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Preseason AP Top 25 poll: 3 overrated teams and 3 underrated teams

By Alicia de Artola

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers disagrees with a referee call during the third quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers disagrees with a referee call during the third quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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The preseason AP Top 25 poll expects too much of LSU and not enough of Michigan.

The weirdest college football year in memory tried to be as normal as possible on Monday when the preseason AP Top 25 poll was released.

It was the same old Top 25 format with Clemson topping Ohio State and Alabama, but the presence of asterisks indicating teams that won’t be playing this fall shattered the illusion.

The poll will change drastically once the inactive teams are removed at the start of the season, but the sentiment of the rankings still stands.

Preseason AP Top 25 poll includes nine teams that won’t play this fall, including three teams inside the Top-10, led by No. 2 Ohio State.

  1. Clemson Tigers: 1,520 (38)
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes: 1,504 (21)*
  3. Alabama Crimson Tide: 1,422 (2)
  4. Georgia Bulldogs: 1,270
  5. Oklahoma Sooners: 1,269
  6. LSU Tigers: 1,186 (1)
  7. Penn State Nittany Lions: 1,147*
  8. Florida Gators: 1,125
  9. Oregon Ducks: 1,119*
  10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 995
  11. Auburn Tigers: 852
  12. Wisconsin Badgers: 840*
  13. Texas A&M Aggies: 764
  14. Texas Longhorns: 703
  15. Oklahoma State Cowboys: 672
  16. Michigan Wolverines: 611*
  17. USC Trojans: 534*
  18. North Carolina Tar Heels: 496
  19. Minnesota Golden Gophers: 451*
  20. Cincinnati Bearcats: 234
  21. UCF Knights: 229
  22. Utah Utes: 211*
  23. Iowa State Cyclones: 199
  24. Iowa Hawkeyes: 134*
  25. Tennessee Volunteers: 133

As usual, voters got some things right and others hopelessly wrong.

Overrated: No. 6 LSU

They’re the defending national champions, so they deserve some benefit of the doubt. Let’s be honest though, the No. 6 LSU Tigers are not the team they were in 2019. Quarterback Joe Burrow is now in the NFL along with passing game guru Joe Brady. Another 13 key members of the team were drafted in 2020. They also lost defensive lineman Neil Farrell and defensive back Kary Vincent, who opted out of the 2020 season. There are simply too many departures to expect Ed Orgeron’s crew to sit in the Top 10.

Underrated: No. 16 Michigan

As it turns out, Michigan has been among the most consistently underrated teams of the past decade, per Tip Top 25. It’s the case again in 2020. The No. 16 Wolverines have a quarterback to replace along with all five offensive linemen from last year. Yikes. Still, Jim Harbaugh has recruited well and should be able to lean on solid defense while the offense sorts itself out. It’s not that Michigan will vault into the Top 10 when (if?) they play the season. They’ll be better than 16th though.

Overrated: No. 11 Auburn

Here’s the thing, Auburn lost almost as many starters from a 9-4 squad as LSU’s championship-winning one, so they’re on the overrated radar too. Bo Nix is an exciting prospect at quarterback but his quarterback rating was ninth in the conference last year. It’ll take a huge step from him to make up for the loss of two NFL first-rounders. With road tests against Georgia and Alabama plus a home date against LSU, there won’t be any room for slip-ups.

Underrated: No. 20 Cincinnati

Luke Fickell has Cincinnati rolling and the 2020 season should solidify his place as one of the hot names in coaching circles. He’s already led the Bearcats to back-to-back 11-win seasons and has 73 percent of his production from last year returning. Quarterback Desmond Ridder needs to improve his play as an experienced junior. If he does, Cincinnati will have juice.

Overrated: No. 14 Texas or No. 17 USC

You know it. We all know it. One of Texas or USC will underperform their ranking and it’ll get their head coach fired. Tom Herman revamped his defensive staff after a disappointing 8-5 campaign in 2019. That same staff jumped over to USC coming off their own 8-5 disappointment under Clay Helton. Both have tons of returning talent. Both have rightful skepticism hanging over like a cloud.

Underrated: Unranked Appalachian State

Appalachian State had one of the most effective offenses in the country last year and that same offense shouldn’t skip a beat. They have quarterback Zac Thomas as a senior leader, four of five offensive linemen from last year’s team, and weapons in the aerial and ground game to rely on. The big question hinges on new head coach Shawn Clark, but at this stage, the Mountaineers have already proven they can replace the man at the top and still sail through the Sun Belt.

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