College football rankings: 3 underrated teams on ESPN’s post-spring Top 25 and 3 overrated
By John Buhler
ESPN’s post-spring Top 25: 3 overrated teams
Pick Analysis. West. Ole Miss Rebels. 841. Scouting Report. SEC. 3. player
The Ole Miss Rebels cannot stop a nosebleed defensively
One team people want to see be a Top 25 squad this year is Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels. While they have the offense to do so, their defense is pitiful and will not hold up vs. elite SEC West competition. Having them at No. 19 ahead of the rival LSU Tigers at No. 20 doesn’t feel right. If Ole Miss were to be ranked to start the year, the Rebels should fall somewhere around No. 22, maybe.
Pick Analysis. . 815. Scouting Report. Big 12. Oklahoma Sooners. 2. player
The Oklahoma Sooners have never won a College Football Playoff game
Even though the Oklahoma Sooners have the Heisman Trophy favorite at quarterback in Spencer Rattler, putting the Sooners all the way at No. 1 makes no sense. Despite winning the last six Big 12 championships, Oklahoma is 0-4 in national semifinal games. If you want to put them at No. 3 behind Alabama and Clemson, that would be fine, but them occupying the top spot is ridiculous.
1. 808. South. USC Trojans. Pac-12. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
The USC Trojans might be the third-best team in their own division
Kedon Slovis may end up being a first-round quarterback, but the USC Trojans have shown us nothing to indicate they should be ranked No. 13. This is all about giving the Trojans a chance to crack the top 10 and maybe make the playoff for the first time. Too bad there is a decent chance USC is the third-best team in the Pac-12 South behind Arizona State and Utah, in some order.
Of these six teams in question, five of them have a great shot of getting to their respective conference championship games (sorry, Ole Miss). While they will either live up to their rankings or not during the season, having a favorable starting position is a great way to drive a narrative of if a team is deserving of a playoff bid or a New Year’s Six nod. That is why the preseason polls matter.
How should you feel about how the Top 25 stacks up heading into the heart of the offseason?
FanSided post-spring Top 25 rankings. dark. Next
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