The Preseason Coaches Poll dropped on Monday, providing the first official rankings for the 2024 college football season. Many familiar faces appeared at the top with Georgia, Ohio State and Texas collecting additional picks and some of the first place.
In general, the coaches stuck to the common sense. Only one team in the top 15 finished unranked last season — Utah, which played the 2023 season without starting quarterback Cameron Rising. A few other top teams joined the mix, such as No. 19 Miami and No. 22 NC State. However, the real interest was in the middle.
Putting together the preseason rankings is very difficult, and different voters approach it in unique ways. Others will value recent success and pedigree. Others look at production and development cycles. A few go in completely different directions and rely on gut. While each trend has its reasons before games are played, here are a few of the preseason Coaches Poll top 25 teams that go in either over or under.
Extreme: No. 8 Michigan
The reigning national champions start the season at No. 8, and it’s understandable why. Almost every title winner starts the year in the top five with a chance to repeat. After losing coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL, along with a boatload of talent on both sides of the ball, it’s harder to make a case. Gone is JJ McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, nearly every other offensive lineman and receiver. With a few key players returning on defense, linebacker Junior Colson and DB Mike Sainristil were the leaders last season, and both are in the NFL.
For a little historical context, this is the first time a coach has retired from a national championship team since Tom Osborne in 1997. Nebraska went 9-4 and finished No. 19 in the final AP poll the following year. Michigan could be well on its way to nine wins and still have a successful season, but the top 10? Not now.
Below: No. 11 Missouri
The Tigers quietly swept through the SEC last season and finished with 11 wins and a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State, one of the biggest postseason wins in program history. Despite returning nearly the entire base, led by star wide receiver Luther Burden III, Missouri was left out of the top 10.
By every metric, Missouri should be in the top 10. Most power ratings have the Tigers right there. The schedule means that Mizzou has a very clean road repeating as a 10-win team in the SEC. The Tigers have players who will contend for All-America status. Of course compared to several of the teams mentioned in this article, Missouri stands at the top.
The last time we saw the Seminoles, they were shut out and blown out 63-3 in the Orange Bowl against Georgia. FSU has made many improvements since then, but many key contributors from last year’s team are gone. Virtually every key player is gone from the offense, including FSU’s top quarterback, running back, tight end and top two receivers.
Florida State hit the portal hard again, bringing in 17 transfers to the No. 1 team. 7. Especially on defense, players like EDGE Marvin Jones and CB Earl Little from Alabama have high peaks. But even then, with so many moving pieces, there’s no reason to put Florida State ahead of programs like Missouri, Utah or Tennessee.
Below: SMU (NR)
The Mustangs finished the 2023 season as a top-25 team after winning their first conference championship since 1984. Despite returning much of its output from the title-winning season, SMU starts the year outside 25. Quarterback Preston Stone is another. of the nation’s most underrated quarterbacks, and he has an incredible collection of talent around him. The defense may be the team’s weakest unit with a secondary that can play anywhere.
It is true that SMU faces a new challenge as a new member of the ACC. Despite the odds, the Mustangs are 0-5 against power conference teams over the past two seasons. Skepticism is understandable, but expect SMU to change the narrative.
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