College football is almost here, folks! Labor Day Weekend will be here before you know it, and Week 0 is about to sneak up on us with some Farmageddon action overseas. No matter who you root for, this season should be one of great splendor for all involved. That being said, we seem to be getting a bit ahead of ourselves when it comes to a handful of teams. We are also overlooking a few others, too.
So what I am going to do today is look at the first coaches' poll of the offseason and tell you what three teams' rankings are overstated and what other teams in the top 25 the coaching collective seems to be sleeping on. All I know is this first initial poll will look vastly different than the one we will come to see at the end of the season. We have a lot of football ahead of us, so let's get ready for that!
Here is what the first US LBM coaches' poll looks like heading into the 2025 college football season.
Preseason coaches' poll for 2025
- Texas Longhorns: 1,606 points (28 first-place votes)
- Ohio State Buckeyes: 1,565 points (20 first-place votes)
- Penn State Nittany Lions: 1,525 points (14 first-place votes)
- Georgia Bulldogs: 1,466 points (3 first-place votes)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 1,360 points
- Clemson Tigers: 1,324 points (2 first-place votes)
- Oregon Ducks: 1,307 points
- Alabama Crimson Tide: 1,210 points
- LSU Tigers: 1,056 points
- Miami Hurricanes; 823 points
- Arizona State Sun Devils: 806 points
- Illinois Fighting Illini: 734 points
- South Carolina Gamecocks: 665 points
- Michigan Wolverines: 580 points
- Ole Miss Rebels: 573 points
- SMU Mustangs: 555 points
- Florida Gators: 498 points
- Tennessee Volunteers: 492 points
- Indiana Hoosiers: 460 points
- Kansas State Wildcats: 438 points
- Texas A&M Aggies: 392 points
- Iowa Sate Cyclones: 392 points
- BYU Cougars: 287 points
- Texas Tech Red Raiders: 261 points
- Boise State Broncos: 246 points
And here is every other college football team that received at least one point from the coaches' poll.
- Oklahoma Sooners: 221 points
- Missouri Tigers: 142 points
- Louisville Cardinals: 126 points
- USC Trojans: 116 points
- Utah Utes: 86 points
- Baylor Bears: 76 points
- Auburn Tigers: 50 points
- Iowa Hawkeyes: 49 points
- Memphis Tigers: 34 points
- Army Black Knights: 33 points
- Tulane Green Wave: 31 points
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: 27 points
- TCU Horned Frogs: 24 points
- Nebraska Cornhuskers: 19 points
- Syracuse Orange: 16 points
- Washington Huskies: 15 points
- Navy Midshipmen: 14 points
- Arkansas Razorbacks: 14 points
- Duke Blue Devils: 12 points
- Colorado Buffaloes: 12 points
- Minnesota Golden Gophers: 11 points
- UNLV Rebels: 8 points
- Florida State Seminoles: 8 points
- Kansas Jayhawks: 6 points
- Vanderbilt Commodores: 3 points
- Buffalo Bulls: 1 point
Here are the three teams the coaches' poll is too high on and three other teams the poll is too low on.
No. 10 is too high for Miami Hurricanes
Although my FanSided.com colleague and False Start co-host Cody Williams have just begun our series of conference preview episodes, I do not have the Miami Hurricanes as a playoff team, or even among the first four out. They have a tough schedule, one where if all goes according to plan, they could go 9-3. At this point in time, 9-3 is not going to cut it making the playoff as an at-large team.
For as much as I think Carson Beck will flourish in Shannon Dawson's offensive system, the Mario Cristobal of it all concerns me. His poor in-game management seems to result in at least two hare-brained losses a year. I would have Miami ranked firmly inside the top 25, probably in and around the range of the team that I think is Clemson's biggest threat in the conference in SMU ranked at No. 16.
Miami has the ability to prove me wrong, but why are we giving the Canes the benefit of the doubt?
No. 25 is too low for Boise State Broncos
I am so tired of this. Seemingly every year, our collective favorite to come out of the Group of Five is slotted in at a de facto No. 25. Although I fully understand that last year's Doak Walker winner Ashton Jeanty now plays for the Las Vegas Raiders, Spencer Danielson is still the head coach and Maddux Madsen is still the starting quarterback of the Boise State Broncos. No. 25 feels like a slap in the face!
Not only would I have Boise State firmly inside the top 25, but I would have the Broncos just on the tail of the SMU Mustangs at No. 16. This team has done more than teams ranked ahead of them like Florida, Tennessee, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Iowa State have. In fact, the only team ranked between Boise State at No. 25 and SMU at No. 16 that feels justified is Indiana coming in at No. 19.
While there are consequences of starting Boise State out too high, I feel that this program earned it.
No. 1 is too high for Texas Longhorns
This is dumb. While I am totally comfortable with the Texas Longhorns being ranked inside the top three, definitely inside of the top five, and absolutely inside of the top seven, this is not the No. 1 team in the nation! In fact, I think top-ranked Texas is more likely to start the season out 0-1 to the real team that should be No. 1 in the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, the team who ended their season last January.
Texas may have a loaded roster, but the Longhorns also lost a ton to the NFL. More importantly, they still have not beaten No. 4 Georgia since switching leagues, and did not beat Ohio State last year. If the coaches did not feel comfortable having Ohio State at No. 1, then the next most logical team to occupy that spot is a loaded Penn State team, who the coaches' poll has at the No. 3 team in the land.
Texas has the upward trajectory to win the College Football Playoff, but they will have to earn it first.
No. 13 is too low for South Carolina Gamecocks
This is either going to blow up in my face spectacularly or I am going to look like a total genius. For LaNorris Sellers reasons, I just cannot quit the South Carolina Gamecocks. I have them as a serious College Football Playoff contender out of the SEC this year. This is a team that is not going to win a national title, but I would be stunned if it did not win double-digit games. I am so high on this team.
If we were to make our way past the top seven, which feel like the right seven teams in some order, I like the Gamecocks more so than I do No. 12 Illinois, No. 10 Miami and honestly, even No. 8 Alabama. They are right there with No. 11 Arizona State, possibly a more complete team than even No. 9 LSU. The point is South Carolina should be at least two spots better than No. 13, maybe inside the top 10?
As long as Clayton White's defense does not skip a beat, I expect huge things out of South Carolina.
No. 18 is too high for Tennessee Volunteers
By far and away, is this the most egregious inclusion in the top 25 of the coaches' poll. How on god's green earth are the Tennessee Volunteers even ranked?! Did the coaching collective forget that Nico Iamaleava now plays for the UCLA Bruins? The projected starter for the Vols out of camp is former UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar who last played at Appalachian State. This team may win seven games.
Any perceived Tennessee slander being thrown the Vols' way is not out of malice. This may not be a team I ever root for, but I know how good of a head coach Josh Heupel is. I also recognize that this may be a very challenging year for him and his program. I had Tennessee as a serious playoff contender heading into spring practice. They have an easy schedule, but this team feels incomplete.
Tennessee may be disrespected all year long, but not until they slay a giant will the narrative change.
No. 6 is too low for Clemson Tigers
As is the case with the Texas Longhorns, the Clemson Tigers are firmly a top-seven team in the country. The teams the coaches' poll have slotted into those spots are essentially College Football Playoff locks. Where I am higher on Clemson than most is the Tigers seem to be a cut above the rest in the ACC. Along with Penn State, I feel they have the two most complete rosters in the country now.
Of course, Cade Klubnik has to prove he can win from behind. Adding Tom Allen to coordinate the defense will help out a ton. While I still do not trust Garrett Riley as their offensive coordinator, Clemson strikes me as a team that will get a few marquee wins to merit their inclusion in the national title conversation. I am not sure they will win it, but this is a year Dabo Swinney reminds us who he is.
I would have Clemson over No. 5 Notre Dame, potentially over Georgia at No. 4, maybe up to No. 3?