2010 College Football Preseason Rankings: Do They Matter?

The Alabama Crimson Tide dominated in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, thumping the Texas Longhorns 37-21.

They return Heisman-winning running back Mark Ingram, steady quarterback Greg McElroy, highly-recruited wide receiver Julio Jones, and stud defensive end Marcel Dareus.

USA Today released its Top 25 Coaches' Poll over the weekend, and naturally Alabama came in at No. 1. After bringing back a stellar offense, championship-winning defense, and signature Nick Saban recruiting class, 'Bama is a lock to win the 2011 BCS Championship. Why even play the season?

Wait, that's not how this works. Teams have to earn the chance to play in the championship game and lift the Waterford Crystal trophy.

Players have to undergo rigorous two-a-days, study film like a movie producer, and execute to perfection on Saturdays. Coaches have to choose the right play on every down of every game, know the tendencies of the coach across the field, and make all of the necessary personnel decisions to ascend in the rankings.

Since the BCS's inception in 1998, only twice has the preseason No. 1 gone on to be the champion. The 1999 Florida State Seminoles and 2004 USC Trojans both spent their entire seasons at the top spot. 

That is what makes college football special. In the NBA, you know the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics will make the playoffs and be in the hunt for the NBA Finals. In the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals will rise to the top. And in the NFL, Peyton Manning will almost assuredly lead the Indianapolis Colts to the AFC Championship Game.

We know this because it happens every year. These teams stay the same. Players and coaches in these professional leagues don't move up to the Ultra National Football League or Mega National Hockey League. They are already at the top of careers.

On the other hand, college athletes come and go. They spend their lives striving to make it in the big leagues. Coaches, too, move up the coaching ladder. We just witnessed Brian Kelly move to mighty Notre Dame after stops at Grand Valley State (MI), Central Michigan, and Cincinnati. 

With all of these changes going on at the college level, how can one predict a season? A week? A game? 

After the 2009-2010 season, USA Today's top 10 teams were: 1. Alabama, 2. Texas, 3. Florida, 4. Boise State, 5. Ohio State, 6. TCU, 7. Iowa, 8. Penn State, 9. Cincinnati, and 10. Virginia Tech.

In the recent poll released by USA Today, the top 10 teams were eerily similar: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Florida, 4. Texas, 5. Boise State, 6. Virginia Tech, 7. TCU, 8. Oklahoma, 9. Nebraska, and 10. Iowa.

Let's see here. 1+1, 2+9, 10-7, carry the 1...well, I'm not very good at math, but I can tell these rankings are pretty darn close.

So if only two teams have gone the whole year at No. 1, players and coaches come and go as fast as a bad McDonald's Big Mac, and preseason and postseason rankings are virtually the same, what is the point? Do these rankings even matter?

I could just as easily throw darts at the top 25 teams from last year, publish my own preseason rankings, and be just as accurate as USA Today. 

Even though these rankings are not perfectly accurate, they do add drama to the game. Imagine the top-10 matchup on the first week of the season. The drama cannot possibly be higher than on Sept. 6, when No. 5 Boise State will take on No. 6 Virginia Tech.

It will all be on the line—a shot to play in the BCS Championship Game. Win and you fight for your lives for the rest of the season. Lose and you might as well have called it quits back in April.

These rankings are necessary for the game. Without them, students wouldn't burn couches outside the frat houses after their team just upset the No. 1 team in the country. Without them, college campuses would not go crazy when they crack the Top 25 for the first time. Without them, what would the Game of the Century between the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes have meant to college football?

I can guarantee that as the calendar turns to bowl season, these will not be the top 25 teams. But the fact of the matter is, the rankings are imperative for college football. They tell fans who the teams to beat are, are great to promote the game on the weekday SportsCenter, and are good talking subjects for family barbecues.

Should we take these numbers and play the lottery with them? No, absolutely not. But they are fun to analyze and are a crucial component of the drama in college football.