The Associated Press and US LBM coaches polls will be tallied and released on Sunday. I’m here to tell you in advance what they got wrong.
The polls are based on the premise of a preseason popularity contest when a team like, say, Michigan , can be voted the No. 8 team in the country in the coaches poll and remain at No. 9 entering Week 2 simply because it didn’t lose.
There’s no substance to that.
Now that we’ve actually seen a small sample size, here are the best dozen teams in the nation. These aren’t necessarily the teams that will make the College Football Playoff , given a Group of 5 team is guaranteed a bid.
1. Georgia : The Dawgs take their first road trip next week at Kentucky. They’re the top team because their win over Clemson might actually be better than Texas’ win at Michigan.
2. Texas : The Longhorns going to Ann Arbor and completely obliterating the defending national champions 31-12 at the Big House is the most impressive road victory of the season so far.
3. Tennessee : The Volunteers look like a legitimate national title contender after their 51-10 win over N.C. State. The Vols were the first team to score 50 or more on the Wolfpack since Clemson had 55 in 2019.
4. USC: The Trojans shut out Utah State 48-0 . For those who remember how horrendous their defense was last year that is no small feat. USC is one of the few teams that played even better in Week 2 after its big win over LSU to start the season.
5. Miami: Cam Ward finally gives the Hurricanes a quarterback to make it a contender. Florida might ultimately be a bad team, but the Canes get rewarded for beating a Power Four opponent on the road.
6. Penn State: Credit the Nittany Lions' win at West Virginia a week ago for leading to an emotional let down in escaping Bowling Green. See the trend here? Teams that played up in competition have proven the most.
7. Utah: The Utes could end up fading fast after quarterback Cam Rising injured his throwing hand in the first half of their 23-12 win over Baylor. Utah didn’t score again after he left the game.
8. Alabama: Don’t be fooled by the 42-16 win over South Florida. The Crimson Tide only led USF by a point entering the fourth quarter and 21-16 with 6:45 left. They scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes.
9. Oregon: The Ducks haven’t lived up to expectations just yet. But beating Boise State, 37-34 , is a resume-building win considering the Broncos could represent the Group of 5 in the CFP.
10. Ole Miss : The Rebels outscored Furman and Middle Tennessee by a combined score of 128-3. They will face their first Power Four opponent during their first road game on Saturday at Wake Forest.
11. Ohio State: The Buckeyes have rolled over Akron 52-6 and Western Michigan 56-0 and have the week off before facing Marshall. In other words, we won’t know how good they are until October.
12. Missouri: The Tigers have pitched two shutouts to start the season against Murray State and Buffalo. Next week comes an uptick in competition against Boston College.
No. 24 Louisville has outscored its opponents 111-14, but because it was Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, the Cardinals won’t likely get a bump in the polls. Gamecocks coach Rich Rodriguez said after U of L’s 49-14 win that the Cards should win the ACC and make the CFP.
Boise State won’t be ranked in the polls with a 1-1 record, but it should be. The Broncos have a Heisman Trophy worthy candidate in running back Ashton Jeanty . They did what no major college would do in starting the season with consecutive road games, winning 56-45 at Georgia Southern and losing on a last-second field goal at Oregon.
No. 7 Notre Dame did the inexplicable after a tough road win at Texas A&M to open the season. The Irish lost as a 28-point, home favorite to Northern Illinois . It doesn’t totally negate their win over A&M, but it does raise questions should they falter moving forward.
No. 18 Arizona has started off with a pair of wins, but seems to be getting credit for what last year’s team accomplished. The Wildcats haven’t looked particularly sharp against New Mexico or in Saturday's 22-10 win over Northern Arizona .
No. 9 Michigan : Until the Wolverines figure out what they’re doing at quarterback, head coach Sherrone Moore , who got his start as a Louisville assistant coach, is in for a long year.
No. 23 N.C. State: The Wolfpack got completely dismantled against the Volunteers a week after needing a fourth quarter comeback to defeat Football Championship Subdivision for Western Carolina. Neither team has shown a good reason why they deserve to be ranked in two games.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com , follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his column s.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football among teams that should rise in AP Top 25, coaches poll | C.L. Brown
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