The preseason college football Coaches Poll was released on Thursday. And obviously the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers were number one and two.
But after that, did the Coaches Poll get it right?
Oklahoma at #3 is too high for me. Last time we saw the Sooners they were getting crushed by the Clemson Tigers after being ruled “favorites” in that game. The #4 team in the AP Poll, Florida State, received a first place vote and the Sooners did not. How could the fourth and tenth place team receive a vote and the third place team not? Seems weird to me. Head-to-head, Oklahoma could not beat Florida State. But on September 3rd, the Sooners can defend their number three ranking against #13 Houston and then two weeks later against #5 Ohio State.
How is Ohio State ranked number five after losing almost half their team in the NFL? I don’t understand that. They lost key players on every level of the defense. They also lost a key running back in Ezekiel Elliott, two key wide receivers (Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall), and a backup/starting quarterback (Cardale Jones). And yet they are above a team like LSU. This Ohio State football team might be the biggest mystery of the 2016 college football season. The recruits coming into this season might be talented but that was in high school and now it is time for big time college football. The Buckeyes just should not have been in the top five. A better spot for the Buckeyes would have been slightly outside of the top five, like number six or seven.
Tennessee at #10 is too low. This team has a pretty good chance to get to the College Football Playoff and is almost a lock for a New Year’s Six Bowl Game. They have one the most talented backfields in the nation with quarterback Joshua Dobbs and running back Jalen Hurd. Their defense has some really good pieces on the back end. Cornerback Cameron Sutton is the true star of the defense and is also one of the better corners in the nation. At the linebacker positions, the Vols have veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin and young talent sophomore Darrin Kirkland Jr. The Vols are behind #7 Stanford, #8 Michigan, and #9 Notre Dame. All teams I think the Vols can beat and are better than them. And someone on this poll believes me because Tennessee received one first place vote.
Another SEC West team was ranked too low. Ole Miss at #12. Ole Miss and #6 LSU have around the same chance to knock off Alabama in the West, yet the Rebels are sitting here six spots behind LSU. The Rebels are even placed behind #11 Michigan State, a team that is still picking the pieces up after Alabama crushed them in the Semifinal of the College Football Playoff. If your team returns a proven quarterback, like Chad Kelly, your team should at least be in the Top Ten. The Rebels should have been a lock in the Top Ten. They were the only team to beat the Crimson Tide last year. They should been shown more respect by the voters.