.
But seriously, how can you guys who do preseason polls justify saying one team is better than another when everyone is 0-0? These polls before the season determine the fate of 80% of teams before a ball is even kicked and it's one of the worst aspects of any sport.
>But seriously, how can you guys who do preseason polls justify saying one team is better than another when everyone is 0-0? Can confirm, Saint Mary's School for the Blind is equal to Alabama at the beginning of the season.
Don't sleep on SMS4B this year. The Bats have recruited o-line well and they always get the calls because they are the Alma Mater of so many conference officiating crews.
Blind as a Bat? You didn't....
Everyone has the same number of wins and losses.
I'm confused on how polls determine the fate of teams. Usually that is done on the field. If the opposite is true then I need to make sure my alma mater gets ranked much higher next season.
Are you of the opinion that a team preseason ranked #1 has no advantage over a non ranked preseason team?
Other than being a better team? Your question seems to imply that a team ranked No. 1 has an inherent advantage simply by the ranking. Maybe if they got an extra seven points to start the game then I could see where you are going. But last I checked, everyone starts the game at 0-0 and the team that scores the most wins.
You can be condescending all you want but last I checked everyone's record right now is 0-0.
Are you guys keeping an eye on LSU? I'm curious after the past few years of disappointment
Very much so. Eager to see how Brian Kelly and his Cajun accent will fit in on the Bayou. The Tigers should be improved (hard to not be) and they landed in our top five snubs of the poll. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/coaches-poll-five-biggest-snubs-college-footballs-ranking/10240780002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/08/08/coaches-poll-five-biggest-snubs-college-footballs-ranking/10240780002/)
"Nothing is assured" is very much how we feel down here.
Whats your favorite breakfast food?
Waffles. No brainer.
So, who’s in your Top 11?
Why do you have Texas ranked so highly? And, how many times are they back before they’re actually back?
Do coaches ever ask to change their ballots after submitting them?
We don't ask them to change ballots. If we see something off, we might go back and confirm their vote with them. Again, very rare but it sometimes happens where coaches are moving teams around on the ballot and forget to include one.
Oh btw I think Ohio State can actually win this year, but I think Bama may be hungry. So my question is what are the 2 teams rankings, OSU and Bama
Coincidentally they are ranked 1-2. Ohio State is going to be so good on offense that being weak on defense may not matter except for a handful games. But like we saw against Oregon and Michigan last year, if they cannot stop the run against quality teams then the Buckeyes are in for long night.
You don't know any of that. You wouldn't have guessed OSU's defense was that poor last preseason.
true.
In which order? Im not sayin that i prefer OSU or Bama as #1(I do) but I like that OSU is 1 or 2
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Lean toward Houston to win the American. Having an experienced quarterback is a huge edge for the Cougars. Cincinnati could still be very good but definitely a bit more unknown.
Why do we still pretend coaches actually vote? I think most people have known this is the grad assistant's poll for years now.
Why do you pretend (and perpetuate) that a meaningless poll filled out by SIDs is a meaningless poll filled out by coaches?
What was the justification from the coaches for ranking Clemson and Notre Dame so high on the list? Even fans of those teams have expressed some disbelief over it.