Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
USA TODAY Sports’ Scooby Axson listed the Iowa Hawkeyes among his five teams that were snubbed in the preseason coaches poll.
USA TODAY Sports released its 2022 preseason AFCA Coaches Poll and the Iowa Hawkeyes were the first team on the outside of the top 25 looking in. For a team that won the Big Ten West last season and returns plenty of firepower defensively, it’s surprised some that Iowa starts outside the coaches’ top 25.
Iowa isn’t alone in that distinction, though. USA TODAY Sports’ Scooby Axson listed five teams, including the Iowa Hawkeyes, that were snubbed in the preseason AFCA Coaches Poll.
Did the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll snub Penn State? This writer thinks so.
The release of the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll on Monday showed Penn State is right to have a bit of a chip on its shoulder this fall. The Nittany Lions were left just off the final cut of the preseason coaches poll, coming in just second among the others receiving votes.
But was it right to leave Penn State off the preseason poll, or did the coaches get it wrong? According to at least one college football writer, Penn State was snubbed.
Scooby Axson of USA TODAY broke down the preseason coaches poll and listed the five schools he felt were snubbed by the voters. Among the teams was Penn State.
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“Quarterback Sean Clifford is back for a sixth year, and coach James Franklin vowed to the Happy Valley fan base that whatever issues have plagued his team over the past two years that it will get fixed,” Axson. Franklin has stressed the importance of letting his players, specifically the offensive line, allow their play to do the talking for them this season.
But Axson pointed out a couple of areas of concern based on last season, neither of which should be too surprising to Penn State fans.
“Here is an alarming thing they can start with: No running back gained 100 yards in any game in 2021,” Axson noted. “As with all of the teams on this snubs list, replacing departed production will mean success in 2022. In this case, it’s the 91 catches of Jahan Dotson, now in the NFL.”
Fortunately, Franklin does believe his roster has the depth to make up for the loss of Dotson and the running back position looks to be pretty solid as well.
See what other teams made Axson’s list of snubbed teams from the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
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The release of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll shows Penn State has some work to do.
If it wasn’t clear enough that Penn State is a team that will have something to prove this season, the release of the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll may drive that point home a little bit harder. Penn State was left out of the preseason coaches poll, which was released on Monday ahead of the 2022 college football season.
Alabama gobbled up the majority of the first-place votes from the voters in the coaches poll to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. With 54 first-place votes, Alabama comfortably sits atop the USA TOSAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll to start the season. Big Ten favorite Ohio State is ranked second in the poll with five first-place votes to its name. Defending national champion Georgia received six first-place votes but sits No. 3 overall behind the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes.
Just four teams from the Big Ten appear in the preseason coaches poll. In addition to Ohio State, the coaches poll includes defending Big Ten champion Michigan (No. 6), Michigan State (No. 14), and Wisconsin (No. 20).
Iowa and Penn State are the first two teams left out of the poll, and first and second respectively in the “Others Receiving Votes” category. So it seems Penn State won’t have to do too much to crack the top 25 in the first few weeks of the season. A road win at Purdue and a road win at Auburn would likely move Penn State within the top 25 in the first few weeks of the season.
Penn State’s schedule includes three preseason top 25 opponents according to the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll; Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State.
A look at the full preseason AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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USA TODAY Sports released its preseason top 25 Coaches Poll and the Iowa Hawkeyes were the first team on the outside looking in.
USA TODAY Sports released their preseason top 25 coaches poll prior to the kickoff of the 2022 college football season. As it stands right now, the Iowa Hawkeyes are the first team on the outside looking in as they are excluded from the top 25.
While preseason top 25 polls are based off of expectations, hype, and circumstances, no actual on-field data or games exist to make a true ranking. That said, it is still peculiar to exclude the defending Big Ten West champions from a national top 25.
The top of the rankings are the usual suspects in Alabama at No. 1, Ohio State at No. 2, and Georgia at No. 3. The rest of the top 10 looks like this: Clemson at No. 4, Notre Dame at No. 5, Michigan at No. 6, Texas A&M at No. 7, Utah at No. 8, Oklahoma at No. 9 and Baylor at No. 10.
The Big Ten has two other representatives in the preseason USA TODAY Sports top 25 rankings. The Michigan State Spartans at No. 14 and the Wisconsin Badgers at No. 20 join the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
The SEC has six schools in the top 25 while the Big 12 has four schools represented and the ACC has five schools selected.
Some schools feel slightly overrated. Texas is always overrated and has not proven otherwise in the last few years aside from their talent on paper. Cincinnati will still be very formidable but losing Desmond Ridder and Sauce Gardner could caise a minor step back for the Bearcats.
Clemson deserves to be in the top 25 but sitting at No. 4 coming off of a down year in terms of what it takes to be in the college football playoff seems as though their ranking was given based on prior accolades as opposed to the current situation.
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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Plenty of familiar faces landed in the preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll
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The college football season is getting close. Can you taste it?
On Monday, the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll was released. At the top, there aren’t very many surprises, with Alabama, Ohio State and defending champs Georgia all at the top.
Here’s the entire top 25:
There it is, and the Pac-12 has three teams in the top 15, with the USC Trojans coming out of nowhere and emerging as a contender with the additions of Lincoln Riley, Jordan Addison, Caleb Williams and a ton of other big names.
Utah, the defending Pac-12 champions, is in the top 10 and was picked by the media to win the conference once again.
Then there is Oregon, and things are much different in Eugene. Mario Cristobal left for Miami and got replaced by Georgia assistant Dan Lanning. Bo Nix is also set to be the team’s starter at QB.
So, three Pac-12 teams are in the top 25, and there is a very likely scenario that all three teams crack the top 10 before too long, especially if the Trojans do as well as everybody is expecting them to.
As of now, no other Buffs opponents are in the top 25, so that’s good for their chances of winning football games. On the other hand, their brutal schedule looks even more daunting late in the season.
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A look at where SEC teams are ranked in the 2022 preseason football USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Tennessee opened fall training camp Aug. 1 in preparation for the 2022 season under second-year head coach Josh Heupel.
The Vols will kick off its 2022 campaign Sept. 1 against Ball State at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the season-opening matchup.
Tennessee went 7-6 in 2021, appearing in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Purdue.
Ahead of the 2022 season, the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released. Below are rankings for Southeastern Conference schools. The complete poll can be viewed here.
The Gators failed to crack the preseason top 25 but there’s still a whole season of football to be played.
The preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll is officially out, and unfortunately for Florida football fans, the Gators were excluded from the initial rankings for the upcoming 2022 season.
The Orange and Blue are coming off a disappointing campaign that saw the end of the [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] era thanks to some egregious underperformances by the team, which led to the program’s worst record in Southeastern Conference play since 1986. While the hiring of former Lousiana Ragin’ Cajuns head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] instilled a good deal of confidence in the fanbase so far, he has yet to prove himself at a Power Five school — much less, the grueling gauntlet of the SEC.
Subsequently, it comes as no surprise that the Gators sit outside of the top 25 with only 17 votes, but the bearish early outlook really amounts to nothing more than an educated guess. A convincing win in Week 1 over the Utah Utes, who come to Gainesville ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll, would do wonders for the team’s standing and would likely have them sneaking into the rankings.
There are six SEC schools in the top 25, with the Alabama Crimson Tide coming in at No. 1, the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs at No. 3 and the Texas A&M Aggies at No. 7, while the Kentucky Wildcats, Arkansas Razorbacks and Ole Miss Rebels help close out the top 25 at Nos. 21, 23 and 24, respectively.
A look at the full preseason AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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Needless to say, Ohio State is pretty high on this list when looking at the USA TODAY Coaches Poll historically. #GoBucks
There are two main historical college football polls that have separated themselves from the rest of the traditional polls. The Associated Press Top 25 is by and large the one that most folks like to look at, but right there with the AP Poll is the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. It has changed its namesake and sponsorship several times, now known as the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Ohio State has been at or near the top more often than not, and now there’s some data to back up the Buckeyes being one of the best in the history of the poll thanks to Pete Fiutak of College Football News.
We’ve already looked at Ohio State’s place in the AP Poll (which is very similar), but according to the method used by Fiutak, the Buckeyes are also a monster in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll throughout history.
From College Football News:
CFN devised a scoring system giving every UPI/USA TODAY national champion 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom of the top 20 in the early years, and then it became the top 25 after USA TODAY took over.
So let’s see what the top 25 looks like. Here are the top 25 historical programs when it comes to ranking them based on appearances in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, starting from No. 25 down to No. 1.
The final AFCA Coaches Poll of the season was released
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Besides Utah putting up a strong fight but eventually falling to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, not much went right for the Pac-12 this bowl season. The Pac-12’s struggles were represented well in the final USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll of the season, which was released on Tuesday.
Not surprisingly, the Pac-12 Champion Utah Utes led the way at No. 12 after being docked one spot for their Rose Bowl loss. While a lot can happen between now and next season, Kyle Wittingham’s Utes should give Colorado all it can handle in 2022.
Oregon, which Colorado hosts in November, dropped six spots in the poll to a season-low No. 21 ranking following its loss to Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
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Washington State, Arizona State, Oregon State and UCLA all lost (or withdrew) their respective bowl game and none received any votes in the final coaches poll. The Buffs will face all these teams minus WSU next season.
Two of Colorado’s three nonconference opponents missed the top 25 but did receive votes; Air Force landed 42 while Minnesota had 23. The Falcons and Gophers have both beaten CU in recent years and should provide a tough early schedule for the Buffs. At least Mike Sanford and Clay Patterson have switched sides.
TCU, the Buffs’ season opener, did not receive any votes.
But again, a lot can happen between now and September.
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Ohio State finished the season in the top five of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. #GoBucks
The Ohio State football program has pretty much been a perennial top-five program over the last couple of decades, and with all of the games now complete for the 2021 season, it looks like it’s that case again when it comes to the last USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
The last time the poll was released, the Buckeyes checked in at No. 7, but after the exhilarating win over Utah in the Rose Bowl, OSU moved up a couple of spots to finish the season at No. 5. So who finished ahead of Ohio State? You can probably guess the teams. Georgia finished No. 1, followed by Alabama (2), Michigan (3), and Cincinnati (4).
Rounding out the top ten behind Ohio State are Baylor (6), Oklahoma State (7), Michigan State (8), Notre Dame (9), and Oklahoma (10).
