Jami Jurich
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Three burning questions from the preseason Coaches’ Poll: What’s the margin between UGA and OSU?
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Who’s overrated? Who’s underrated? Who’s making the 12-team playoff?
With football season officially kicking off in just a few weeks, the annual preseason Coaches’ Poll was released yesterday. The poll results are merely indicative of the opinions of the people voting, so it’s important to keep in mind that they can’t predict the outcomes of the season. Top teams will fall, underdogs will rise, upsets will happen. But since we won’t have any real answers until the season plays itself out, they are a good conversation starter for early predictions, conversation and questions.
This year, the football landscape is changing drastically. The Pac-12 is no more, and the Big Ten and SEC have absorbed a number of powerhouse teams, leading to what essentially amounts to two superconferences, and then everyone else.
We see this reflected in the preseason rankings, with the SEC and the Big Ten each landing four teams in the preseason top 10.
The expanded 12-team playoff will also kick in this season, with at least three other conferences guaranteed a playoff spot in addition to the Big Ten and SEC. So just how dominant will these two conferences be? Will their powerhouse teams cancel each other out when the playoffs roll around? And which teams will fly under the radar to surprise us in the end?
The preseason poll clarified the opinions of some, but in many ways, it generated more questions for me than answers about how this season will shake out. Here are the burning questions on my mind after looking at the preseason Coaches’ Poll Top 25.
I don’t think we can say a No. 2 team is underrated, but I do think these teams are all but interchangeable in terms of talent and potential this season, so it surprised me a bit that the Buckeyes only received seven first-place votes to Georgia’s 46. I certainly expected this margin to be a little closer.
It’s hard to argue with Georgia’s dominance in recent years—despite their absolutely brutal schedule this season (they open against No. 14 Clemson, and they also have Kentucky, No. 5 Alabama, No. 4 Texas, and No. 6 Ole Miss on the road, plus they play host to Florida and No. 15 Tennessee), many people, myself included, are expecting their dominance to continue, especially with Heisman favorite Carson Beck under center for the Bulldogs.
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Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
But at the risk of sounding like a homer, the Buckeyes’ roster has the potential to be lightning in a bottle. Their particular cocktail of returning veterans and star transfers—including safety Caleb Downs, running back Quinshon Judkins, and perhaps most critically, quarterback Will Howard—could create the kind of magic that championship seasons are made of. They’ll face plenty of tests of their own this season, including No. 3 Oregon and No. 9 Penn State on the road, with No. 8 Michigan coming to Columbus to close out the regular season, but if the Buckeyes can take care of business, they could very well go all the way.
I suppose in some ways, rather than evaluating razor-thin margins between these two teams, we can cross our fingers and hope we get to see this showdown in the playoffs.
The SEC landed 9 teams in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten at six. We know the ACC and Big 12 conference champions will get an automatic bye week (I expect those to be No. 10 Florida State for the ACC and No. 13 Utah for the Big 12), but the SEC has six teams in the top 12, and the Big Ten has four. The only teams from outside of these conferences are the aforementioned FSU and No. 7 Notre Dame.
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Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
Could No. 14 Clemson, or even a team like No. 21 Arizona, Kansas State or even an SMU sneak in? It’s certainly possible, but this is one of the questions only the selection committee can answer for us. Does a two- or even a three-loss SEC or Big Ten team get in over an ACC/Big 12 team with fewer losses but a weaker schedule? As someone who wants to see a little balance amongst the conferences, I hope I’m proven wrong, but my gut tells me the ACC and Big 12 get the short end of the stick here.
Because there is such a wealth of riches between the Big Ten and the SEC this season, there are without a doubt teams that are currently flying under the radar while their flashier counterparts dominate headlines.
Assuming Utah gets the Big 12’s automatic playoff bid and the committee does want to prove me wrong in regards to question No. 2, the other team I’ve got my eye on is Arizona. While I’m going with Utah to win the Big 12, Arizona is certainly a contender. With most of their team returning, they feel underrated at No. 21 (I would put them a little higher, at around No. 17 or 18). Look to them to surprise some folks at home.
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Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sitting just outside the top 10, No. 11 Mizzou is more than capable of wreaking a little havoc this season. Ranked fifth-highest among SEC teams, they could very well eke their way into the Top 10 before the season is up, especially with quarterback Brady Cook and receiver Luther Burden III returning this year. Mizzou finished at No. 8 last season after defeating the Buckeyes, 14-3, in the Cotton Bowl, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they had some more big wins in them this year.
While I’m not quite ready to include Texas A&M in my playoff predictions, I’m also not counting them out. The No. 20 Aggies retained a lot of talent from last season, and while head coach Mike Elko has his work cut out for him, there is a world in which the Aggies shock the SEC by climbing up the rankings. Their only game against a top-10 team is against Texas at home, and we know rivalry week means anything goes. They play Notre Dame in the first week of the season—also at home—and while this Notre Dame team should have no problem making the playoffs this year, they’ll also still have some kinks to work out that first week, particularly on the offensive line.
This cracks the door for the Aggies. A&M does have to play at the Swamp which is always tough, but their three toughest conference games (Missouri, LSU, and Texas) are all home games for the Aggies, and they don’t need to win all of them to be part of the playoff conversation in a year where everyone in the SEC is playing a brutal schedule.
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Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Who’s overrated? Who’s underrated? Who’s making the 12-team playoff?
With football season officially kicking off in just a few weeks, the annual preseason Coaches’ Poll was released yesterday. The poll results are merely indicative of the opinions of the people voting, so it’s important to keep in mind that they can’t predict the outcomes of the season. Top teams will fall, underdogs will rise, upsets will happen. But since we won’t have any real answers until the season plays itself out, they are a good conversation starter for early predictions, conversation and questions.
This year, the football landscape is changing drastically. The Pac-12 is no more, and the Big Ten and SEC have absorbed a number of powerhouse teams, leading to what essentially amounts to two superconferences, and then everyone else.
We see this reflected in the preseason rankings, with the SEC and the Big Ten each landing four teams in the preseason top 10.
The expanded 12-team playoff will also kick in this season, with at least three other conferences guaranteed a playoff spot in addition to the Big Ten and SEC. So just how dominant will these two conferences be? Will their powerhouse teams cancel each other out when the playoffs roll around? And which teams will fly under the radar to surprise us in the end?
The preseason poll clarified the opinions of some, but in many ways, it generated more questions for me than answers about how this season will shake out. Here are the burning questions on my mind after looking at the preseason Coaches’ Poll Top 25.
How thin is the margin between Georgia and Ohio State?
I don’t think we can say a No. 2 team is underrated, but I do think these teams are all but interchangeable in terms of talent and potential this season, so it surprised me a bit that the Buckeyes only received seven first-place votes to Georgia’s 46. I certainly expected this margin to be a little closer.
It’s hard to argue with Georgia’s dominance in recent years—despite their absolutely brutal schedule this season (they open against No. 14 Clemson, and they also have Kentucky, No. 5 Alabama, No. 4 Texas, and No. 6 Ole Miss on the road, plus they play host to Florida and No. 15 Tennessee), many people, myself included, are expecting their dominance to continue, especially with Heisman favorite Carson Beck under center for the Bulldogs.
But at the risk of sounding like a homer, the Buckeyes’ roster has the potential to be lightning in a bottle. Their particular cocktail of returning veterans and star transfers—including safety Caleb Downs, running back Quinshon Judkins, and perhaps most critically, quarterback Will Howard—could create the kind of magic that championship seasons are made of. They’ll face plenty of tests of their own this season, including No. 3 Oregon and No. 9 Penn State on the road, with No. 8 Michigan coming to Columbus to close out the regular season, but if the Buckeyes can take care of business, they could very well go all the way.
I suppose in some ways, rather than evaluating razor-thin margins between these two teams, we can cross our fingers and hope we get to see this showdown in the playoffs.
Can the ACC or Big 12 land a second playoff team?
The SEC landed 9 teams in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten at six. We know the ACC and Big 12 conference champions will get an automatic bye week (I expect those to be No. 10 Florida State for the ACC and No. 13 Utah for the Big 12), but the SEC has six teams in the top 12, and the Big Ten has four. The only teams from outside of these conferences are the aforementioned FSU and No. 7 Notre Dame.
Could No. 14 Clemson, or even a team like No. 21 Arizona, Kansas State or even an SMU sneak in? It’s certainly possible, but this is one of the questions only the selection committee can answer for us. Does a two- or even a three-loss SEC or Big Ten team get in over an ACC/Big 12 team with fewer losses but a weaker schedule? As someone who wants to see a little balance amongst the conferences, I hope I’m proven wrong, but my gut tells me the ACC and Big 12 get the short end of the stick here.
Which sleeper teams should we keep an eye on?
Because there is such a wealth of riches between the Big Ten and the SEC this season, there are without a doubt teams that are currently flying under the radar while their flashier counterparts dominate headlines.
Assuming Utah gets the Big 12’s automatic playoff bid and the committee does want to prove me wrong in regards to question No. 2, the other team I’ve got my eye on is Arizona. While I’m going with Utah to win the Big 12, Arizona is certainly a contender. With most of their team returning, they feel underrated at No. 21 (I would put them a little higher, at around No. 17 or 18). Look to them to surprise some folks at home.
Sitting just outside the top 10, No. 11 Mizzou is more than capable of wreaking a little havoc this season. Ranked fifth-highest among SEC teams, they could very well eke their way into the Top 10 before the season is up, especially with quarterback Brady Cook and receiver Luther Burden III returning this year. Mizzou finished at No. 8 last season after defeating the Buckeyes, 14-3, in the Cotton Bowl, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they had some more big wins in them this year.
While I’m not quite ready to include Texas A&M in my playoff predictions, I’m also not counting them out. The No. 20 Aggies retained a lot of talent from last season, and while head coach Mike Elko has his work cut out for him, there is a world in which the Aggies shock the SEC by climbing up the rankings. Their only game against a top-10 team is against Texas at home, and we know rivalry week means anything goes. They play Notre Dame in the first week of the season—also at home—and while this Notre Dame team should have no problem making the playoffs this year, they’ll also still have some kinks to work out that first week, particularly on the offensive line.
This cracks the door for the Aggies. A&M does have to play at the Swamp which is always tough, but their three toughest conference games (Missouri, LSU, and Texas) are all home games for the Aggies, and they don’t need to win all of them to be part of the playoff conversation in a year where everyone in the SEC is playing a brutal schedule.
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