AP Preseason Top 25 Released: UM #2
The AP released their preseason Top 25 this morning. Michigan is ranked #2 and it looks like they received two first place votes. Georgia is #1
Other Big Ten (and future) teams: OSU #3, (USC #6), PSU #7, (Washington #10), (Oregon #15), Wisconsin #19, Iowa #25
The link: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
Now it's time to play the games!
August 14th, 2023 at 12:18 PM ^
no sparty? disrepekt. tuck comin #staee
August 14th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
And not even 1, sad, lonely "receiving vote" either.....
August 14th, 2023 at 12:55 PM ^
Did you notice that James Madison and Liberty each received one "point", or vote - in the AP poll?
It's lucky that neither of those teams have to face the green & white - since, if they did, the wrath they'd face would be beyond description.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:46 PM ^
It's crazy that JMU, Liberty, and possibly William & Mary (ranked #4 in the FCS poll) are the best teams in Virginia.
August 14th, 2023 at 4:01 PM ^
VT is a program that deserves a prestige documentary - went from basically FCS in the 1980s, to the top of the Big East (and the nation) '90s and the clear-cut best in the ACC in the '00s, to now being the fifth best program in Virginia
August 14th, 2023 at 5:17 PM ^
Maybe even 6th best. It's possible that UVA and ODU are better than them. ODU has beaten them twice in recent years too.
August 14th, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^
Good stuff. Not gonna lie, it pissed me off that Michigan received 0 1st place votes and OSU received a couple in the coaches poll. Obviously the polls are mostly meaningless but still love to see Michigan starting so high. Now lets go out and show the world that we deserve to be number 2.
August 14th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Even better: Lets show the world they deserve #1!
August 14th, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
Honestly, I feel like Georgia deserves all the first place votes to start. Hopefully we can show we deserve them by the end of the year though.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:10 PM ^
Meh. I'm actually a little disappointed that we were ranked above OSU; would have loved to keep playing the underdog card that's worked so well the past two years...
August 14th, 2023 at 1:29 PM ^
100% agree. The BPONE in me hates being ranked this high. (Unless it's after the very last game, in which case I want to be one spot higher.) Too many groin punches in the past to feel differently.
August 14th, 2023 at 4:01 PM ^
I agree with this completely. My 5+ decades of fandom make me twitch whenever we have high preseason expectations. Though, to be honest, last years team seemed to embrace the opportunity and really play well throughout the season. Hope this really is a special year.
August 14th, 2023 at 3:23 PM ^
I don’t think what was holding us back from 2004-2020 had a lot to do with the players being too good and believing their own hype. As long as we don’t hand the team over to a guy who can’t coach defense to save his life while not really supporting him and THEN pass the team to a well-meaning handclapper who couldn’t have been more in over his head than if he tried to swim to Ann Arbor, all WHILE college football undergoes it’s most top-heavy consolidation in a century with our biggest rival as one of four programs sucking up the vast majority of talent in the country and of course CONTINUE to handicap ourselves with the usual “we play by the rules” schtick….as long as we don’t do that again I think we will survive the “incredibly talented and well-coaches players thinking they are good” would-be fiasco just fine
August 14th, 2023 at 2:02 PM ^
I think it was Corum in an interview that said no matter how much praise and recognition Michigan gets, they are always going to look at themselves as the hunter than the hunted. I would always prefer to get not enough respect rather than too much respect. I live in Ohio and there is a small amount of people that have realized our last two wins against them have come due to our toughness in the trenches. The majority of Ohioans still think our winning has been a fluke. Please media continue to play to this narrative that Michigan is still inferior this year to Ohio State because I think it just feeds the idiots from Ohio a validation that Michigan has been lucky. Go Blue!
August 14th, 2023 at 2:46 PM ^
Yes, it is better to be the hunter and not the hunted. I don't mind a #2 ranking for now. It still means that Michigan is amongst the best of the best.
August 14th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
A bit surprised to see TAMU in the rankings. History shows you don't get better the season after you lose to Appalachian State.
August 14th, 2023 at 7:26 PM ^
One year under their belt from that historical 2022 recruiting class, I think this is the year they outperform their ranking. As inconsistent as they were in '22, they've shown glimpses of what they can be (against Bama and LSU) and will find more consistency in this season.
August 14th, 2023 at 12:36 PM ^
TAMU with a number by their name is a joke.
August 14th, 2023 at 5:19 PM ^
I think TAMU's high ranking is more about that "greatest class" of all-time horse shit from a couple of years. Just comical.
This might be the most wide open - in years - that the CF season has been and yes, I realize that Georgia is the favorite in every poll so far. Would not surprise me to see Alabama take them down in the SEC this year
August 14th, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
How many Bama fans are losing their shit over being put behind not one, but TWO B1G teams in the standings? I’m sure Saban is already preparing some halftime exclusive with Fox over advocating to be moved up to #1 because Bama.
Hope Michigan gets a chance to climb to #1 before all said and done, but Georgia has earned the right to be #1 until somebody beats them.
August 14th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
Hopefully - Nick reminds the college football audience that in addition to a ".500" Texas football team - which Bama plays in Tuscaloosa - that Bama's schedule includes an opening game against Middle Tennessee, they face USF in Tampa, and - in late November - they'll host Chattanooga.
(On a more serious note - Bama does host two conference foes - Tennessee and LSU - during the season.)
August 14th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
First time since 2015 Alabama has 0 1st place votes in the pre-season AP poll.
August 14th, 2023 at 2:33 PM ^
We'll see what happens in week 2. When Alabama beats Texas, they may jump us.
I know Texas has been bad to meh for over a decade now, but Bama is exactly the type of school that's going to get their asses overly kissed for winning that type of game.
August 14th, 2023 at 12:42 PM ^
#1 in our hearts.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:00 PM ^
And osu #3 in the poll, but #2 in their coolers.
August 14th, 2023 at 4:32 PM ^
^^^^^^^^
Pure gold!!!
Almost spit out my mouthful of ECBP🥃
August 14th, 2023 at 5:45 PM ^
I hope you're doing well, Blue! Have another for me. 😪
August 14th, 2023 at 7:16 PM ^
Thank you kind sir!!
I can put together a care package quickly and send it your way.
Would be my pleasure 🥃😊
August 14th, 2023 at 6:28 PM ^
No doubt!
August 14th, 2023 at 1:02 PM ^
Which teams do you think have a realistic chance to make the CFP this season? My view, by conference, is as follows:
SEC - Georgia, Bama, and LSU
B1G - Michigan, OSU, and Penn State (as a darkhorse). I don't think the West division has a contender this season.
Pac - USC, Washington, and Utah
ACC - Clemson and FSU
Big 12 - Texas, Kansas State, and TCU (as a darkhorse). I would not be surprised if the Big 12 doesn't make the playoff.
Anyone else?
As I've mentioned elsewhere - I would pick LSU to win the SEC West.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
Oregon St. has a strong team this year and could be a PAC12 contender (they're ranked 18 in this poll). I'd love to see them win the conference after being left in the dust with the conference realignments.
I think this is the year where the playoffs are all B1G and SEC schools. I'll go Georgia, UM, Penn St, Alabama.
August 14th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^
Great list! I can't wait for freaking College Football to start.
August 14th, 2023 at 2:12 PM ^
I'd put ND (they get 3 shots at Top 10 teams, 2 at home: win at least 2 and they're in the conversation) and Tennessee (they get UGA at home, win that and they're in Atlanta, even if they lose to Alabama) on the list too. Longer shots, but their schedules are a bit "favorable."
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Past isn't necessarily prelude, but we have 9 years of data now. Notes on the CFP teams and the pre-season rankings:
- There were 2 years (2014/2019) where all the CFP teams came from the pre-season Top 6.
- In every year, at least 2 CFP teams came from the pre-season Top 5. The average was 2.56.
- In every year but 1 (2015), at least 3 CFP teams came from the pre-season Top 10. All 4 came from the pre-season Top 10 3 times. The average number was 3.22.
- Only 2 of the CFP teams came from outside the pre-season Top 20. U-M in 2021 (of course), and TCU last year.
Net: the pre-season polls have done pretty good here. If 3 of the CFP teams came from the Top 5 (UGA, Bama, LSU, U-M, OSU), along side 1 "outside the Top 5 party crasher" - that would be pretty normal.
August 14th, 2023 at 3:31 PM ^
Great analysis and context… thanks…
August 14th, 2023 at 1:04 PM ^
Is there a team that will be the TCU of this season? Who is under-ranked, or not ranked, who will have a great season?
August 14th, 2023 at 5:19 PM ^
I could see either Pitt (in a rather weak ACC) or Texas Tech. Both are just outside the top 25 right now.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:19 PM ^
Top 5 look correct to me (though I could make an argument for UGA getting every first-place vote).
Next five seem shaky to me. IMO, Both Clemson and FSU look tougher than USC. PSU is the big question mark. Drew Allar looks like a legit threat in B1G. I can't wait to see what he does on the road at Illinois on 9/16.
B1G is loaded this year. Anyone getting through this gauntlet should be (mostly) ready for the playoffs. Injuries could determine everything.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:56 PM ^
Disagree with USC. They are my dark horse to win it all.
August 14th, 2023 at 2:18 PM ^
Disagree with USC. They are my dark horse to win it all.
Clearly the AP feels you might be correct!
August 14th, 2023 at 2:24 PM ^
I think Caleb Williams is good enough to make that feasible. But their defense is also such a huge question mark that they could just as easily miss the 4 team field entirely.
August 14th, 2023 at 4:04 PM ^
They did get some talented transfers in to help the D. If they can mesh, they should have a better defense than last year...which isn't saying much.
August 14th, 2023 at 9:15 PM ^
It is not Lincoln Riley's teams haven't had talent on defense before on paper. Until proven otherwise dude is an incredibly overrated overall football coach who consistently only fields half of a team.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:28 PM ^
Go Blue!
August 14th, 2023 at 1:31 PM ^
Can you take the under on Iowa at #25, seeing as that, in this case, it means they are likely to be ranked even lower? The backup kicker there would like to know....for reasons.
August 14th, 2023 at 1:55 PM ^
If the Big Ten were to add Clemson and FSU, they would have 7 of the top 10 teams lol
August 14th, 2023 at 2:17 PM ^
Six of the top ten are currently in two conferences, with two more set to join next season. This would all be really exciting if these teams played each other in the regular season. UM, PSU and OSU play each other and Alabama/LSU is the only current top 10 matchup in the SEC.
I'd have to believe that Alabama playing UGA in the regular season these past few years would have resulted in some different CFP pairings.
August 14th, 2023 at 2:45 PM ^
Observations: In the AP poll, #2 UM is closer to #1 Ga than #3 OSU is to UM. Also, OSU leads #4 Ala by only 2/1000 points. In fact, if you combined the results of the AP and Coaches' polls, OSU would be #4, slightly behind #3 Ala.
Granted, these are only preseason polls.. But one fact is not. It has been roughly 1,353 days since OSU last beat UM..
August 14th, 2023 at 3:26 PM ^
Tulane?!?. This is freaking awesome...go Green Wave.
Amazing in 2023 you can be ranked, sometimes not televised and basically go to games for free.
August 14th, 2023 at 3:48 PM ^
But #1 in our hearts!
August 14th, 2023 at 4:27 PM ^
I hope we finish higher.