Tag: USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

LSU earns votes in week two USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

The LSU Tigers receive votes in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll but remain unranked.

Week two of college football has come and gone. It was a wild affair in the second full week for the sport. USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Sunday. After falling completely out of the poll last week, the LSU Tigers received votes in the second week but are on the outside of the top 25 once again. Based on the tally of votes, the Tigers would sit at No. 38 overall.

The big movers of the poll were the Arkansas Razorbacks after their upset victory over the Texas Longhorns, they are sitting at No. 20. The Longhorns fell out of the top 25.

A look at the full coaches poll after week one’s games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,558 –
3 Oklahoma 1,454 +1
4 Oregon 1,356 +7
5 Texas A&M 1,307 –
6 Clemson 1,279 –
7 Iowa 1,165 +5
8 Cincinnati 1,114 –
9 Florida 1,095 –
10 Notre Dame 1,059 -3
11 Ohio State 1,041 -8
12 Penn State 995 +1
13 UCLA 787 +3
14 Iowa State 611 -4
15 Virginia Tech 591 +6
16 Ole Miss 546 +4
17 Wisconsin 537 –
18 Coastal Carolina 492 +1
19 North Carolina 300 +3
20 Auburn 264 +6
21 Arizona State 246 +4
22 Oklahoma State 222 +1
23 BYU 213 +8
24 Arkansas 196 +20
25 Michigan 180 +2

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 14 Southern California; No. 15 Texas; No. 18 Utah; No. 24 Miami.

Others receiving votes:

Miami 137; Southern California 99; Central Florida 65; Michigan State 63; Liberty 63; Texas Christian 57; Pittsburgh 52; Kentucky 50; Utah 41; Texas 36; Kansas State 28; Indiana 28; Louisiana State 26; Boston College 22; Nevada 18; Fresno State 13; Southern Methodist 10; Rutgers 10; UL Lafayette 9; San Diego State 9; Mississippi State 9; Army 9; Tulane 6; Maryland 6; San Jose State 5; NC State 5; Virginia 4; Marshall 4; Stanford 3; Air Force 3; Texas-San Antonio 1; Memphis 1; Boise State 1.

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Penn State on the rise in latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after Wisconsin win

Moving on up! Penn State gets a bump up in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

As expected, Penn State managed to make a noticeable rise in the latest rankings following its big road win against Wisconsin to start the season. But Penn State still has a little bit more work to do in order to crack the top 10 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

Penn State rose seven spots in the coaches poll after the results of Week 1, moving James Franklin’s program up to No. 13 in the nation according to the coaches. Penn State received a total of 872 points in the voting and trails No. 12 Iowa by 42 points. Iowa moved up six spots in the rankings after dismantling Indiana in their Week 1 matchup in Big Ten play. Indiana dropped out of the top 25 as a result, although Wisconsin only fell back two spots to drop to No. 17 in the coaches poll.

Alabama remains the heavy favorite for No. 1 in the coaches poll. The Crimson Tide secured 63 first-place votes. The only other first-place vote in the coaches poll went to No. 2 Georgia. The Bulldogs moved up three spots after shutting down Clemson in the defensive battle in Charlotte on Saturday night. Clemson dropped four spots from No. 2 to No. 6.

A total of four Big Ten teams are ranked in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll this week; Ohio State (No. 3), Iowa (No. 12), Penn State (No. 13), and Wisconsin (No. 17).

A look at the full coaches poll after week one’s games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,537 +3
3 Ohio State 1,491 +1
4 Oklahoma 1,397 -1
5 Texas A&M 1,334 +1
6 Clemson 1,239 -4
7 Notre Dame 1.197 –
8 Cincinnati 1.113 +2
9 Florida 1,058 +2
10 Iowa State 1,057 -2
11 Oregon 920 +1
12 Iowa 914 +6
13 Penn State 872 +7
14 USC 828 –
15 Texas 653 +4
16 UCLA 538 +26
17 Wisconsin 359 -2
18 Utah 294 +8
19 Coastal Carolina 289 +5
20 Ole Miss 285 +5
21 Virginia Tech 274 +19
22 North Carolina 252 -13
23 Oklahoma State 243 -1
24 Miami (Fl) 186 -8
25 Arizona State 181 +3

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.

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Oklahoma takes a dip in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

The Oklahoma Sooners lackluster second half leads to a dip in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners won the game, but suffered a letdown as they allowed the Tulane Green Wave to climb out of a 37-14 hole to get within striking distance at the end of the fourth quarter.

It took a shoestring tackle from the Sooners defense on a 4th and 13 run by Tulane Quarterback Michael Pratt to seal the game and allow OU an opportunity to milk the clock.

In the wake of the disappointing second half, the Sooners have found themselves taking a bit of a hit from a national perspective. They dropped in the latest ESPN and Pro Football Focus power rankings and stepped back a bit in today’s release of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

After opening as the no. 3 team in the preseason rankings, the Sooners fall to fourth despite the win. They were jumped by Georgia who beat Clemson 10-3 on Saturday night and Ohio State who took care of business against Minnesota on Thursday.

Iowa State and Oklahoma State joined the Sooners in taking a step pack in the polls. The Cyclones after struggling to dispatch of Northern Iowa in their 16-10 win on Saturday. The Cowboys had a hard time with Missouri State.

Texas was the lone Big 12 team to take step in a positive direction, climbing four spots after beating them no. 23 Louisiana 38-18 in week one of the season.

Alabama hangs onto the top spot after a resounding win over then no. 16 Miami.

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,537 +3
3 Ohio State 1,491 +1
4 Oklahoma 1,397 -1
5 Texas A&M 1,334 +1
6 Clemson 1,239 -4
7 Notre Dame 1.197 –
8 Cincinnati 1.113 +2
9 Florida 1,058 +2
10 Iowa State 1,057 -2
11 Oregon 920 +1
12 Iowa 914 +6
13 Penn State 872 +7
14 USC 828 –
15 Texas 653 +4
16 UCLA 538 +26
17 Wisconsin 359 -2
18 Utah 294 +8
19 Coastal Carolina 289 +5
20 Ole Miss 285 +5
21 Virginia Tech 274 +19
22 North Carolina 252 -13
23 Oklahoma State 243 -1
24 Miami (Fl) 186 -8
25 Arizona State 181 +3

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.

Where Florida lands in the post-Week 1 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Florida rose two spots in the latest update of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

Florida started the 2021 season with a win over Florida Atlantic in the Swamp on Saturday, and though it left a lot to be desired with regard to the passing game, the rushing attack appears to be much improved and the defense at least looks to have taken a step forward.

With some actual football to use for reference, the first update to the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll has been released, and due to struggles from a pair of teams ranked above them, the Gators are on the rise.

Florida ranks ninth in the latest update, up two spots from where it stood in the preseason rankings. That rise can be attributed to previous No. 9 North Carolina’s loss to Virginia Tech and previous No. 10 Iowa State’s difficulty dispatching an FCS opponent in Northern Iowa.

UF is still the fourth-highest ranked team in the SEC behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia (who moved up three spots after upsetting then-No. 3 Clemson) and No. 5 Texas A&M. Here’s the full Coaches Poll.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,537 +3
3 Ohio State 1,491 +1
4 Oklahoma 1,397 -1
5 Texas A&M 1,334 +1
6 Clemson 1,239 -4
7 Notre Dame 1.197 –
8 Cincinnati 1.113 +2
9 Florida 1,058 +2
10 Iowa State 1,057 -2
11 Oregon 920 +1
12 Iowa 914 +6
13 Penn State 872 +7
14 USC 828 –
15 Texas 653 +4
16 UCLA 538 +26
17 Wisconsin 359 -2
18 Utah 294 +8
19 Coastal Carolina 289 +5
20 Ole Miss 285 +5
21 Virginia Tech 274 +19
22 North Carolina 252 -13
23 Oklahoma State 243 -1
24 Miami (Fl) 186 -8
25 Arizona State 181 +3

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.

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Tennessee receives votes in Week 2 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Tennessee receives votes in Week 2 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

Tennessee (1-0) defeated Bowling Green, 38-6, in Week 1 at Neyland Stadium.

The Vols host Pittsburgh in the Johnny Majors Classic Saturday.

Kickoff is slated for noon EDT. ESPN will televise the Week 2 matchup.

Below is the Week 2 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,537 +3
3 Ohio State 1,491 +1
4 Oklahoma 1,397 -1
5 Texas A&M 1,334 +1
6 Clemson 1,239 -4
7 Notre Dame 1.197 –
8 Cincinnati 1.113 +2
9 Florida 1,058 +2
10 Iowa State 1,057 -2
11 Oregon 920 +1
12 Iowa 914 +6
13 Penn State 872 +7
14 USC 828 –
15 Texas 653 +4
16 UCLA 538 +26
17 Wisconsin 359 -2
18 Utah 294 +8
19 Coastal Carolina 289 +5
20 Ole Miss 285 +5
21 Virginia Tech 274 +19
22 North Carolina 252 -13
23 Oklahoma State 243 -1
24 Miami (Fl) 186 -8
25 Arizona State 181 +3

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.

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Alabama stays top-ranked in latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

The Crimson Tide stay on top!

The Alabama Crimson Tide stays put in the top spot on the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after the 44-13 win over the Miami Hurricanes.

In an opening week for college football that had plenty of shocking finishes, close games and massive upsets, the Coaches Poll certainly got the shake up it deserved.

After losing a lot of talent to the NFL, and even some members of the coaching staff, the Crimson Tide remains the team to beat in the nation.

Here’s a look at the full poll.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,537 +3
3 Ohio State 1,491 +1
4 Oklahoma 1,397 -1
5 Texas A&M 1,334 +1
6 Clemson 1,239 -4
7 Notre Dame 1.197 –
8 Cincinnati 1.113 +2
9 Florida 1,058 +2
10 Iowa State 1,057 -2
11 Oregon 920 +1
12 Iowa 914 +6
13 Penn State 872 +7
14 USC 828 –
15 Texas 653 +4
16 UCLA 538 +26
17 Wisconsin 359 -2
18 Utah 294 +8
19 Coastal Carolina 289 +5
20 Ole Miss 285 +5
21 Virginia Tech 274 +19
22 North Carolina 252 -13
23 Oklahoma State 243 -1
24 Miami (Fl) 186 -8
25 Arizona State 181 +3

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.

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LSU drops out of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after UCLA loss

The LSU Tigers fall completely out of the top 25 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll following loss to UCLA.

College football got underway on Thursday as week one of the season saw plenty of blowouts, upsets, and close calls.  The first in-season USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Sunday. The LSU Tigers fell after their loss the opener to the UCLA Bruins on the road. After knocking off the No. 13 team in the country, the Bruins find themselves ranked. While UCLA climbed 26 spots to get into the rankings, LSU finds itself on the outside looking in.

The Alabama Crimson Tide held onto the top spot after they throttled the Miami Hurricanes in the opening game of their schedule. It sure didn’t appear that there is any dropoff after losing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian to Texas to go with Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and DeVonta Smith to the NFL draft. Georgia looked like the second-best team in the country after physically dominating Clemson.

A look at the full coaches poll after week one’s games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Points Change
1 Alabama 1,624 –
2 Georgia 1,537 +3
3 Ohio State 1,491 +1
4 Oklahoma 1,397 -1
5 Texas A&M 1,334 +1
6 Clemson 1,239 -4
7 Notre Dame 1.197 –
8 Cincinnati 1.113 +2
9 Florida 1,058 +2
10 Iowa State 1,057 -2
11 Oregon 920 +1
12 Iowa 914 +6
13 Penn State 872 +7
14 USC 828 –
15 Texas 653 +4
16 UCLA 538 +26
17 Wisconsin 359 -2
18 Utah 294 +8
19 Coastal Carolina 289 +5
20 Ole Miss 285 +5
21 Virginia Tech 274 +19
22 North Carolina 252 -13
23 Oklahoma State 243 -1
24 Miami (Fl) 186 -8
25 Arizona State 181 +3

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL

Others receiving votes:

Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.

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Poll Watching: How many teams ranked ahead of Penn State lost in Week 1?

Penn State should be making a quick move up in the polls this week after a big road win at Wisconsin and a handful of teams taking a loss in Week 1

Heading into the season, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit mentioned he thought the winner of the Penn State-Wisconsin game could make a quick move into the top 10 of the major college football polls. After Week 1, it is looking more and more as though Herbstreit was on to something.

Penn State started the season ranked No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and took care of business on the road against No. 15 Wisconsin (Penn State was ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25, Wisconsin at No. 12). After a 16-10 victory in Madison, Penn State is already a lock to be moving ahead of at least one team in the rankings heading into Week 2 as the Nittany Lions will surely move ahead of the Badgers on the coaches ballots and AP ballots this week. But just how high will Penn State rise in the next round of the polls?

Five takeaways from Penn State’s win at Wisconsin in Week 1

Let’s first take a look to see the handful of teams ranked ahead of Penn State that suffered a loss in Week 1, because there were a good number of them.

The highest-ranked team ahead of Penn State to lose a game was No. 2 Clemson (No. 3 in AP). The Tigers came up short in a 10-3 battle with No. 5 Georgia (No. 5 in AP too) in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte. Despite only scoring three points, you shouldn’t count on Clemson dropping too far in the polls in Week 2. They should still stay ahead of Penn State for now. After Clemson, things get interesting for Penn State’s poll rankings.

No. 9 North Carolina (No. 10 in AP) was a victim on the road in ACC play against Virginia Tech. The Hokies picked off Sam Howell three times in the 17-10 upset victory. The Hokies will likely be making a nice debut in the rankings as a result while the Tar Heels could take a tumble. Penn State could easily be about to jump Mack Brown’s Tar Heels as the polls reshuffle the deck this week.

No. 16 Miami (No. 14 in AP) is also about to fall behind Penn State. The Hurricanes shouldn’t be punished for losing a neutral site game to Alabama, but a 44-13 setback against the Crimson Tide will make it easy to drop Miami within the top 25. Penn State should move ahead of them in the process.

No. 13 LSU (No. 16 in AP) was also a road victim in Week 1 with their west coast loss to Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins. This one will be interesting to see because UCLA should be moving into the top 25 rankings. With a 2-0 record already and a win against LSU, how high will UCLA’s top 25 debut be, and will the voters slide UCLA in ahead of Penn State? Penn State will move ahead of the LSU Tigers, but it may be interesting to see just how the voters fall on UCLA.

No. 17 Indiana (No. 17 in AP) was roughed up on the road in Big Ten play by No. 18 Iowa (No. 18 in AP), 34-6. This will be another interesting ranking to keep an eye on. Penn State will move ahead of the Hoosiers, but will the voters give more credit for a hard-fought defensive victory on the road against a higher-ranked Wisconsin or give the nod to Iowa for blasting what was perceived to be a pretty even opponent at home? Iowa is probably more deserving of a higher-ranking than Penn State based solely on the results of Week 1, but time will tell.

There is one more opportunity for a team ranked ahead of Penn State to suffer a loss in Week 1. No. 7 Notre Dame (No. 9 in AP) is on the road against Florida State on Sunday night. If the Seminoles can score a major upset of the Fighting Irish, Penn State could find a way to move ahead of another top 10 team after just one week of play.

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Oklahoma Sooners underrated in preseason poll; Texas overrated

Preseason poll reactions have Oklahoma underrated at No. 3, Texas overrated at No. 19.

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We have reached that point in the preseason: The polls are out and they are good for water cooler talk around the office. Whether you believe preseason rankings are irrelevant, they give you an idea of where the nation sees each team. For Oklahoma, the hype train has reached a fever pitch. The fan base and media alike see the Crimson and Cream competing for the CFP come January.

It is hard to fathom calling a No. 3 team in the country underrated, but that is exactly what 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford did. Oklahoma came in behind Alabama and Clemson in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll on Tuesday. The Sooners received two first-place votes.

College football diehards with their finger on the pulse of offseason narratives may have noticed the hype levels surrounding the Sooners this summer. For once, the noisy momentum is warranted. For starters, no team in college football likely feels better about its quarterback situation entering the season than Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma. Spencer Rattler returns with a year of experience in big games under his belt as the chosen one nationally — Heisman front-runner, face of college football, etc. But where this team goes from great to elite this season and potentially wins their first playoff game in Riley’s tenure comes on defense.

The offense is loaded. Spencer Rattler is chasing the Heisman Trophy and the elusive CFP semifinal victory. The defense is just as loaded, led by pass-rush specialist Nik Bonitto. Alex Grinch has turned the defense around after that abomination of an effort in 2018.

On the south side of the Red River, we have the Texas Longhorns coming in at No. 19. Crawford was not a fan.

Name recognition. As you know, it means everything in college football. Perhaps the Longhorns are over-inflated a bit heading into the season with a first-year starting quarterback and a brand-new coaching staff under Steve Sarkisian. The latest win total from Vegas oddsmakers stands at 7.5, which means Texas is just as likely to finish 7-5 this fall as it is 8-4 depending on how many games you think the Longhorns can win. Will Sarkisian’s offense click in Year 1? Are we expecting an improved defense under the tutelage of Pete Kwiatkowski? There are more questions than answers right now for the Longhorns, which begs the question — why did the coaches rank Texas inside the top 20?

Coaches Poll Reaction: LSU underrated, Texas A&M overrated

Barrett Sallee has LSU as an underrated team, Texas A&M overrated in first Coaches Poll of the year.

The first USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll has been released with the LSU Tigers coming in at No. 13. It didn’t take long for the hot takes to start flying off the preseason rankings. Is Ed Orgeron’s squad too high? Are they too low?

CBS Sports national college football analyst Barrett Sallee wasted no time in provided his take on the matter. He has the Tigers as an underrated bunch at No. 13 even after a 5-5 season in 2020.

Can we stop with the narrative that LSU is a hot mess destined for a disaster in 2021? That simply won’t be the case. Coach Ed Orgeron told me at SEC Media Days that he didn’t handle the pressure of defending a national championship well at all. He’s right. To fix things, he canned defensive coordinator Bo Pelini in favor of Daronte Jones, and replaced Steve Ensminger with Jake Peetz, who Orgeron says will incorporate five-man protection schemes almost exclusively. That’s exactly what Joe Brady did during the 2019 national title run.

Let’s not forget he replaced Scott Linehan as the passing game coordinator with DJ Mangas, who also joins Peetz coming over from the Carolina Panthers. Max Johnson seems like the perfect fit in the quarterback room for the Peetz offense that will incorporate a heavy dose of run-pass options (RPO’s). As Sallee states the running back room is loaded with Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr as the two-headed attack. Kayshon Boutte is ready to build off the impressive regular-season finale against Ole Miss.

LSU is Alabama’s primary threat, and it isn’t even close.

The defense should be much improved with the addition by subtraction when Orgeron relieved Bo Pelini of his duties. Daronte Jones should have this defense playing at a higher level. Sallee wasn’t very fond of the Aggies No. 6 ranking in the debut poll.

Look, I get it. Texas A&M was in the College Football Playoff mix all the way up to the final release of the rankings last winter. That has given Aggie fans around the country a false sense of hope that this is the year they break through the glass ceiling and make the CFP. That isn’t going to happen. The No. 6 ranking ignores that coach Jimbo Fisher is breaking in a new quarterback — Haynes King or Zach Calzada — who hasn’t taken a single meaningful snap in FBS football

Everyone is seemingly looking at Alabama then A&M then LSU in the SEC West division standings, but if you listen to the CBS Sports analyst he doesn’t buy into the Aggies.

It will be a fun battle this upcoming season between the three teams expecting to contend for the SEC West crown in 2021.

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