Phil Steele is way too high on Texas A&M and 4 other takeaways from his preseason Top 25

Phil Steele believes Texas A&M football is the No. 5 team in the country.

Phil Steele released his college football preview for 2020 and we have some thoughts.

The popular college football prognosticator has been releasing his college football preview for years. For some of us college football diehards, his preview is the first step in letting us know college football will be back in our lives in a matter of weeks. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Steele unveiled his top 25 on Sunday, which prominently featured eight SEC teams.

Here are the 25 teams Phil Steele sees as a cut above the rest in 2020.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Clemson Tigers
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Oklahoma Sooners
5. Texas A&M Aggies
6. LSU Tigers
7. Georgia Bulldogs
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
9. Oregon Ducks
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. USC Trojans
12. Texas Longhorns
13. Florida Gators
14. Wisconsin Badgers
15. Michigan Wolverines
16. North Carolina Tar Heels
17. Miami Hurricanes
18. Virginia Tech Hokies
19. Auburn Tigers
20. Tennessee Volunteers
21. Kentucky Wildcats
22. UCF Knights
23. Iowa Hawkeyes
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys
25. Memphis Tigers

Obviously, that is a lot to digest. Fortunately, I’m going to give you five very important takeaways from Steele’s 2020 preseason top 25. Unless you’re not paying attention, you know what exactly No. 1 is, but as for Nos. 2-5, sit back and enjoy the truth that I’m going to give to you straight, no chaser. I can smell the green grass being cut, as college football is rapidly approaching.

1. Texas A&M is maybe 10 spots too high on this list.

It’s all we can see. Though most people expect the Texas A&M Aggies to be a top-25 team, few outside of College Station believe they’re more than the sixth-best team in the SEC. Well, Steele is one of the few outside of College Station, I suppose. Clearly, he has hitched his entire preview to the wagon of quarterback Kellen Mond and head coach Jimbo Fisher. Best of luck with that.

2. The SEC makes up nearly a third of the top 25 with eight teams making it.

Eight SEC teams crack Steele’s top 25. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M, LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs are all in the top 10. The Florida Gators and the Auburn Tigers find themselves in the teens, while the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats appear in the early 20s. Seven SEC teams were expected, but we’re pleasantly surprised to see Kentucky here.

3. Ohio State and Clemson are undoubtedly the two best teams in the country.

This isn’t that hard, as even the biggest diehards of Gig ‘Em Nation know the truth: The two best teams in the country this year are the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers, in some order. They have the two best players in the country in their starting quarterbacks Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence. These two teams are expected to meet in the national title bout in January.

4. There is no separation between the top three teams in the ACC Coastal.

While Clemson is the best team in the ACC, Steele expects them to get a formidable challenger out of the ACC Coastal this year. However, the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Tech Hokies appear consecutively on his top 25 at Nos. 15-17. While none is championship-caliber, one of the three will be a better division winner than the Virginia Cavaliers.

5. Notre Dame has serious potential to crash the ACC’s playoff party.

With Ian Book still at quarterback, keep an eye on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to wreak havoc in the ACC this year. They will play six ACC games, possibly more if the Power 5 goes conference-only. Should the Irish knock off Clemson, maybe the Golden Domers will make their second trip to the College Football Playoff in three seasons? They wouldn’t have to go undefeated this time!

There’s a lot to digest here, but it’s still so painfully difficult to get past seeing Texas A&M at No. 5.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.