2017 preseason college football Coaches Poll: 5 teams who are ranked too low

The initial 2017 college football Coaches Poll was released on Thursday. Put some ‘respek’ on these five teams.

We are officially less than a month away from our first meaningful college football game! That was reinforced on Thursday when the season’s first Amway Coaches Poll was released to the public.

There are 65 head coaches that make up the Amway Board of Coaches. That group is responsible for casting their full ballot which determines the rankings. Every first-place vote is worth 25 points, second place 24 points, etc.

It’s nearly impossible for anyone to predict what’s about to happen this season. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun trying.

Alabama, not surprisingly, was ranked at the top of the poll for the third time in five years. That’s a historic and friggin’ crazy run unlike any we’ve ever seen before. The team who beat them for the National Championship, the Clemson Tigers, come in at fifth.

Unlike past seasons, the top 10 sees a more diverse selection of conferences. The powerful SEC only has one team ranked among them. The Big Ten leads the way with four teams.

Per usual, there is an extremely wide gap between the poll and what fans think will go down. Without further ado, let’s take a look at five teams who are ranked too low for the upcoming season.

5. South Florida Bulls (21)

After three very disappointing seasons with the Texas Longhorns, Charlie Strong has moved on. This time he’s coaching a promising South Florida team who looks to build off their school-record 11 wins last season. They are ranked 21 in the initial Coaches Poll.

Quinton Flowers may be the key cog in the Bulls’ offense. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who can do a little of everything. Last season he threw for 24 touchdowns and ran for another 18. He also limited his mistakes by only throwing seven interceptions. If he can take another step in his senior season he can carry his squad a long way.

Their defense also has some talented players returning, mainly Deatrick Nichols and Auggie Sanchez.

Nichols recorded four interceptions last season and is pumped for his final year at South Florida. Sanchez ranked third in the American Athletic Conference with 116 tackles in 2016. He hopes to build off that performance and carry it even further this year.

Strong’s team plays in a weaker conference and also has a light non-conference schedule. They begin their season at San Jose State on August 26, a game which will be televised on CBS. Given their soft schedule, 12 wins is definitely attainable for them this year.