The precision Associated Press Top 25 poll is out. And yes, it includes teams of conferences that will not be taking the field this fall.
While that may limit some of the credibility of this, there are some notable takeaways.
Our pool of writers weigh in on what it all means:
Let’s take it with a grain of salt
The best part about polls for press season each year is the wild overreactions about disrespect and the conspiracy theories about why one team is inferior to another. Strong comic value, annually. But there are still a lot of people who are unresponsive and look to the interview for what it is: a fun reminder that the season is about to begin and a general measure of what expectations are national. That usually comes with the benefit of spring practice, offseason programs, and so on. Not only does this poll come with even less information, it includes nine teams in the Top 25 that will not even play. A nice recipe for the most spicy of take. – Kyle Bonagura
It’s hard to take in a year too much from a question of the press season, but especially now, when two Power 5 leagues will not play and neither has a typical offseason. That perhaps the biggest takeaway is a sense of loss – in black and white showing exactly what COVID-19 has from our name, including nine ranked teams. Ohio State checks on no. 2 (with 21 votes in the first place), and there is a good thing to be done that no roster in the country is full of more talent. As we have seen the last of Justin Fields, that is a real shame. We will not receive the Clay Helton hot-seat watch (USC checks on No. 16); we will not see the follow-up performance of Tanner Morgan (Minnesota at No. 18); we will not get a taste of what the best defense in the country can be (Oregon at No. 8). But at least this Top Season 25 offers exactly a hint of normalcy in a year where there has been a fair amount of goodies. We can argue about rankings, debate the snubs and keep our fingers crossed that no. 1 Clemson, no. 3 Alabama and the other teams still hoping to play will get their chance. – David M. Hale
What a pleasure to receive the AP Top 25 interview. It’s like receiving an email from my fantasy planet, where I can still eat chocolate chip cookies and Diet Cokes guzzle, where I can read without finding my reading glasses, where I break the tea and 80’s. Forget the rankings yourself. That the AP releases the interview, complete with teams not playing – why not 1995 Nebraska? Dolphin 1972? – is a reminder that somewhere we will remove our masks, get our COVID-19 faxes, and return to what we love to remember as our normal lives. You know, the ones where we mock the pre-season spot. – Ivan Maisel
This is my favorite AP poll of all time, because it really captures how the interview – now and then – does not have much meaning. The question only means as much weight as you want to give it (which for some fans is a terrible fate!). There are some teams that will not play this year, such as Ohio State, which received 21 votes for first place. LSU got a “respect” for the first place over some, “They are No. 1 until they are defeated!” kind of goods. – Harry Lyles Jr.
What to make of the ranking for defending champion LSU?
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SEC Now’s Roman Harper and Gene Chizik discuss LSU’s ability to replace last year’s starters and Joe Brady.
LSU is too high ranks, which is something I would not have said six months ago. Then, I found the Tigers more than many people did, especially with Ja’Marr Chase back, Myles Brennan taking over at quarterback and a defense I thought might be better – or at least more consistent. But the pandemic has set such a high price on depth, and that’s what worried me. The starters are good, but the experience behind them is lacking. Cornerback Kary Vincent and defensive lineman Neil Farrell have already been selected. An injury like a few positive COVID-19 tests could expose a team that lost too many good players to the NFL in the span of one offseason. – Alex Scarborough
While I am not surprised LSU is at no. 6, reinforces the placement that Ed Orgeron’s program has not yet benefited from the doubts such as Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and even Oklahoma and Georgia. Joe Burrow was a transcendent player, the kind of quarterback LSU never seemed able to develop until last season. LSU also loses to passing game architect Joe Brady and excellent players on both sides of the ball. But three teams beating LSU en route to the title – Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma – also lost record-setting quarterbacks and remain ranked for the defending champions. All three have important questions. The position of LSU is not a total sign of disrespect, and a case can be made that the Tigers should be even lower. But it shows the need for the program to show that it is more than a one-year miracle and will be a common factor in the CFP and the Heisman race. – Adam Rittenberg
ACC strikes its mark
The pre-season interviews are a waste of time! They are so crazy! We hear that every year from frustrated college football fans, but it’s going so well this year. The 2020 preseason interview is clearly not worth the paper it is printed on, with nine of the Top 25 teams not even playing this fall. Will the teams playing this fall be included in the Top 25 of the pre-season, when football is played? It’s hard to argue with any of the remaining selections, because, well, they’re about the only teams left to play. I would say that North Carolina is underrated because the Tar Heels, in my opinion, are clearly the third-best team in the ACC behind Clemson and Notre Dame (sounds not strange), but UNC would be no. 12 be if you eliminate the teams that are not playing this fall. The SEC makes up almost half of the remaining 16 teams, and that’s probably almost exactly the case. Heck, you can throw so well in South Carolina and Kentucky at this point. – Mark Schlabach
Is it true? Could it? The ACC has two teams ranking in the top 10? Notre Dame, who plays at least one ACC scheme, gives the conference a chance to shut up to defend them for having one dominant team and then everyone else. So what if it’s just for this completely abnormal, early season, with nine pre-season teams not even playing a down of football. North Carolina gives the ACC three ranked teams, and truth be told, Louisville deserves to be in the Top 25 there. It’s not a surprise to see Clemson at the top, but given the league schedule of 10 games, Notre Dame and what should be an improved product in the league, this could be a better season for the ACC then what we have seen in recent years. – Andrea Adelson
Notre Dame is ranking no. 10 in the interview, but if you remove the teams that will not play this fall, the Irish are the seventh best team. The program ended last season 11-2, and the two losses came through six points against Georgia, then a battle out against Michigan. Although it is not yet part of a conference, the football team will play in the ACC this season, which means we will see Notre Dame against Clemson, Louisville and North Carolina in the regular season. The Irish have a good amount of production to replace on both offense and defense, but there is still a long way to go. Quarterback Ian Book, safety Kyle Hamilton and some of the incoming recruits who are expected to contribute early should all make an impact. There hasn’t been much talk about Notre Dame, but maybe it could be halfway through the season. – Tom VanHaaren
And those non-Power 5 teams?
With two AAC teams in the Top 25 and a third narrowly missing, I’m honestly fascinated with what could happen when the fall season ends and the AAC champion, whether it’s Cincinnati (No. 13 among teams that scheduled to play this fall), UCF (No. 14), Memphis (No. 17) if anyone else, reaches the finish line unscathed. The Power 5 is currently a Power 3, and the winner of the No. 4 competition will probably be very good. Good enough to maybe get a College Football Playoff bid, maybe? – Bill Connelly
Small margin of error for these teams
Oh bet, look at the lower half of this ranking. There are more legacy selections there than at a Greek rush meeting. Tennessee, UNC, USC, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M. All of them are legendary programs that will undoubtedly make college football more interesting than they are relevant. But all also have serious problems that are likely to prevent them from eventually getting over the hump, from the division where they live (Aggies) to lack of confidence in their leadership (Trojans) to an inability to play the games win by which you will always be measured (Wolverines). I’m always fascinated by that debate about brand names, the ‘what we want them to be’, against ‘what they really are’. I have no doubt they are all good and some have the potential to be great. But we have been waiting for them all to come back to their former glory for a while now, in some cases a lang though, and no team on this list has had years of controversy for a national title, even when these polls have made them into contenders as competitors by placing numbers next to their names in August. – Ryan McGee
The group at 13-14-15 is a fascinating one that could go myriad directions. Texas A&M and Texas both have senior quarterbacks back and a lot of experienced talent on the roster, but drastically different staffing situations. The Aggies, who are in their third year under Jimbo Fisher, have been relatively stable, while Tom Herman, in his fourth, has taken care of his staff. The effects on its field – especially in this unique year – will be interesting to see. Similarly, Oklahoma State – which has a superb trio of skill positions in Spencer Sanders, Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace – has some real high-end potential. – Sam Khan Jr.
Unlike this poll, the AP will, once the season starts, require voters to only rank teams that are scheduled to play. At that point, it goes without saying that the SEC will load into the top 10.. But for now, what stands out is that the Big 12 will have three teams – Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State – right there in the top 11. Oklahoma has won the conference every year since 2015, but as those two challengers to ‘ the top as well as advertised, along with Brock Purdy and a tough Iowa State team, the Sooners – who were 5-1 in six games decided by a touchdown as less than last season – did not have much margin for error. – Dave Wilson
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