Preseason College Football Rankings 2016: Release Info for Amway Coaches Poll

Nobody can blame the preseason college football rankings for being more inaccurate than usual these days.

Back in the day, it was easy to get a general sense of where every team in the nation stood and plot it down. Now, though, the College Football Playoff has changed this in dramatic fashion, with any preseason seed capable of rising to the occasion and contending for a title.

Still, rankings are important for those who need a quick review of the nation's teams before the season starts. The Amway Coaches Poll is still the best way to do this because those in the know—coaches around the nation—assign points to teams and help form the Top 25.

According to USA Today's George Schroeder, the poll drops Thursday. For now, here's a look at projected rankings.

Projected Amway Coaches Poll

Rank	Team
1	Alabama
2	Clemson
3	Oklahoma
4	Florida State
5	Michigan
6	LSU
7	Ohio State
8	Tennessee
9	Notre Dame
10	Houston
11	Ole Miss
12	Georgia
13	Stanford
14	Michigan State
15	Baylor
16	USC
17	Iowa
18	Oregon
19	TCU
20	Louisville
21	Oklahoma State
22	UCLA
23	Washington
24	Miami
25	North Carolina

Notables Capable of a Quick Rise 

Iowa 

One of the biggest surprises last year, pollsters can find themselves forgiven for still underrating the Iowa Hawkeyes entering the season.

After all, what were the odds Iowa would have went undefeated last year before a three-point loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game? Not good. Losing to Stanford in 45-16 fashion in the Rose Bowl didn't help the perception around the program, either.

Alas, head coach Kirk Ferentz will use his typical approach that worked so well last year on a roster not only more experienced, but now with an understanding of what it's like to finish so close to title contention.

Last year, Iowa ran the table, plowing through ranked Wisconsin and Northwestern squads along the way, with quarterback C.J. Beathard throwing for 2,809 yards and 17 scores with six more touchdowns as a rusher. Lead tailback Jordan Canzeri rushed for 12 scores, and LeShun Daniels Jr. added eight more.

Then there was the defense, led by elite cornerback Desmond King (seriously, the guy allowed a 23.0 passer rating last year when lined up in the slot, per Pro Football Focus), who is ready to help the team run the table again.

"We left two games out there that could have defined what kind of team we were, missing out on the College Football Playoff and blowing it on the big stage like the Rose Bowl," King said, according to ESPN.com's Jesse Temple.

Even with a target on their backs, it wouldn't be wise to doubt the Hawkeyes again.

Louisville

It's easy to overlook the 8-5 Louisville Cardinals from a year ago.

Do so at risk, though, because Lamar Jackson's second season under center should provide the program a major boost.

As a true freshman, Jackson completed 54.7 percent of his passes for 1,840 yards and 12 touchdowns to eight interceptions. A dual-threat workhorse, he also led the team in rushing with 960 yards and 11 scores. The next closest on the rushing list was an actual running back, Brandon Radcliff, at 634 and seven, respectively.

Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino hasn't been shy about hyping up the pace of his quarterback's development this summer:

A large improvement is a big problem for the rest of the ACC. Louisville might have lost five games a year ago, but keep in mind one was a 31-24 defeat at the hands of then-No. 6 Auburn, another was a 20-17 loss to then-No. 11 Clemson and the worst was a 41-21 blowout at the hands of then-No. 11 Florida State.

Even with a true freshman under center, the Cardinals were mostly close to competing with Top 11 teams. Jackson will improve this year, and the defense should uphold its end of the bargain thanks to players such as tackle DeAngelo Brown and rusher Devonte Fields.

Louisville hosts Florida State in its third game of the season on September 17, which will say much about whether the Cardinals are prepared to make the leap.

Ole Miss

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The Ole Miss Rebels won't sit quietly outside of the Top 10 for long if quarterback Chad Kelly has anything to say about it.

Kelly led the Rebels to 10 wins last season, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. One of the nation's premier versatile threats, Kelly also ran for 500 yards and scored another 10 touchdowns on the ground.

For all his elite play, Kelly's team had three head-scratching losses. One was a 38-10 thumping at the hands of then-No. 25 Florida. A trip to Memphis resulted in a loss, and hosting Arkansas to start November ended in a weird 53-52 overtime loss.

Like Louisville, though, Ole Miss has the growth potential to make some serious noise this year.

A need to replace some major names shouldn't scare folks away from Ole Miss, either, not with head coach Hugh Freeze working his magic in the recruiting game and landing a top-10 class again this year.

Speaking of Freeze, the Rebels have improved in every season under his guidance. Improving on a 10-3 campaign seems crazy, but after slamming three ranked teams to close the season last year in blowout fashion, including then-No. 16 Oklahoma State 48-20 in the Sugar Bowl, anything seems possible.

Of course, the schedule won't make it easy. Ole Miss starts the season by facing Florida State at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, before a brutal slate featuring Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M.

With the SEC's most experienced quarterback and possible Heisman Trophy contender under center, though, it's hard to doubt the Rebels.

Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.