Yesterday the NCAA dropped their official Top 25 Rankings and there are some wild picks to say the least. AP Ranking don’t drop until August 19th, but they are usually very similar. Lets breakdown their picks.
- Clemson
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Michigan
- LSU
- Florida
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Washington
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Auburn
- Iowa
- UCF
- Nebraska
- Virginia Tech
- Michigan State
- Missouri
- Northwestern
- Boise State
Snub: Army
Army had their best team in history last season finishing 11-2 with their only losses to Duke week 1 and Oklahoma in a 21-28 nail-biter. They finished 19th in the AP and had one of the best defenses in the nation. Keep an eye out for them Week 2 @ Michigan.
Surprise: No. 21 Virginia Tech
SOMEONE has to step up in the ACC Coastal. Could VT be that team? Maybe. My money would be on Miami or Virginia though. Might even pick UNC. But VT? I had them in the 35-40 range. They could easily go 8-4 without any tough non-conference matchups outside of ND, but ranking them at 21 is an absurd choice.
Snub: Iowa State
ISU has some question marks at WR and RB, but seem to be the top challenger to the Texas/Oklahoma Big 12 rematch. ISU had a rough 1-3 start last season but switched to rising Sophomore Brock Purdy who went 7-2 as a starter. They return a ton of talent in the front 7 and project as a Top 3 defense in the conference. ISU has a legit Top 20 team heading into 2019.
Surprise: No. 15 Utah
There should not be 3 Pac 12 teams in the Top 15. No way. The Utes roll out a solid team in 2019. They could easily compete for a conf. championship if Oregon busts/Washington can’t get their offense going. They should definitely be ranked. 15 though? Putting them ahead of Wisconsin, Auburn, UCF, and basically everyone in the Top 20 is just crazy. With a cupcake start to the season of BYU, NIU, and Idaho State, Utah will likely be a Top 10 team entering Week 4. C’mon man.
Snub: Washington State
WSU had a much improved season last year and will no doubt have an over-powered offense again with Mike Leach running the show. There are a lot of question marks with Minshew gone and an unproven defense, but Gordon and Gubrud look like legit options at QB. Keep an eye out for them in the Pac 12.
Other Notable Surprises:
Ohio State at 3 is an absurd pick. ESPN gave them a 8.7% chance to win the Big Ten behind PSU (10.4%) and Michigan (48.2%). Fields is a heisman contender, but even if he matches Dwayne Haskin’s breakout season, they still lose 4 Starers on the O-Line and 3/4 of their top receivers. Defense should be much improved, but there are way too many question marks to put them above Georgia/Oklahoma.
Only two Big 12 teams (Oklahoma at 5 and Texas at 9) made the Top 25. The Big Ten is considered to be similarly competitive with the Big 12, yet features 8 teams. The Pac 12 was a shit show last season and has 3 teams. Iowa State, OK State, and TCU definitely could have all sneaked in the 20-25 range.
