UK & Ireland Top 25 College Football Rankings: Preseason
By Simon Carroll
If the AP and the College Football Playoff committee can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!
Each week during the season, a panel of media members from various outlets across the UK & Ireland get together to collate their own set of College Football rankings. After some epic battles on Saturday, here is the Top 25 for Week 2:
25-21
25
Washington State
24
Auburn
23
Iowa
22
LSU
21
Oregon State
Okay. The first inkling that the UK&I panel were drinking in Urban Meyer’s Ohio bar all weekend appears in the bottom five rankings. Firstly, Oregon State fall two spots after ONLY winning 55-7 against UC Davis, with the same happening to LSU, 72-10 victors over Grambling State. Iowa climb into the top-25 on the back of an uninspiring 20-13 victory over their in-state rivals, and Auburn somehow make their first appearance of the season after THRASHING Cal 14-10.
The one correct decision is respecting Washington State’s impressive win over previously ranked Wisconsin. That makes it back to back wins over the Badgers for Wazzu, who are on something of a vendetta after their recent Power 5 snub.
20-16
20
Miami
19
Ole Miss
18
Oklahoma
17
Duke
16
Kansas State
We have a little more logic with rankings 16-20. Miami took Texas A&M to the woodshed on Saturday, much to the delight of everyone outside of College Station. The Hurricanes are rewarded with a spot at 20, and look set to be a force in the ACC. Ole Miss may have expected a bigger jump with their win over a ranked Tulane team, but the injury to the Green Wave’s starting QB Michael Pratt devalued the victory somewhat.
Oklahoma slip one spot after failing to impress in a win over SMU, whilst both Duke and Kansas State remain in fairly similar spots after maintaining impressive starts to the season. Duke’s ranking in particular could improve depending on just how good that win over Clemson turns out to be – and Kansas State have the ability to gatecrash the elite if they can take down Texas on November 4th.
15-11
15
Alabama
14
North Carolina
13
Colorado
12
Oregon
11
Tennessee
The panel continue to give Colorado the credit they deserve, moving the Buffaloes up three spots after their takedown of Nebraska. Coach Prime and his team are now knocking on the door of the CFB heavyweights, with big games against Oregon and USC on the horizon.
The Ducks, Volunteers and Tar Heels all maintain their positions just outside the top ten, although perhaps UNC can consider themselves lucky after needing overtime to beat App State. Oregon themselves came through a shootout against a temperamental Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders’ loss to Wyoming the week before means this win won’t do the Ducks many favours going forward.
And then there’s Alabama. Much like LSU in their defeat to Florida State, losing to Texas is nothing to be ashamed of, considering the talent the Longhorns have on that roster. Sure, Nick Saban has some things to fix, but the Crimson Tide are still a good team. Landing at 15 is indicative that, should ‘Bama go undefeated the rest of the way, they will have a solid case to make for playoff consideration.
10-6
10
Utah
9
Ohio State
8
Notre Dame
7
Penn State
6
USC
The top ten is packed full of teams with legitimate National Championship aspirations, and it is fairly difficult separating them. Utah props up the rest after winning a clunker against Baylor, who were soundly beaten by Texas Tech last week. The Utes will need to step it up when they get into conference play – the return of QB Cam Rising will surely help them in that regard.
Ohio State keep winning, but considering the talent on that roster Buckeyes fans can be forgiven if they’re a little dubious about how they will fare against serious oppositon. Notre Dame overcame the elements to record an impressive win against NC State, and move up two spots as a result. Of all the teams in this group, the Fighting Irish seem to be the most rounded.
We learned nothing new from Penn State this weekend as they crushed FCS opposition – and we’re still wondering if USC has a legitimate defense despite them only conceding 10 points to Stanford. Real tests await booth these programs in the coming weeks.
5-1
5
Washington
4
Georgia
3
Texas
2
Michigan
1
Florida State
Georgia in fourth?! The Bulldogs, who have predictably topped the rankings since preseason, fall three spots after the UK & Ireland CFB panel determine that a 45-3 victory over Ball State is simply not impressive enough. Considering UGA don’t face a ranked team until November, voting with this logic could have serious repercussions for the back to back champions – even if they’re undefeated by the time they host Ole Miss in eight weeks. I’m all for drinking on the job, but some of these voters might want to wait for the hangover to subside before submitting their rankings in future.
Washington look deadly. Kalen DeBoer might be the best head coach in college football right now – his win-loss record is an incredible 92-11 across stints at Sioux Falls, Fresno State and now with the Huskies. Michael Penix is a legitimate Heisman candidate. And if they don’t stumble in a competitive PAC-12, they will be in the playoffs. Both they and Michigan recorded routine wins over Group of Five opponents, but unlike Georgia haven’t been punished for the level of competition they faced.
Has the panel gone a bit giddy on FSU and Texas? It’s fair to acknowledge that the Longhorns and Seminoles have both delivered the biggest wins of the season to date, against stellar opposition that have retained ranking status despite a loss. Both schools have a recent history of failing to deliver to the standards expected in Tallahassee and Austin – but there’s no denying these programs have the talent to compete with anyone on their day.
Here is the Top 25 voting from the UK&I College Football Media Panel after week 2 in #CollegeFootball.
— Owain Jones (@Owain_Jones_) September 13, 2023
🔹Florida State at #1! #KeepCLIMBing
🔹Panel clearly unimpressed with Georgia's early strength of schedule. #GoDawgs
🔹Washington in the hunt
Player awards in the thread ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/It9qkNC43i
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