Alabama Football: Coaches Poll underrated and overrated teams

It does not matter that Alabama Football is not the defending National Champion. The Crimson Tide was ranked correctly in the Preseason Coaches Poll at No. 1.

In last season’s final Coaches Poll, six SEC teams finished in the Top 25, led the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 1 and the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2

In the 2022 preseason ranking, six SEC teams are again in the Top 25. Six more SEC football teams were also listed in the category of ‘others receiving votes.’

Alabama Football was a huge favorite as the No. 1 team, with 54 first-place votes. Georgia was next with six, first-place votes. followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes who gained five first-place votes. One more first-place vote went to the Texas Longhorns, prompting broad disdain across social media.

Michael Bratton of Saturday Down South tweeted, that the person voting the Horns No. 1 “should no longer be permitted to vote in the poll.”

Bratton was not the only dissatisfied consumer of the preseason poll. Except for Alabama football fans, the typical response to such rankings is derision, disgust and dismay. Actually, Crimson Tide fans follow the same norm, except when the Tide is ranked No. 1, as it is most of the time.

The poll’s top seven teams include three from the SEC, two from the Big Ten, plus one from the ACC and Notre Dame.

Including the ‘others receiving votes’ the 12 SEC teams with preseason recognition by the coaches are listed below.

Note: Last season’s final Coaches Poll ranking is listed in parentheses.

• No. 1 – Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 2)
• No, 3 – Georgia Bulldogs (No. 1)
• No. 7 – Texas A&M Aggies (No. 25)
• No. 21 – Kentucky Wildcats (No. 15)
• No. 23 – Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 20)
• No. 24 – Ole Miss Rebels (No. 11)
• No. 28 – Tennessee Vols (NR)
• No. 30 – LSU Bengal Tigers (NR)
• No. 31 – Auburn Tigers (NR)
• No. 36 – Mississippi State Bulldogs (NR)
• No. 37 – Florida Gators (NR)
• No. 44 – South Carolina Gamecocks (NR)

My takes on the SEC teams are: the Aggies will not be a top ten team; Ole Miss will finish higher than No. 24; the Auburn Tigers will finish not ranked. The Arkansas Razorbacks will be better than a No. 23 ranking, even with one of the SEC’s toughest schedules.

Speaking of schedules, 15 FBS teams have no FCS opponents this season. Included in the 15 are Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Texas, USC, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

As suggested in a previous post, it would be great if Alabama joined the eight teams listed above. The holdup is not Nick Saban.