Preseason AP Poll Top 25 Reaction

The AP Poll has dropped, meaning it’s officially College Football SZN! Now I have a real love/hate thing for the poll as I love what it signifies (the start of the year) but hate it as a whole. I’m a firm believer that the first poll shouldn’t come out until after Week 1. I hate the arguments that come in Week 10 that are based on what the preseason poll looked like. Now that I’ve got that off my chest we can break down this year’s opening poll a little bit. 

1. Clemson: They received 42 of the 52 #1 votes and buddy I gotta tell you – I’m surprised they didn’t get more. Their toughest game of the year may just be in Week 2 (at home) against what should be a very game Texas A&M squad. Past that, it’s just ‘conference foes’ that won’t have the fire power to keep up with Trevor Lawrence/Travis Etienne. Yes, there was serious turnover on the defensive side, but I expect Brent Venables to have a sturdy, dependable crew once again. 
2. Alabama: After how things ended in the championship game, I expect Bama to come out on fire this year. It should be business as usual for the Tide with games like @A&M and vs. LSU sticking out, though the Tide will be favored in both. The depth on defense may be a question, but with all the talent they have, don’t expect much of a back step at all. 
3. Georgia: Even with Notre Dame, LSU and Auburn on the schedule, the big question in Athens is still “can we beat Alabama?” The dawgs should be favored in every game this year, though it’ll be interesting to see what Florida looks like by the time they meet up in early November. It’s hard to go undefeated, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see this Georgia team do it and at least get a crack at answering the Bama question in the SEC Championship. 
4. Oklahoma: The Sooners will go as far as new quarterback Jalen Hurts will take them. The schedule is manageable, the defense will hopefully be better, so if Hurts and the offense can move the ball, the Sooners should be aces in 2019. 
5. Ohio St: New coach, new quarterback, same Buckeyes? With Justin Fields under center for Ryan Day, there are high hopes that the Ohio State machine will keep moving. On the defensive side, expect trouble, as there are playmakers all over the place. 
6. LSU: This could be a very special year for LSU if they can manage the schedule. Week 2, the Tigers travel to Austin to play the Longhorns, not to mention big conference games against Florida, Auburn, A&M and Alabama. That’s tough sledding, but you gotta beat the best to be the best, right? 
7. Michigan: It’s an important year for Jim Harbaugh up in Ann Arbor. The biggest games of the year will all be at home as Notre Dame, Michigan St and Ohio St all make the trip to The Big House. There are certainly holes to fill, but a really good core group is back from 10 wins last season. It just feels like if-not-this-year-then-when for Harbaugh. 
8. Florida: The Gators may be a real dark horse contender when playoff time comes around. They do have Auburn, LSU and Georgia on the schedule, not to mention a real “watch out sweetheart” trip to Missouri. Even if they just lose one of these games though, Florida should be at the heart of the playoff discussion. All of this is assuming that Feleipe Franks keeps improving under Dan Mullen’s tutelage. 
9. Notre Dame- The Irish bring back a ton of experience on the defensive side, plus more than half of their offensive starters from last year. Everyone knows ND can beat good teams – the question is can they beat the best of the best. A week three matchup at Georgia will be the measuring stick for the rest of the season. Past that, the Irish have to travel to Michigan and Stanford meaning if the Golden Domers want to get back to the playoffs they’re gonna have to be great, not good, week in and out. 
10. Texas: Other than Clemson, I’m not sure any team ended last season on a bigger high than the Longhorns. They dominated a top notch Georgia team at the Sugar Bowl and now we have talk that Texas ‘is back.’ Much like ND, the Longhorns have an early season opportunity to show if they’re as good as some think with a huge game vs. LSU in week 2. Aside from the showdown with LSU, they have their annual matchup with Oklahoma which could have a ton of eyes on it if both teams come in as hot as expected. 
11. Oregon: Mario Cristobal has Oregon fans all jazzed up coming into 2019. No doubt the season Justin Herbert is coming off of doesn’t hurt matters. Oregon brings back their entire offense and nearly their entire defense from last year. They face Auburn in week 1 down in Arlington, TX which should give us a read on what to really expect from this Ducks squad. 
12. Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher is bringing in a super talented team this season but their schedule is brutal. The Aggies play the top three teams in the poll plus LSU which has me tempering expectations. Coming out of those games 2-2 would be impressive, but may be enough to knock the Aggies out of title contention. 
13. Washington: The talk of the town up in Seattle is without a doubt Jacob Eason. Eason is gonna bring a legit professional arm which should take the pressure off a retooled defensive unit. No real worries in the out of conference games, so if UW can come out of their conference schedule somewhat unscathed, there could be a lot to cheer for in 2019. 
14. Utah: The biggest question for Utah this season will be can they beat Washington? Of their five losses last year, two came at the hands of UW (add in a loss to Wazzou) and Washington state really is the Utes kryptonite. Tyler Huntley is back under center along with seven other returning starters on offense which has the Utah faithful thinking a return to the Pac 12 title is very much in play. 
15. Penn St: The last few years have really been ‘offensive led’ teams in Happy Valley but that may not be the case this year. New playmakers on the offensive side may have the Nittany Lions’ leaning more on their defense at least early on in the year. An October stretch that has Penn St playing Iowa, Michigan and Michigan St all in a row will make or break the Nittany Lions. 
16. Auburn: I have no doubt that the Auburn defense will be feisty in 2019. I do however have big doubts at the quarterback position. This team will go as far as the QB will take them as they don’t have that workhorse in the backfield to lean on. That, plus a schedule that has them playing six of the preseason top 12, has me very shaky on the Tigers. 
17. UCF: With McKenzie Milton out for the year it’s gonna be the Brandon Wimbush show in Orlando. Wimbush transfers in from Notre Dame, where he saw some ups and downs over his two seasons. It should be noted that he finished with a record of 13-3 as a starter for ND. With the schedule ahead it would be a real surprise if they didn’t finish around the ten to eleven win mark. 
18. Michigan St: Eight starters return from the a top ten defense last season. This will be a punishing group to try and run against y’all. It’s just a question of whether or not the offense can score enough for it to matter. If they can this could be an eight to ten win team. If not they’ll struggle to seven again.
19. Wisconsin: Jonathan Taylor is gonna do Jonathan Taylor things but he’s gonna need some help. There is a ton of change on the offensive side around him too, which could be a problem for a team that finished 119th in passing yards per game last year. It’s gonna be a tough haul if there aren’t major strides taken in the pass game. 
20. Iowa: Nate Stanley is back to lead an experience Hawkeye team this season. The running game should be dependable, so as long as Stanley plays inside himself, the Iowa offense should be able to move the ball. On defense there are all kinds of eyes on AJ Epenesa, who may end up in the discussion for Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. They’ll need him at that level as the schedule is not for the weak of heart. 
21. Iowa St: With all the talent lost from last year, normally, you would expect a step back. I say normally because Matt Campbell has something out of the norm going on in Ames. With Brock Purdy back at quarterback behind a line looking to take a big leap forward, there’s hope that another eight to nine wins is very much in reach. 
22. Syracuse: The Orange really opened some eyes last year and should be near that same production in 2019. There are some new faces in key positions but none more highlighted than Tommy DeVito taking over for Eric Dungey. All eyes will be on DeVito early, as the Cuse squares off wth Clemson in the Carrier Dome during week three. 
23. Washington St: The loss of Gardner Minshew stings for the Cougars but there will be plenty of retuning talent around new QB Gage Gubrud. Gage put up gigantic numbers while at Eastern Washington so there is hope that he’ll drop into Mike Leach’s air raid system only to light it up. Wazzou fans would love to see it especially if Gubrud can be the guy to beat Washington.
24. Nebraska: It may have taken half the season, but the first win for Scott Frost at Nebraska was sweet. So sweet that the Cornhuskers nearly ran the table in those last six going 4-2 with losses to Ohio St and Iowa by a combined eight points. With starters back on both sides of the ball, the belief is Nebraska could double their win total from last year and possibly contend for a Big 10 title spot. 
25. Stanford: KJ Costello is back, but not a ton else is on the offensive side of the ball. Costello will still sling the ball, but unless some of the new faces take big steps quickly I think it may be much to expect another near double digit win season. Especially with a schedule that kicks off with Northwestern, USC, UCF and Oregon all in a row.

John Mosley is the independent wrestling correspondent of the SoBros Network. He graduated from ETSU with a degree in Radio, TV and Film along with a minor in Film Studies. Since graduating he’s done pretty much nothing but watch, film, edit or commentate for local wrestling promotions and is the current color commentator for Resolute Wrestling. #Preds #Titans #DefendOrVacateConor Follow on Twitter: @SoBroMose.

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