Tag: preseason top 25

Where each team ranks in the preseason composite top 25

After compiling seven different polls, we have the composite top 25 polls ahead of the ’22 season.

The official start to the 2022 college football season is just over a week away. For Alabama, Nick Saban won’t lead them onto the field until Sept. 3 against the Utah State Aggies.

A lot of expectations are being placed on this year’s team and it starts with them being ranked No. 1 overall in both major polls. However, did they come out on top across the board?

We used the following polls to determine the composite rankings:

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, AP Top 25, CBS Sports, ESPN, 247Sports,  Phil Steele, and Sporting News.

Each ranking was given a point value from 25 to 1. We tallied those numbers between the seven preseason polls and came up with the composite preseason rankings.

These teams received points but sit just outside the top 25:

Iowa Hawkeyes: 15 points

BYU Cougars: 14 points

Penn State Nittany Lions: 12 points

UCF Knights: 9 points

Tennessee Vols: 8 points

UAB Blazers: 5 points

Big Game Boomer trolls Notre Dame, then argues with Irish writer

There’s really no reason any of this should have taken place, right?

Big Game Boomer is known on Twitter for ranking and listing just about everything in college football. His topics range from coordinator duos to teams’ biggest needs to stadium bathrooms. Another one is the best college football teams this season by state. That’s where you’ll find something very wrong with this picture:

One Irish writer who wouldn’t take this sitting down was Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell. He quote tweeted a reply in which Boomer tried to justify his decision, and it led to quite the exchange:

If Boomer wants to defend his choice based on how the Irish have done it big games recently, fair enough. It’s not like the Irish have accomplished a lot in those over the past decade. However, to rank Purdue, which won’t even sniff the preseason top 25, over the Irish at this moment is just dumb and reeks of bias.

Whatever. We all know better, and we know the Irish should be in the top 10 all season. Then maybe, just maybe, Boomer will walk his decision back.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Pat’s POV: Early college football top 25 rankings

The preseason top 25 rankings from College Wire regional editor Patrick Conn.

The start of the 2022 college football season is just under a month away. It all begins during week zero and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will begin their campaign the following week.

It could be gearing up for a top-10 showdown during week one with the Irish tangle with Marcus Freeman’s alma mater, the Ohio State Buckeyes. It will surely set the tone for the debut season under Freeman.

Prior to the season the USA TODAY Sports preseason top 25 will be released on Aug. 8. Prior to the initial poll, College Wires regional editor Patrick Conn released his own version of what the poll could look like.

Let’s check in and see where the Fighting Irish land:

Alabama claims top spot in preseason AP top 25 Poll

Alabama comes in at the top spot!

The Alabama Crimson Tide claim the top spot in the latest AP top 25 Poll. This preseason poll sets the tone to start the season, and while the reigning national champions were expected to be No. 1, there are a few shakeups.

Though the Crimson Tide lost a lot of talent to the 2021 NFL draft, such as Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, star quarterback Mac Jones and lockdown corner Patrick Surtain II, they have a young team that should be able to hold their own on the gridiron.

Alabama will face off against four teams currently on the list, but as the season progresses and records change, as will the top 25. To kick off the season, the Crimson Tide faces No. 14 Miami.

This marks 212 consecutive weeks as a ranked team in the AP Poll for Alabama.

Here’s how the top 25 currently stands:

  1. Alabama
  2. Oklahoma
  3. Clemson
  4. Ohio State
  5. Georgia
  6. Texas A&M
  7. Iowa State
  8. Cincinnati
  9. Notre Dame
  10. North Carolina
  11. Oregon
  12. Wisconsin
  13. Florida
  14. Miami
  15. USC
  16. LSU
  17. Indiana
  18. Iowa
  19. Penn State
  20. Washington
  21. Texas
  22. Coastal Carolina
  23. Lousiana
  24. Utah
  25. Arizona State

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the weekly AP Polls as they come out and report on the Crimson Tide’s placement and their opponents.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Preseason coaches poll released

Having made six straight appearances in the College Football Playoff, Clemson figured to start the 2021 season at or near where it has finished the last handful of seasons. That designation is now official. The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the AFCA …

Having made six straight appearances in the College Football Playoff, Clemson figured to start the 2021 season at or near where it has finished the last handful of seasons.

That designation is now official.

The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the AFCA preseason coaches poll released Tuesday. Clemson went 10-2 last season en route to its sixth consecutive ACC title before falling to Ohio State in the CFP semifinals.

Clemson will open the season against Georgia on Sept. 4 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte.

Check out the full preseason coaches poll below.

1 Alabama 0-0 1621 63 NR — 1/1
2 Clemson 0-0 1508 0 NR — 2/2
3 Oklahoma 0-0 1481 2 NR — 3/3
4 Ohio State 0-0 1435 0 NR — 4/4
5 Georgia 0-0 1386 0 NR — 5/5
6 Texas A&M 0-0 1286 0 NR — 6/6
7 Notre Dame 0-0 1139 0 NR — 7/7
8 Iowa State 0-0 1131 0 NR — 8/8
9 North Carolina 0-0 999 0 NR — 9/9
10 Cincinnati 0-0 979 0 NR — 10/10
11 Florida 0-0 870 0 NR — 11/11
12 Oregon 0-0 842 0 NR — 12/12
13 Louisiana State 0-0 664 0 NR — 13/13
14 Southern California 0-0 655 0 NR — 14/14
15 Wisconsin 0-0 654 0 NR — 15/15
16 Miami 0-0 575 0 NR — 16/16
17 Indiana 0-0 573 0 NR — 17/17
18 Iowa 0-0 554 0 NR — 18/18
19 Texas 0-0 427 0 NR — 19/19
20 Penn State 0-0 422 0 NR — 20/20
21 Washington 0-0 404 0 NR — 21/21
22 Oklahoma State 0-0 216 0 NR — 22/22
23 UL Lafayette 0-0 153 0 NR — 23/23
24 Coastal Carolina 0-0 150 0 NR — 24/24
25 Mississippi 0-0 149 0 NR — 25/25

Texas basketball jumps up to No. 2 in Jeff Goodman’s updated top 25

After landing Carr, Chris Beard’s squad is now viewed as one of the top teams in the country.

After Texas landed Marcus Carr, who averaged 19 points and four assists while at Minnesota, Chris Beard and the Longhorns made a move towards the top spot in Stadium’s Jeff Goodman’s newest preseason rankings.

Goodman now has Texas slated in the No. 2 spot in the country right below the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who signed the second ranked class in the nation according to 247Sports, headlined by Fiba U19 MVP Chet Holgren.

The Longhorns will have a total of seven players who averaged double digit points in 2020, and are now poised to contend at the highest level.

The thing that sets this team apart compared to the Shaka Smart era is the fact that there as an elite amount of depth. At times during the tournament with Texas Tech, Beard utilized a nine player rotation. Not only is that an option, but if he wanted to, Beard could use up to an 11 player rotation, as the Longhorns have arguably the deepest team in college basketball.

The preseason rankings are nice and all, but now that the roster is full, building chemistry is the most important thing. Otherwise, this squad will just be a team with a bunch of great individual players that could not accomplish anything.

Where does Penn State rank in updated USA TODAY football preseason top 25?

Penn State has once again been given a top 25 preseason ranking, but the Nittany Lions still have to prove themselves to some doubters.

With spring football practices now well in the rearview mirror and the transition to full preseason mode underway, updated preseason top 25 rankings are beginning to make the rounds. So far, the general consensus seems to see Penn State as a legitimate top 25 team, although the Nittany Lions are viewed as a team with something to prove before regaining the national; respect as a potential Big Ten or even a playoff contender.

Sporting News and Athlon Sports each had slightly different takes on their outlooks for the Nittany Lions in 2021, and Pro Football Focus is on the record as well. All three have Penn State as a top 25 team, however. And the latest updated preseason ranking from USA TODAY backs that concept up. And once again, it looks like there is a pretty common theme for where Penn State is ranked by the latest offering from USA TODAY writer Erick Smith’s stab at a preseason top 25.

NEXT… USA TODAY’s ranking of Penn State football for 2021

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Where does Athlon Sports rank Penn State in preseason top 25?

Penn State is ranked in the preseason top 25 from Athlon Sports but the Nittany Lions have some work to do.

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Walk into any grocery store and you will soon start seeing copies of the Athlon Sports college preview magazines. It is one of the warm reminders that college football is coming, and you may be enticed to check out the preseason top 25 to see where Penn State is ranked. Fortunately, Athlon Sports released its preseason top 25 last week, and the Nittany Lions are ranked inside the top 20 for the 2021 season.

Penn State checks in at No. 19 on the Athlon Sports preseason top 25. Coming off a tough 2020 season but with a good batch of ingredients for possible success in 2021 makes it difficult for Penn State to have a solid read going into the new season. That trend seems to continue with its preseason ranking from Athlon.

Here’s what Athlon Sports had to say about Penn State in 2021;

Last year’s 4-5 record was a big disappointment, but Penn State should rebound in 2021. Prior to last season, the Nittany Lions won at least 11 games in three of the last four years. While getting back to double-digit wins won’t be easy, there should be noticeable improvement, especially if the offense gets on track under new coordinator Mike Yurcich. The former Texas and Oklahoma State play-caller will be Penn State’s third different coordinator in three years, but a normal offseason should ease the transition. Quarterback play is under the spotlight after Sean Clifford had an uneven ’20 season and tossed nine picks in nine games. Clifford has an edge to be the No. 1 signal-caller once again, and he won’t lack for help with Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington back at receiver, along with a deep stable of running backs and three starters back in the trenches. Penn State’s defense held teams to 5.1 yards per play but gave up 27.7 points a contest. Improving on both totals is a reasonable expectation with seven starters back. However, there are big holes to fill up front with Jayson Oweh, Shaka Toney, Shane Simmons and Antonio Shelton all departing the trenches. Transfers Derrick Tangelo (Duke) and Arnold Ebiketie (Temple) need to make an impact right away up front. The road slate features treks to Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio State, while Michigan, Indiana and Auburn visit Happy Valley this fall.

This is a pretty good summary of Penn State. The upgrade at offensive coordinator with Mike Yurcich is benefitted by having a full spring practice schedule to work through the transition. Sean Clifford has had his ups and downs but has good help around him on the offensive side of the football. And the defense has room for improvement, although the points allowed per game wasn’t helped last year by extremely costly turnovers leading to opponents scoring on defense or having an extremely short field to work with.

The ranking by Athlon Sports is six spots higher than the one released by Sporting News this week. Sporting News ranked Penn State No. 25 in its preseason top 25.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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Where the Sporting News ranks Oklahoma, Big 12 in early top 25

Where the Sporting News ranked Oklahoma, three other Big 12 schools in their preseason rankings.

Another day, another top 25 preseason ranking list has been released. For this edition, Bill Bender of The Sporting News released his top 25 preseason ranking. Others have consistently ranked the Oklahoma Sooners in the top two spots. However, Bender sees it a bit differently for the Crimson and Creme.

Sporting News Top 25 Rankings

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma Sooners No. 4

Is this the year the Sooners break through for their first national championship since 2000? Oklahoma closed 2020 as one of the hottest teams in the FBS, and Heisman Trophy favorite Spencer Rattler will improve with another year with Lincoln Riley. The running back rotation is loaded with Kennedy Brooks, Marcus Major and Tennessee transfer Eric Gray. Marvin Mims and Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood form an elite receiving trio. The defense is always a question, but defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and Nik Bonitto return. The Sooners will be ranked No. 1 by some publications, and a fifth CFP appearance is within reach. Oklahoma still needs to prove it in the CFP.

Bender put the Sooners behind the Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson Tigers, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Those four have routinely been touted as the top four teams in all of college football. Most expect that they could be the last four standing by the time the College Football Playoffs roll around in 2021. The Sooners will be the only team of the four returning their starting quarterback. That might give them an edge but only time will tell if Spencer Rattler is ready to return OU to the promised land.

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Remaining Big 12 Teams

  • Iowa State Cyclones- No. 9
  • Texas Longhorns– No. 13
  • Oklahoma State Cowboys- No. 17

The Texas Christian Horned Frogs are the most likely team to just miss the cut for the preseason rankings from the Sporting News. Along with the other four teams in the Big 12 Conference, they seem like the obvious answers to battle for conference supremacy in 2021.

Texas Baseball: Longhorns land in top 10 of preseason rankings

The preseason top 25 from D1 Baseball was recently released with the Longhorns coming in at No. 9 overall.

It’s almost baseball time at Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. The 2020 season ended abruptly for the Longhorns, where they started out the season 14-3 before the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic that ended all winter and spring sports across the collegiate landscape.

Continue reading “Texas Baseball: Longhorns land in top 10 of preseason rankings”