Like It Is

Don't read too much into early football polls

Jeff Long, College Football Playoff selections committee chairman, discusses the selection process of the semifinal pairings and semifinal bowl assignments during a news conference Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)
Jeff Long, College Football Playoff selections committee chairman, discusses the selection process of the semifinal pairings and semifinal bowl assignments during a news conference Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)

Until the College Football Playoff rankings come out Nov. 3, polls such as those compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and the Football Writers/National Football Foundation will dominate the news.

Once the College Football Playoff committee reveals its initial rankings, all others move to the back burner.

But it was kind of a big deal when The Associated Press revealed its preseason poll Sunday, because the first big announcement by Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long, chair of the selection committee, is more than two months away.

The Big Five conferences had 23 of the top 25 spots, led by the SEC with eight teams. Independent Notre Dame and the Mountain West's Boise State rounded out the first poll.

Just to indicate how dominant the Big Five conferences are, consider that 19 of the teams ranked in the preseason poll were ranked at the end of last season.

Of the six newbies, three were from the SEC, the country's most competitive conference, with LSU (No. 14), Arkansas (18) and Tennessee (25) joining the ranks Monday.

It stood to reason the Razorbacks would get some early respect after finishing last season 3-1, including two shutouts and a somewhat impressive victory over a Texas team that seemed like it would have rather stayed home for the holidays than play in the Texas Bowl.

Tennessee was 7-6 last season and returns 18 starters, so it appears Coach Butch Jones, the school's fourth coach since 2008, has the Vols turned in the right direction. Probably the most devastating thing that happened to Tennessee was Lane Kiffin staying one year after taking over for Phillip Fulmer at the end of the 2008 season.

Usually a coach who stays only one year before leaving sets the program back almost to ground zero.

Ray Perkins blew into Arkansas State for the 1992 season and left before he signed the next recruiting class. ASU was 26-73 over the next nine seasons, and Steve Roberts began to rebuild from the ground up in 2002.

Now the Red Wolves have played in four consecutive bowls and should make that five this season.

If two SEC teams seem to be on the wrong end of the respect stick, it's Ole Miss and LSU.

The Tigers are getting tons of love at No. 14, which seems a bit high for a team that went 8-5 last season and returns only five defensive starters. Perhaps the secret in Death Valley is that super talented running back Leonard Fournette is going to play quarterback too, a position that was almost unmanned last season.

On the other hand, Ole Miss might be better than No. 17 considering the Rebels were 9-4 last season and return 16 starters. Yes, there are some concerns about quarterback, but you don't have to be great in Hugh Freeze's system.

It wasn't even mildly surprising that Ohio State was picked No. 1, or even that it was the first team to receive every first-place vote in the AP preseason poll.

And, yes, there is at least one voter in Alabama.

The undisputed defending national champions went 14-1 last season, with the only loss coming against Virginia Tech in the second game of the season. The Buckeyes finished the season by beating Alabama 42-35 and Oregon 42-20 in the first college football playoffs. Neither of those games was as close as the score.

The Buckeyes return 14 starters. They are so talented at quarterback that the battle between J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, the hero of the postseason last year, appears to be classified information. Braxton Miller, who isn't transferring, was a two-time conference player of the year at quarterback before suffering an injury last season and is now working at receiver.

Just remember that preseason polls are fun, and all they really do is give fans something to debate until the games start next week.

Sports on 08/26/2015

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