Guerry Clegg: Observations regarding the preseason top 25
Still, we get suckered in just as Charlie Brown gets suckered in by Lucy holding the football.
The college football season kicks off in eight days with North Carolina playing South Carolina. It's a matchup of two unranked teams that didn't draw a single vote between them in the preseason polls. It resembles one of those post-Christmas bowl games that we watch only because there's nothing else on TV.
Doesn't matter. It's college football.
The AP just released its preseason Top 25. There were no real surprises. Ohio State was the unanimous No. 1. The only surprise there was learning that there has never been a unanimous preseason No. 1.
Arkansas being ranked No. 18 might be the biggest surprise. The Razorbacks were much improved last year. And with home games against UTEP, Toledo and Texas Tech, there's a good chance they will be 3-0 before they begin SEC play. But then comes a daunting stretch: Texas A&M in Arlington, at Tennessee and at Alabama, then an off week before Auburn visits Fayetteville.
So for what it's worth, here are some observations gleaned from the preseason Top 25
The most obvious: The SEC still reigns supreme.
Sure, rankings don't translate to results. Some of the SEC teams could be ranked primarily on the reputation of the conference.
But that's precisely the point. For all the offseason talk about the rest of the country gaining on the SEC, the first poll suggests just the opposite. The SEC has eight of the 25 teams and three of the top nine - No. 2 Alabama, No. 6 Auburn and No. 9 Georgia. The Pac 12 is second with six teams, followed by the Big 10, Big 12 and ACC with three each. Notre Dame and Boise State grabbed the other two spots.
By the end of September, the Top 25 could be even more SEC-dominant. Mississippi State and Texas A&M were 26th and 27th in the voting.
SEC teams play a few key non-conference that could swing the polls even more. Alabama vs No. 20 Wisconsin, Auburn vs. Louisville, No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 25 Tennessee, and No. 15 Arizona State at Texas A&M.
Unless they start beating up each other, the SEC could have as many as 10 teams ranked going into October.
Most likely to fall fast: No. 15 Arizona State opens at Texas A&M. The Aggies are going to score a lot of points. If John Chavis can improve the defense just a little bit, they should be respectable.
The next week No. 19 Oklahoma visits No. 25 Tennessee. If the Volunteers lose, they are certain to fall from the rankings. The Sooners could lose and still be ranked if it's a respectable game. If it's a two-touchdown loss, adios Oklahoma.
Most likely to climb fast: Unranked Louisville, if
If the Cardinals beat No. 6 Auburn and No. 12 Clemson in the first and third weeks, respectively, they could jump into the top 10. That's very doable. They lost so much talent to the NFL that it's hard to gauge the Cardinals. But Bobby Petrino's teams are going to put up points and compete.
The age-old theory that a team needs to be ranked early if it wants to play for a national championship is a myth. In other words, fret not, Georgia Tech fans, over starting the season at No. 16. The Yellow Jackets have the same opportunity as Florida State and Clemson. Just win your games and the ACC championship game and you're in the playoff. Granted, that leaves no margin for error. But that holds true for every ACC team.
Auburn started the 2013 season just hoping to become bowl eligible again after going 3-9 the year before. The Tigers ended up in the BCS national championship game against Florida State.
Sure, the preseason poll will mean nothing in a few weeks. But it does mean one very important thing. College football season is almost here.
-- Guerry Clegg is an independent correspondent. You can write to him at sports@ledger-enquirer.com.
This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Guerry Clegg: Observations regarding the preseason top 25 ."