The preseason AP poll is officially out, giving college football fans the opportunity to complain about rankings before teams have even hit the field in games that count. From the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes being ranked behind two teams they bludgeoned in the College Football Playoff to the Florida Gators being ranked within the top 15, college football fans have spent much of Monday afternoon finding reasons to complain. LSU Tigers fans are sure to be no exception after seeing these rankings.
On one hand, the Tigers being ranked within the top 10 is a good thing, especially given the fact that they missed the playoffs last season and haven't made it once during Brian Kelly's four-year tenure at LSU. On the other hand, though, should the Tigers really be ranked lower than the Alabama Crimson Tide?
Alabama slots in at No. 8 overall with LSU right behind them at No. 9. This might not seem like the biggest of deals the grand scheme of things, but if the season ends with these teams slotted in those positions, the Tigers would have to play a road game at Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They can win that game, but doing so would be easier said than done. Seeding matters, and it's tough to argue that Alabama should be ahead of LSU.
LSU should feel disrespected by results of preseason AP poll
To be fair, Alabama's roster is quite stout, and they deserve a bit of leeway given the program's track record. With that being said, how can Alabama be ranked ahead of LSU with that quarterback situation?
Might Ty Simpson be the next great Alabama quarterback? I have no idea, and neither do the AP voters. He's thrown a total of 50 passes in regular season action in parts of three seasons with Alabama and has completed less than 60 percent of those throws. Garrett Nussmeier might've thrown a few too many interceptions last season for the Tigers, but he led the SEC in completions (337) and completed 64.2 percent of his throws. He's extremely talented. Having him and the No. 1 transfer portal class alongside an already talented roster feels like a recipe for success.
I'm not here to say LSU should be ranked much higher than they are - they have to prove they can win games even with their talented roster — but I am saying there's no reason for Alabama to be ranked higher. Sure, the roster Alabama has might be a bit better than LSU's, but we can't be underestimating the value of a quarterback.
I don't know whether Nussmeier is a title-caliber quarterback, but he is a proven starter, at the very least. Simpson has proven nothing. Alabama deserves to be within the top 25, and arguably the top 10, but not ahead of LSU until Simpson shows he can hang.