AP College Football Poll: 10 Teams That Got Screwed By Their Rankings
Like it or not, both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches preseason polls have an enormous impact on the outcome of the College Football season.
The wisdom of the polls is always up for debate, and this year is no exception.
The AP voters apparently had less faith in Virginia Tech than the Coaches and ranked the Hokies tenth behind Nebraska and Iowa.
The voters also vaulted USC, a team currently with just 70 scholarship players and an unproven coach, all the way up to No. 14 in the rankings ahead of the likes of Florida State, Pittsburgh and LSU.
There is no question that the Trojans are ranked much, much too high. Here's a look at 10 teams who are ranked too low in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll.
No. 10: Wisconsin, Ranked 12th
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At some point, Bret Bielema's Badgers will get the respect they deserve.
Despite having an abundance of talent and experience on both sides of the football, Wisconsin comes in 12th in the AP Preseason Poll.
It's difficult to fathom ranking Wisconsin behind Nebraska, a team still searching for a productive quarterback less than two weeks before the start of the season. The Huskers defense should still be among the best in the country, but far less dominant than a season ago without Ndamukong Suh.
At worst, Wisconsin should have been ranked No. 10 in the preseason poll.
No. 9: Oregon State, Ranked 24th
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What will it take more Mike Riley's team to get respect?
A win over No. 6 TCU to open the season would be a great start. In fact, it be necessary for the Beavers to walk into Cowboys Stadium and defeat the Horned Frogs in they want to stay in the top 25.
Oregon State has enough pieces to warrant being ranked higher in the preseason polls. It starts with Jacquizz Rodgers, one of the best running backs in the country who will likely be a Heisman candidate at seasons end. Dominant defensive tackle Stephen Paea anchors what should be a stout defensive unit.
Few teams do more with less than Oregon State, and that could be the case again this season.
No. 8: LSU, Ranked 21st
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Sure, LSU hasn't had a productive offense in two years. But how can you ignore that defense?
Nonetheless, the Tigers come in seven spots behind USC in the AP Poll and three spots behind SEC West rival Arkansas.
LSU is a much safer bet to crank out another nine win season than the Razorbacks, and has fewer question marks than both USC and Georgia Tech.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7: Oregon, Ranked 11th
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Oregon made a BCS game last season and returns most of its key starters, including dynamic running back LaMichael James.
Maybe it's because of the dreaded East Coast bias, but the voters neglected to exclude the Ducks from the top 10.
The biggest oversight was voting Nebraska, a team with plenty of questions, three spots ahead of the Ducks. Both teams have quarterback questions, but Oregon's system will lead to production no matter who is running the show.
Nebraska's offense will be a work in progress throughout the season. Does that really warrant a spot in the top eight?
No. 6: Cincinnati, Received 108 Votes, First Team Out
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The Bearcats figure to have one of the best offenses in College Football, again, and should be slightly better defensively.
Cincinnati received the most votes of any team left out in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. Interestingly, rival West Virginia got the nod over the 'Cats in both polls.
The amount of faith voters put in teams with unproven quarterbacks is astounding. While Cincinnati boast Zach Collaros, a dual-threat quarterback who will likely put up gaudy numbers, West Virginia enters the season with the unproven Geno Smith.
Ultimately, both West Virginia and Cincinnati are top-25 caliber teams. Is it really too much to ask for the voters to rank three Big East teams in the top 25?
No. 5: Florida, Ranked Fourth
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Florida needs to replace Tim Tebow, Maurkice Pouncey, Joe Haden and Brandon Spikes. But the cupboard is stocked with talent and Urban Meyer's team should have a great season.
The Gators' gripe comes against Boise State, and team that received a first place vote and was ranked third by the AP.
The Broncos return 21 starters, but there is no way they can match Florida's talent. Vaulting Boise State ahead of two powerhouses is certainly a bold move.
No. 4: Virginia Tech, Ranked 10th
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The AP voters might be concerned about Virginia Tech's inexperienced defense, which could be why the Hokies bring up the rear of the top 10.
Virginia Tech has reason to be upset, but Frank Beamer's team has been overlooked before and still made noise on a national level. A win over Boise State on September 6 would shake up the rankings drastically and could easily lift the Hokies into the top five in both the AP and Coaches polls.
No. 3: Florida State, Ranked 20th
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To be fair, Florida State enters 2010 with questions and a first-year head coach who must replace a legend. But looking at the teams ranked head of the 'Noles, it appears that the voters missed the boat.
FSU figures to have one of the most productive offenses in what will be a very deep ACC this season, and has the talent to improve greatly on last year's horrendous defensive showing.
Jimbo Fisher's team has beef with Georgia Tech, a unit looking to replace four of its best players from last year's Orange Bowl team.
The voters clearly should have flip-flopped FSU and Tech in the polls.
No. 2 Utah, Received 81 Votes, Third Team Out
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Utah could easily end the season in the top 15, which makes their absence from the AP Preseason Top 25 somewhat hard to fathom.
The Utes aren't perfect, but they have experience at key positions and the dynamic backfield combination of Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata.
Utah could make an appearance in the polls if it knocks of Pittsburgh in the season opener.
No. 1: Pittsburgh, Ranked 15th
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How in the world is a team with arguably the best offensive and defensive players in its BCS Conference ranked 15th?
That's a question that is simply difficult to answer.
By the end of the season, the Panthers could suffer three or four losses and find themselves outside of the top 25. But this is a preseason poll, and few teams look better than the Pitt on paper.
If nothing else, Pitt should certainly be ranked ahead of USC in the rankings.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
