Preseason College Football Rankings 2013: Breaking Down USA Today's Latest Poll

USA Today released its official 2013 preseason college football rankings poll on Thursday, via the company’s website, and the controversy has officially begun.

While the Alabama Crimson Tide’s place as the top team in the nation comes as little surprise to anyone, the majority of this poll is up for debate.

That’s what makes the releases of rankings like this so enjoyable, though.

For the fans who need even more chatter about the preseason poll, here is the official USA Today rankings and the analysis of how the Top 25 shook out.

Full 2013 USA Today Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes	Previous Rank
1	Alabama	13-1	1545	58	1
2	Ohio St.	12-0	1427	3	NR
3	Oregon	12-1	1397	0	2
4	Stanford	12-2	1262	0	6
5	Georgia	12-2	1250	0	4
6	Texas A&M	11-2	1215	1	5
7	South Carolina	11-2	1136	0	7
8	Clemson	11-2	1047	0	9
9	Louisville	11-2	1010	0	13
10	Florida	11-2	930	0	10
11	Notre Dame	12-1	872	0	3
12	Florida St.	12-2	844	0	8
13	LSU	10-3	797	0	12
14	Oklahoma St.	8-5	726	0	NR
15	Texas	9-4	622	0	18
16	Oklahoma	10-3	620	0	15
17	Michigan	8-5	589	0	NR
18	Nebraska	10-4	426	0	23
19	Boise St.	11-2	420	0	14
20	TCU	7-6	400	0	NR
21	UCLA	9-5	202	0	NR
22	Northwestern	10-3	186	0	16
23	Wisconsin	8-6	172	0	NR
24	USC	7-6	165	0	NR
25	Oregon St.	9-4	135	0	19

Most Overrated Team: No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Despite playing in the BCS National Championship game last season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish do not deserve the No. 11 spot on the Coaches Poll.

Not only did the program lose star middle linebacker and team leader Manti Te’o to the NFL, starting quarterback Everett Golson was removed from the team for poor academic judgment, per ESPN.

The Fighting Irish enter the season with senior QB Tommy Rees as the starter, but after showing nothing but inconsistency throughout his Notre Dame career, there is little belief that he will transform into an elite passer.

While the Irish came within one win of perfection in 2012, there is a serious chance that the team loses four games this season with one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

Most Underrated Team: No. 19 Boise State Broncos

The Boise State Broncos get absolutely no respect from the voters in any poll, and the trend continues with Thursday’s release. Despite returning a strong class of seniors and boasting a dangerous roster, the Broncos are relegated to No. 19.

Senior quarterback Joe Southwick is ready to end his career at Boise State in glorious fashion, and along with the help of sophomore running back Jay Ajayi, the Broncos have the schedule and composure to have a shot at perfection.

If Boise State has a perfect record heading into bowl season, the controversy that would surround its potential bid for a BCS National Championship game would take over the college football world once again.

Of all the teams in the Top 25 that could possibly go undefeated, the Broncos are the most likely to achieve the feat.

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