The Preseason Top 25: Useless? Absolutely.

Anyone want to guess where Utah, the surprise team of the 2008 football season, was ranked in the 2008 Coaches Preseason poll? Well, they weren't.

The Utes received some votes, but checking in at No. 24 and No. 25, Michigan and Fresno State.

Michigan? Come on now. 

Unranked to Sugar Bowl Champs is quite the feat. Alabama, a team who held the top spot in the polls until Florida derailed their undefeated regular season, also started the season unranked.

Alabama and Utah weren't worthy of being ranked ahead of some of the teams at the bottom of the poll? No way.

The Crimson Tide were in a unique situation, seeing as how in 2004, the greatest Auburn team of all-time starts at No. 17, goes 13-0, and doesn't get to play for a National Title.

The SEC wasn't nearly as powerful then as it is now, but for 'Bama to go from unranked to No. 1, and Auburn to go from No. 17 to the Sugar Bowl brings in the interesting aspect that maybe the polls don't matter. In Auburn's case, it mattered starting so low—and in Alabama's it didn't factor in at all.

Take a look at last year's preseason favorite, the Georgia Bulldogs. They were lucky to finish at No. 10 after the horrific downfall they had. Penn State climbed 14 spots from beginning to end, and Auburn went from No. 11 to a 5-7 season.

It's obviously not what a team does before the season. Why not wait two or three weeks to print the first poll?

No. 5 Alabama faces off with No. 7 Virginia Tech in Week One. Week Two pits USC vs Ohio State, two more top ten teams. Someone has to lose, and with those  big games, it could potentially derail one of their seasons and take away National Title thoughts.

Yes, Florida is the top team coming into 2009. Texas and Oklahoma may deserve two and three, but does Southern Cal deserve to check in at No. 4?

I'm not so sure, considering all the talent they lost off last year's team. The name "Southern California" does a lot for them, as they seem to always start off near the top.

USC is a dominant program, but lately they just haven't seemed to have gotten it done to finish at the top. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think No. 4 is a little too high for so many unproven players that will line up for the Trojans this fall.

Much of this poll does run off of how teams played last year, and to a lot of teams, that may not be fair. Regardless, the poll means that football is right around the corner.

That my friends, could be the only good thing about this poll. The last two years have brought some interesting teams in and out of the polls, and this year is sure to do the same.

Week One is 27 days away (Thursday night), then we'll finally be able to see if these teams can live up to their hype. Until then, this poll is just a good topic for debates.

Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear them!