Who besides Alabama football is hot in preseason Top 25 rankings
By Ronald Evans
Check out this compilation of 14 preseason CFB Top 25 rankings to see where Alabama football and other top teams rate as the nation’s top teams.
A compilation of 14 preseason Top 25 rankings gives few surprises about Alabama football. The Alabama Crimson Tide was ranked No. 1 in 11 of the 14 rankings. Clemson was the top choice in the other three.
Instead of relying on just a few opinions, we chased down 14 credible sources. Most of the rankings were authored by one person. At least one (Athlon) was the result of a panel effort. The value of the compilation is broader perspective by calculating all the results together. The calculation was simple. A No. 1 pick gained a team 25 points. A No. 25 pick was one point.
The sources used (in no particular order) were Athlon, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s, Phil Steele, Land of 10, Sporting News, ESPN, SI, USA Today, Saturday Blitz, College Football News, CBS Sports, SEC Country and Dr. Saturday from Yahoo Sports.
Results of the numerical compilation
The 14 sets of rankings included 41 FBS teams, five of which are Group of Five teams. The maximum potential number of points in our compilation is 350 – if all 14 rankings had picked one team No. 1.
300 plus Points
- Alabama football led with 347 points
- Clemson – 333 points
- Ohio State – 320 points
- Georgia – 307 points
200 – 299 Points
- Wisconsin – 280 points
- Oklahoma – 262 points
- Washington – 261 points
- Miami – 252 points
- Michigan State – 224 points
- Penn State – 208 points
100-199 points
- Auburn – 199 points
- Michigan – 184 points
- Stanford – 179 points
- Notre Dame – 153 points
- USC – 125 points
- Virginia Tech – 106 points
50-99 Points
- West Virginia – 96 points
- FSU – 96 points
- Mississippi State – 95 points
- Boise State – 80 points
- TCU – 71 points
- Oregon – 59 points
- UCF – 54 points
10 – 49 Points
- Texas – 49 points
- South Carolina – 37 points
- Florida – 34 points
- Oklahoma State – 32 points
- Florida Atlantic – 13 points
1 – 9 points
- Texas A&M – 9 points
- San Diego State – 6 points
- Iowa State – 5 points
- Utah – 4 points
- Nebraska – 4 points
- Kansas State – 4 points
- North Carolina State – 3 points
- Boston College – 3 points
- Arizona – 2 points
- UCLA – 1 point
- Georgia Tech – 1 point
- Arkansas State – 1 point
What conclusions can be drawn?
It is probably better defining what conclusions should not be drawn from the compilation. First and obviously, games are won on a field, following dynamic changes during a game and a season. Florida Atlantic with 13 points may or may not be a better team than Boston College (3 points) or Arizona (2 points). The compilation is of little or no value in gauging any head-to-head contest.
And the only four teams with 300-plus points are not locks for the CFB Playoff. A 2017 version of this compilation would have probably had a top four of Alabama football, Ohio State, FSU and USC. A similar effort last year, published by 247 Sports, showed those teams as the top four. Using a compilation to pick the final four for the Playoff has no history of success.
Use the compilation and draw your own conclusions
That does not mean indications gleaned from the compilation are of zero value. Twenty or more experienced college football observers, who are not homers for any team, shared their educated opinions. That much knowledge is worth notice.
Every fan can draw their own conclusions. Ours include these: Boise State is expected to be the top Group of Five team; Florida and Texas A&M are expected to need at least one season of rebuilding time; the perceived deterioration of LSU is widespread – LSU was only picked in the Top 25 in seven of the 14 sets of rankings; and (begrudgingly) the B1G is going to be stronger in 2018.
Next: Forget the QB debate, the Tide RB roster means all is well
The results of the compilation remind of us of something else. Clemson was in a rebuilding year last season at QB. When freshman Trevor Lawrence wins the starting job and settles in, Dabo’s group will be tougher than the one Alabama football faced in the CFB Playoff semi-final.