To be the champs, you have to beat the champs. That is what will have to happen at some point in 2014 if a team plans to dethrone the reigning college football national champion Florida State Seminoles. The ‘Noles are the No. 1 team in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2. The Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma Sooners and Ohio State Buckeyes round out the top five. Keep reading for the complete results of the initial poll.
I do not see any issues with the top five teams in the poll, although I feel that Ohio State may suffer as the season progresses due to a weak schedule once again in Big 10 play. Still, the conference is likely to get a team in the inaugural College Football Playoff, and the Buckeyes clearly have the best chance at reaching that pinnacle.
Florida State may also have a less competitive schedule than Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma, as the ACC may be a bit down this year as well. The Clemson Tigers and North Carolina Tar Heels are both in the Top 25, but both have to replace key players at many key positions.
We know that the SEC will get at least one team into the four-team playoff this season, with Alabama posing the biggest threat. Still, three teams in the top nine and five teams in the top 13, the conference is once again loaded with talented teams. The Auburn Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks have rosters loaded with players looking to make an impact.
The 2014 college football landscape is loaded with talented quarterbacks, including a pair in the stacked Pac-12 conference. Marcus Mariota returned for another season in hopes of leading the Ducks to a national championship, but Brett Hundley will look to get the UCLA Bruins to the top of the conference. The Big 12 also boasts some strong signal callers in Sooners’ QB Trevor Knight and Baylor Bears QB Bryce Petty.
Before I get to teams who may be overrated and underrated, take a look at the complete rankings:
The full AP top 25:
1. Florida State (57) — 1,496 points
2. Alabama (1) — 1,361
3. Oregon (1) — 1,334
4. Oklahoma (1) — 1,324
5. Ohio State — 1,207
6. Auburn — 1,198
7. UCLA — 1,106
8. Michigan State — 1,080
9. South Carolina — 1,015
10. Baylor — 996
11. Stanford — 885
12. Georgia — 843
13. LSU — 776
14. Wisconsin — 637
15. USC — 626
16. Clemson — 536
17. Notre Dame — 445
18. Ole Miss — 424
19. Arizona State — 357
20. Kansas State — 242
21. Texas A&M — 238
22. Nebraska — 226
23. North Carolina — 194
24. Missouri — 134
25. Washington — 130
Others receiving votes: UCF 94, Florida 87, Texas 86, Duke 71, Iowa 68, Louisville 48, Marshall 41, Oklahoma St. 37, Virginia Tech 26, TCU 23, Mississippi St. 22, Michigan 19, Texas Tech 19, Miami 16, Cincinnati 15, Boise St. 10, Oregon St. 10, BYU 8, Northwestern 8, Penn St. 5, Navy 2, Vanderbilt 2, Louisiana 1, Nevada 1, Utah St. 1.
I was tempted to place Ohio State in my overrated section, but they are extremely talented. I watched them play in last season’s Orange Bowl, and they looked very good. Although they will have a new leader under center, the Buckeyes are still a top team. Unfortunately, they are in a weak Big 10 conference, which includes one of my underrated teams – the Wisconsin Badgers. I just see too much turnover to rank that high.
Speaking of last season’s Orange Bowl, I think that the Clemson Tigers are too high at No. 16. I love what Dabo Swinney has done with this program, but losing Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant is going to be difficult. Going 11-2 for a third straight season is a very lofty goal, because we can pretty much figure they will lose to Florida State and South Carolina. That may be the best case scenario.
Finally, I also see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as overrated, or at least, overranked. Granted, the poll was released before we found out that four starters from the Irish team will be held out while an academic fraud investigation is underway. Still, I don’t see the Irish as a contender.
As for some teams who I feel may be ranked too low, I really like the Gamecocks if Dylan Thompson can take over full-time at quarterback for Connor Shaw. I also like the Georgia Bulldogs, provided they can finally stay healthy. The Arizona State Sun Devils are also very deep, and could make a lot of noise in a very tough conference. Finally, in a conference where the No. 2 spot is totally up for grabs, I could see the Nebraska Cornhuskers making a push to unseat the Michigan State Spartans as one of the top teams in the conference.
If you are looking for a team currently unranked that could wind up having a great season, look no further than the UCF Knights, Duke Blue Devils and Iowa Hawkeyes.
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