How the AP Top 25 poll will differ from the Coaches Poll

USA Today just released the Coaches Poll for the 2018 college football season that offers some glimpses into how the AP Top 25 will shake out.

With the college football season weeks away, it seems no matter who you ask, Alabama is the No. 1 team in the land. The defending national champions received 61 of 65 votes in the Coaches Poll and are expected to land the top spot when the AP Top 25 is released on Aug. 20.

While the Coaches Poll is largely irrelevant since the advent of the College Football Playoff, it does give fans something to look it and debate until the games begin later this month. Also, it gives fans some added insight to teams who should crack the AP Top 25.

Alabama blew away the competition with Clemson only receiving three first-place votes and Ohio State receiving the last first-place vote.

Coaches Poll

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Washington
7. Wisconsin
8. Miami
9. Penn State
10. Auburn
11. Notre Dame
12. Michigan State
13. Stanford
14. Michigan
15. USC
16. TCU
17. Virginia Tech
18. Mississippi State
19. Florida State
20. West Virginia
21. Texas
22. Boise State
23. Central Florida
24. LSU
25. Oklahoma State

No, this is not a perfect ranking, but it does show you who coaches think have a chance.

My projected AP top-25 looks just a little bit different. While there are some different teams, I think the AP will err on the side of caution when it comes to teams like South Carolina, UCF and Northwestern who I think could all end up higher than where I currently project them.

Based on the Coaches Poll, here is how I predict the AP Top 25 will shake out:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. Wisconsin
6. Oklahoma
7. Washington
8. Auburn
9. Miami
10. Penn State
11. Notre Dame
12. Stanford
13. Michigan State
14. USC
15. Michigan
16. Mississippi State
17. Florida State
18. Central Florida
19. TCU
20. West Virginia
21. Bosie State
22. South Carolina
23. Virginia Tech
24. LSU
25. Northwestern

The top two will stay the same. I think Ohio State before the Urban Myer news would have been third, but with a cloudy coaching situation so close to the season, Georgia should get the nod.

Wisconsin should get a bump here from the AP as their run game behind Jonathan Taylor and an NFL-ready offensive line should be unstoppable, for the most part, along with the team showing up well last year and not losing a ton of talent to the NFL Draft.

Auburn and Mississippi State should both get bumps as well, with elite quarterback play and a lot of returning talent. Auburn also was able to produce an amazing ground game last year, that mixed with the evolving game of their star-quarterback, Jarrett Stidham should create more security than the double-digit rank the coaches handed out.

Central Florida had an amazing season last year. Yes, they did lose their coach, Scott Frost to Nebraska, but their talent stayed and most of the rest of the staff as well. The AP poll had them ranked high the last few weeks of the season, and I don’t see them putting them at the bottom to start the year.

The last four weeks of the season. the AP moved Central Florida from No. 13 in Week 13 to No. 6 in the final poll.

Northwestern and South Carolina are two teams ranked toward the bottom of my predicted AP Top 25 that I believe will be among the biggest risers as the season plays out.

Just missed the cut: Florida, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas A&M and Florida Atlantic.