College Football Live - AP Poll Reactions!

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Host Victoria Arlen is joined by Sam Acho, Tom Luginbill, and Pete Thamel to discuss the first release of the AP Poll. Are we surprised, should we be upset, who's overrated, who got snubbed!? Find out on this episode of CFB Live... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Touchdown. Down at Edwards, to the end zone. Touchdown, Michigan. He throws into the end. He caught it. Indeed. Welcome into college football live. I'm Victoria Arland. Happy Monday. You know it's a great day when Sam Acho, Tom Luganville, and Pete Thammel are here. And what's also great is we're just 12 days away from the college football season kicking off on August 24th. But the excitement kicks off early with the much anticipated preseason AP top 25 rankings being revealed today.

Let's start at the bottom of the top 25. Arizona comes in at number 21 and the cats crack the preseason poll for the first time since 2015. Kansas ranks 22nd. The Jayhawks are ranked in the preseason for the first time in 15 years. USC, NC State, and Iowa round out the bottom three. Now we check out the middle 10 teams. Missouri comes in at 11th and that's the Tiger's highest preseason ranking since 2008 when they ranked 6th. Now Clemson ranks 14th and that's their lowest preseason rank in 10 years when they ranked 16th. Oklahoma checks in at 16 as it enters the SEC. And finally, the top 10, Georgia top. the preseason poll for a second straight year and third time overall, while Ohio State ranks second and Oregon third. It's the second straight season with a pair of Big Ten teams in the top three. Texas and Alabama round out the top five and Ole Miss cracks in at number six, which is their highest preseason ranking since 1970 when they ranked fifth,

while defending national champion Michigan ranks ninth. Now let's kick things off with a team that is no stranger here. Georgia came in at number one for the third time in the preseason poll. Now, Sam, do you agree with UGA at number one? I absolutely agree with Georgia being number one. Number one, it starts with their quarterback, Carson Beck, 6-4, 220, through for almost 4,000 yards last year, 24 touchdown, six picks. But what's even more impressive is that even though Georgia didn't play their best ball last year, they balled when it mattered. On third down, they had the number one offense in the nation for third down. For defense, they were number three. And so, though you saw times where Ladd McConkey

was injured and Brock Bowers last year was injured. This team still as a conglomerate played dominant ball on the money down, third down, money down that comes to great coaching and players who understand football. Sam, I couldn't agree with you more. I think that this is one of the most deep, talented football teams that Kirby Smart has had in Athens. It may be the best offensive line as a collective group that Georgia has had. And what I what I think is so unique about them is you look at them on defense. You're a defensive guy. They got a difference maker in the front and Michael Williams, a difference maker in the middle at the second level

and Smile Momden, and then Malachi Starks on the back end. They are an old experienced football team that also has an infusion of young talent, particularly on defense. K.J. Bolden and Ellis Robinson the 4 are going to be two incoming freshmen that you're going to hear an awful

lot about. So I love the blend of their depth, their age, and the youth coming in, and it all begins and ends if you've got a quarterback and they've got one. I'll double down on Lugge's point about the offensive line and make a bold prediction. I think the Joe Moore Award for the country's top O line ends up in Athens this year. They returned four starters who have a combined 80 starts and look for Georgia to take a page out of USC's historic book and go student body right.

That's where they have Xavier Trust at right tackling, Tate Ratledge at right guard. Those two have each started 28 games for the Bulldogs and give them a distinct identity up front. Pete just kicking things off right here. Now, I want to note, though, that Georgia has never won a national title when they were ranked number one in the preseason poll. So we talked about Georgia, but how about the other four? Rounding out the top four is Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas. Lugues, what's separating these four from the rest? Well, I think there's some common themes and common denominators here.

Number one, all of these teams are built from the inside out, meaning the strength of their football team is in the offensive front, the defensive front, and at the quarterback position. You work your way out from there. The other common denominator here is age. These are old football teams, meaning there are a lot of redshirt juniors, a lot of seniors, a lot of redshirt seniors. And usually when you are an old team, you're a good team. When you're old with great players, you have an opportunity to be elite. And that's the common denominator across the board. Look at the quarterback position, look at the trench play, and look at the age of the players amongst those four teams.

and it's why they're a bit of a cut above the rest of the pack right now. And for me it goes to coaching as well, not just age, but the consistency of top-tier coaches. I look at guys like Ryan Day, who obviously is an offensive, brilliant mind. Then go Dan Lannning, young, defensive infusion, the former coordinator at Georgia. Now he's the head coach for the last several years at Oregon. You see that influx of talent.

Texas with Steve Sarkesian, just this brilliant mind of coaching as well. And so for me, those top coaches and the top programs always, seem to align? I think one thing you can pick out of all four of all four of these is they've each done a great job manipulating the transfer portal to address weaknesses. Look, Ohio State didn't think they were good enough a quarterback last year. They went and got Will Howard. Oregon really fortified itself on the lines in order to prepare itself. Big 10 play. And Texas goes and gets Alabama's best receiver, Isaiah Bond, to help juice up that offense for Quinn Ewers. Those schools all have the infrastructure in place to go out and address their needs.

Now that transfer portal, the experience, the age, it's all encompassing of why they are in the top. Now it's like fine wine, just getting better with age. All right. Let's talk about those outside the top five out of teams five through 12 taking out Notre Dame who can't get any higher than a five seat in the playoff due to being an independent. Lug's, which team has the best chance at cracking the top four? Oh, I think without question, it's probably, I don't know, Alabama, would I say they're in the top four right now, right?

Yeah, they're number five. Yeah, Alabama in the top four. Oh, I think it would probably be Ole Miss. I look at Ole Miss and I look at that roster and I see how it's put together. What they've done to Pete's point in the transfer portal has been remarkably strong, particularly along the defensive front. We know what Old Miss is coming back with on the offensive side. firepower, explosive plays galore. If they can improve defensive output,

I think just 20% of what they've had the last couple of years, they're a team that is built for the long run. Yeah, and I'm going to go with Missouri, and part of the reason why it's not just the talent. Think about Luther Burden, one of the best receivers in all of college football, but also their schedule.

Missouri will be tested, especially in the middle of the season. Last year, they had two losses. One of them was to Georgia when Luther Burden got hurt early in the game. I believe if Luther Burton stays healthy, Missouri could potentially have won that game. And so not only do you have the talent, the experience, the confidence, even when it comes to head coaching,

but the schedule will give you an opportunity to clive and jump into the top four. I think one surefire addition to the top four, Victoria, is going to be controversy. If we looked, we didn't have an ACC or Big 12 team till number 10. What we do know is that conference champions are going to be ranked in the top four and get buys. And clearly, if you go back and game out this playoff through pass, years, there are going to be teams ranked 9, 13 that go and win the ACC, go and win the Big 12. They're going to be ranked ahead of teams that people are going to perceive as much better because they were ranked higher than them. So my addition is going to be a little spice.

A little spice and a little controversy. Okay, well, life at the top has been tough for AP preseason top ranked teams. Just 11 of those 74 teams went on to win the national title. Nick Sabin's 2017 Alabama team was the last to do it. And Oklahoma has been. the preseason number one, 10 times the most by any school. And the Sooners went on to win national titles in four of those seasons. So I guess we shall see with that controversy, Pete. Now, Sam, as a player, how much does the preseason poll matter? Oh, it absolutely matters.

Every time you get a ranking next to your name, it either can inflate your ego or potentially deflate your ego, though you may not want it to. I remember my junior year, we were at Texas. Back we were actually ranked number four. We actually were on the cover of Sports Illustrated, me and two of my teammates, Curtis Brown and Shockey Brown, and we thought we were something.

Spring game, we're doing our thing, and Wilmuch Champ was our coordinator. We had a horrible spring game, defensive coordinator. He picked up the magazine. He said, y'all could take that magazine and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. Well, fast forward. We ended up being, having our worst year in probably like 30 or 40 years.

End up being five and seven. That top five, top ten, really, I think we were four ranking got to our heads. And so ego can inflate, which could also negatively impact your season. Don't ever be on the cover as Sports Illustrated, man. That's the ultimate curse of college football, dude. You had to know it was coming. Listen, I think it does matter.

You have to be slotted somewhere, right? You have to have a starting point. And, you know, the issue, though, is when you really look at how it's compiled, it's all based off of information from the previous year. So you're looking at, you know, how did the program end the season? Was it on a high note? Who did they lose to graduation? Who did they lose to the NFL?

How did the transfer portal impact them during the offseason? And then I also think branding matters, right? Who are you in the hierarchy of college football could determine to some degree where you are slotted? The good news is, is now with the expanded 12-team playoff, if you happen to be at 19 or 22, or let's just say, you're out of the top 25, you don't have to climb as far to get into the mix, where if that was the case previously with four teams in the playoff, you were out. Well, Luke, can you just explain that a little bit more of with the new 12 team playoff? How does that shift gears on teams' perspective with these rankings? Well, if I knew that I was the 23rd ranked team coming into the season,

and I happened to go undefeated, to get to the top four, being. that far back, you'd not only have to take care of your own business, you're likely going to need some help from somebody else, just to be in contention, to be in that position, because you'd have to climb so far from 23 all the way up into the top four, meaning that others would have to be bumped out along the way, so you'd need help. But when it comes to the 12 team playoff, you're just trying to get into it. So now all of a sudden, that's not as big of a climb, and you may not need as much help because more teams are now allowed into it. But the alternative is also true.

There are certain teams that have a front-loaded schedule, but an easy schedule for the last three or so games, and they, because of strength of schedule towards the end of the season, may start sliding down that AP poll or even the college football ranking, while other teams who have more tough opponents at the end could jump them and could usurp them. And so when it comes to scheduling, it actually matters a whole lot more this season now that there's a 12-team playoff

because teams that have tougher games towards the end can end up climbing high. and stealing some of those spots from the teams that feel like they're sitting pretty. Ooh, it's going to get interesting. Now, from 2014 through 2023, the number one team in the AP preseason poll made the playoff seven times. Now, the 2015 preseason number one, Ohio State was the only team from that group to not make the playoff before 2022, Alabama and 2023, Georgia.

So a lot to dive in there. Now, that's the top 25, and we've got some big injury news that could affect these top 25 team starting with Texas running back, C.J. Baxter, who suffered a knee injury in practice last week that will require season-ending surgery. An MRI revealed Baxter injured his LCL and PCL in his right knee. Now, keeping things in Texas, shifting over to Texas A&M running back, Ruben Owens. He's expected to miss the season after suffering a significant lower body injury during a scrimmage on Saturday. Now, Owens produced 743 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns and earned SEC All-Freshman honors during his true freshman season last year.

Now, Notre Dame offensive tackle Charles Jagassau will miss the 2024 season after suffering an upper body injury in practice and is expected to miss the entire year. Now, Jagasaw was projected to be the starting left tackle for Notre Dame when it opens the season at Texas A&M on August 31st. Coming up with the AP preseason poll released, which team may be too hyped up and those being sold short in the polls. You won't want to miss who Luz thinks is getting a bit too much praise early on. For the last decade, the SEC has ruled college football. A decade of game changers. Alabama back on top. There's nobody's office.

It's just you and your guys against the world. A team of destiny. And legacy makers. Southeastern Conference has the greatest football players in the world. A decade behind the scenes. Football is different in the South. Decade of dominance. Wednesday at 8 Eastern on SEC Network.

We check out the conference breakdown from today's AP preseason top 25. The SEC has nine teams in the poll for the first time ever. The Big 10 features six of its 18 schools in the top 25, and the Big 12 landed five teams in the poll despite the departures of Texas and Oklahoma. Four ACC teams plus Notre Dame also in the poll. Now, the top 25 have been revealed, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we agree. So Sam, which team do you think is the most overrated? I think it's all about the U. Miami is overrated because it's not all about the U.

U. I had a coach who said this one time. He said, hey, talent is not the issue. I don't think the talent is the issue for Miami. I just go back to some of the questionable coaching decisions when it came to Mario Cristobal. Think about their record seven and six last year. One of those losses was to Georgia Tech in a game where if you would have just taken a knee, you win. Now, mind you, they have talent. Cam Ward is transferred from Washington State. I think he's going to be a huge game changer. But for me, it's not the talent on the field. It's the coaches have to be better in pressure situations.

Sam, I think it's USC out of the Big Ten. I was really surprised to see them make the top 25. I understand offensively the type of personnel they have. They have a group of wideouts led by Zach Brantz. It may be amongst the best in college football. Miller Moss is, I think, going to be a guy. He's older. He's experienced.

He's hung around. But defensively, you've got to show me. You've got to show me. And I understand that there were massive changes on that side of the ball. The Anthony Link comes over from UCLA to coordinate the defense. Anthony Lucas comes in through the transfer portal from Texas A&M. Still need to see Bear Alexander have a monster performance. But that team's got to start showing that they can get off the field on third down

and they can limit explosive plays. Because until they get better on defense, and by the way, they're going into a line of scrimmage league, then I think the offense can only carry them so far. I'm going to roll with Oklahoma. And I'm not trying to curry favor with our friend Sam. There is too much new in Norman for me to have conviction on the Sooners this year. There's a new offensive coordinator.

There's a new defensive coordinator. There's a new league. There's a new starting quarterback. And I really think this point is key. There's a new rigor in what they have to do. There were many years where Oklahoma wouldn't really be tested before Red River. Well, the two weeks leading up to Red River this year, they play Tennessee at home. and then they go to Auburn, which Reese Davis likes to call the haunted mansion.

Then they see the long warrants. I want to see if that program is ready for that type of test. All right. Well, from overrated to underrated, Luke's which team is underrated in the top 25? Iowa. Now, I understand that last year they couldn't cross the 50-yard line on office. I get that. I'm attesting to that.

This team won 10 games a year ago and couldn't cross the 50-yard line on office. They're going to get their quarterback and Cade McNamara back. They're going to get their two tight ends back. They have two really good running backs. And the entire defense is back, which could be the number one ranked defense in the country. If you're looking for a team to really, really screw up everything when it comes to seating in the college football playoff, it's Iowa because they're going to be vastly improved on offense with Tim Lester as the offensive coordinator. Now, I like that pick. I want to go with Texas A&M.

And that's not to Curry favor with anybody because I went to Texas. But Texas A&M is severely underrated. The reason why is this is their quarter, they're not even their quarterback. Go to their head coach. Mike Elko. Let's start with Mike Elko. Mike Elko was at Duke the last several years,

turned Duke from a basketball school to a football school, point-blank period. Now of a sudden you have that head coach who was at A&M before, defensive-minded, is going to take all of that talent. Because A&M for the last several years has been one of the top ranked teams when it comes to recruiting rankings. All of that talent is now taking place. under the eye of Mike Elko.

And so for me, I think A&M is going to be a lot better than people give them credit for. Of course, quarterback has to stay healthy, but A&M to me is severely underrated. I'm going to go death taxes and Kyle Whittingham. I think Utah has a really good chance to end up with one of those top four seeds in winning the Big 12. At Utah, it all starts with Cam Rising. Obviously, he was not healthy last season. The willier won't he play home over that. And Utah had one of the worst pass offenses in the country.

I feel like Utah has really been intentional. about addressing other weaknesses in the portal and their defense is going to be what we've come to expect from Utah, a marauding, tough unit that you're going to struggle to move the ball on. Yeah, one quick point about Utah, Pete, that you reminded me of. If Utah does win the Big 12, to your point, that's an automatic spot in the playoff. And so that's a thing.

You may say one conference is stronger than another, but all of a sudden you win your conference to make the playoff, you get a home game, you get a buy week. All those things matter. and it may be an easier path for certain teams, at least easier than others. All right. Well, some other news and notes from today's top 25 release. Kansas and Kansas State both appear in the same preseason top 25 for the first time since 1996.

Now, it's a different story for Florida. They're out of the preseason poll for a third straight season, and Texas has its highest preseason ranking in 15 years. The horns reached the national title game that season. We're only 12 days away from week one. And speaking of the number 12, the new 12 team playoff, the group of five will finally be guaranteed a playoff berth. Which team could look to play spoiler this season. Welcome back to college football live.

All 25 teams in the AP poll are from the power for schools, meaning no group of five teams are ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2014. Now, these are still the AP rankings, but reminder that when we get to the college football playoff, the highest ranked conference camp receives an automatic playoff bid. All right, let's get to some quick hits. Pete, who should be the highest group of five team? Simple answer, Victoria, our friends on the blue turf at Boise State. They return one of the country's top running backs

regardless of class in Ashton Genty, and we'll find out in week two when they go to Eugene, Oregon, just what is the separation between a top tier Big Ten team and one of the top teams in the group of five. All right, Luke, who is the biggest name left out of the poll?

I think it's Virginia Tech. I think Brent Pry has got himself a football team that could compete for the ACC title. They return the most percentage of production of any team in America, regardless of conference. Kairon Drones has an opportunity at quarterback to elevate his game. Was a little bit surprised by that snub. Definitely shocking for sure. Now, speaking of shocking, Michigan shocked us a bit coming in at number nine. Is that too high for the defending champ, Sam?

It is too high for the defending champs. I mean, talk about returning production, better yet departing production. Look at all the talent that left Michigan. They're all in the NFL right now. Guys like J.J. McCarthy, guys like Roman Wilson, guys like Blake Corum, even guys on the defensive side of the ball. Mike Samra still. So much talent is gone.

And then think about their schedule. They have to play the number two, number three, and number four ranked teams throughout this season. And so Michigan is in for potentially a rude awakening, September 7th versus Texas. September 23rd. They got USC, Ohio State, Oregon. It's going to be a battle.

It's going to be a battle. All right. We'll be back tomorrow. Thank you for watching College of Ball Live.