Preseason College Football Rankings 2015: Date and Predictions for Amway Poll

Nothing says college football is right around the corner quite like the release of a major top-25 poll. Thursday will provide fans with the necessary excitement when the Amway Coaches Poll is revealed, though there's no mystery at the very top. 

Ohio State is the defending national champion. The Buckeyes return 14 starters from that team, including quarterbacks Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett, star running back Ezekiel Elliott, and arguably the nation's best defensive end in Joey Bosa. 

It's a great time for Urban Meyer and everyone associated with the Buckeyes, but the drama opens up starting with the No. 2 spot in the polls. 

Amway Coaches Poll Top 25 Information

Release Date: Thursday, July 30

Time: 12 p.m. ET

Find: Various sports websites, USA Today

Rank	Team	Conference
1	Ohio State Buckeyes	Big Ten
2	TCU Horned Frogs	Big 12
3	Auburn Tigers	SEC
4	Alabama Crimson Tide	SEC
5	Baylor Bears	Big 12
6	USC Trojans	Pac-12
7	Michigan State Spartans	Big Ten
8	Clemson Tigers	ACC
9	Stanford Cardinal	Pac-12
10	Florida State Seminoles	ACC
11	Mississippi Rebels	SEC
12	Oregon Ducks	Pac-12
13	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Independent
14	UCLA Bruins	Pac-12
15	Oklahoma Sooners	Big 12
16	Arizona State Sun Devils	Pac-12
17	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	ACC
18	Wisconsin Badgers	Big Ten
19	Arizona Wildcats	Pac-12
20	Georgia Bulldogs	SEC
21	Boise State Broncos	Mountain West
22	Missouri Tigers	SEC
23	LSU Tigers	SEC
24	Oklahoma State Cowboys	Big 12
25	BYU Cougars	Independent

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

It's amazing how quickly Meyer has turned Ohio State into the nation's most powerful program. His first season in 2012 was met with cynicism because of the schedule despite the team's 12-0 record.

Two years ago, the Buckeyes lost the last two games of the season, including the Orange Bowl, which left lingering questions about their ability to handle the big stage against top-tier programs. Those doubts were squashed last season with wins over Alabama and Oregon in the College Football Playoff. 

Now, everyone is expecting Ohio State to steamroll its way to another undefeated season. According to Todd Fuhrman of FoxSports.com, oddsmakers project the Buckeyes to be double-digit favorites in each of their 12 regular-season games. 

"The closest game for Ohio State in the eyes of oddsmakers is the November 21 home date against Michigan State, where OSU is currently listed as a 13.5-point favorite," Fuhrman wrote.

Fuhrman does note Ohio State's 2015 schedule, which includes only one game against a team predicted to be in the Top 25 (Michigan State), so it's not like the Buckeyes are facing a murderers' row of talent. 

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Michigan State is the one team in the Big Ten that's had any success against Ohio State in the Meyer era. The Spartans handed the Buckeyes their only conference loss since 2012 in the conference title game two years ago.

Last year's matchup seemed like an opportunity for history to repeat itself, but Ohio State racked up 568 yards against Michigan State's defense en route to a 49-37 win. Now, it's on every other team to prove it can compete with the Buckeyes.

Beyond Ohio State, there's a lot of high-quality depth in college football this season. TCU gets a slight edge as the No. 2 team in these predictions because it's returning 10 offensive starters from a team that averaged 46.5 points per game in 2014.

Jerry Hinnen of CBSSports.com does try to keep some of the Horned Frogs' expectations in perspective, noting a lot of the buzz is likely to come because of a 42-3 win over Mississippi in the Peach Bowl:

"

Let's define a "surprisingly emphatic" victory as one in which (a) either an underdog won by 14 points or covered the spread by 21, or (b) a favorite of a field goal or less covered the spread by 21.

Over the past five seasons, seven teams have claimed a bowl win matching those criteria and gone on to be ranked in the following season's AP preseason top 25; those teams have gone 0-for-7 in matching or exceeding that preseason ranking in the final AP poll.

"

While it is often foolish to expect a team will be successful because of the result of a game six months ago, the Horned Frogs have so much talent coming back that it would be a surprise if they weren't in the playoff mix once again. 

The three teams predicted to round out the Top Five—Auburn, Alabama and Baylor—all have the talent to be in the Top Two at some point in 2015, but immediate questions at the quarterback position keep them behind TCU. 

Despite losing Bryce Petty, Baylor seems like it's in the best position to succeed because Art Briles' system is so quarterback-friendly. The Bears averaged 44.5 points per game in 2012, the season after Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy and went to the NFL, for example. 

Auburn and Alabama are facing situations not unlike what LSU seems to go through every year. Jeremy Johnson is a 23-year-old junior playing for Auburn, but he's got 78 career attempts over the past two seasons. 

Nick Saban got a great performance from Blake Sims throughout most of 2014, but whoever the new starting quarterback is won't have the luxury of throwing to Amari Cooper.

Both the Tigers and the Crimson Tide are so good at recruiting talent and depth that they can win 10 games with a mediocre starting quarterback, but there's a difference between winning double-digit games and being a true title contender. 

Preseason polls rarely paint an accurate picture of what's going to happen in college football. South Carolina started 2014 ninth in the rankings, so there will be a lot of turnover. The only thing that seems like a given in 2015 is Ohio State will be fantastic.