The AP Top 25 Rankings Are Out; Here's What It Got Right, Wrong

The Associated Press preseason Top 25 college football poll was released on Monday, and Internet rage followed very quickly.

Georgia sits in the top spot, which isn’t really a surprise considering its success over the last three seasons and the success coach Kirby Smart has had on the recruiting trail throughout his tenure in Athens. Behind the Bulldogs, though, there is a bit of traffic.

Ohio State and Oregon fall in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The Buckeyes notched 15 first-place votes, while the Ducks garnered one. Texas and Alabama round out the Top five after each lost in national semifinal games last year.

Where are the hits and misses? Let’s RAGE

HIT: No. 4 Texas

Is Texas "back?" Of course it is … even in the SEC. The Longhorns have one of the top three quarterbacks in the game in Quinn Ewers, a top-tier offensive line and a coach in Steve Sarkisian who already proved that he can win in the SEC at an extremely high level. He topped the Crimson Tide by double digits in Tuscaloosa last season and knows that, to win in his new conference, he has to have a roster that’s talented and deep up front on both lines of scrimmage.

Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers watches action from the sidelines during the Orange-White spring football game on April 20, 2024, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX. (Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

MISS: No. 8 Penn State

Did I miss the part of the offseason where starting quarterback Drew Allar became a threat? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? The dude finished sixth in the Big Ten in completion percentage (59.9%) last season and is the definition of a game manager. Sure, managing a game is a quarterback’s No. 1 priority. But he has to add something to his game in order to be a difference-maker. The Nittany Lions will be able to run the football, but running backs Nic Singleton and Kaytron Allen are going to have a hard time between the tackles if Allan isn’t able to keep those safeties honest.

HIT: Ole Miss No. 6

There is some thought out there in the college football world that the Rebels are all sizzle and no steak. Nothing can be further from the truth. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, and the addition of Juice Wells to a wide receiving corps that already includes Tre Harris will make this offense lethal. All Ole Miss has to do defensively is create enough havoc in the backfield to force the opponents to have a few empty possessions per game. With Jared Ivey off the edge and Walter Nolan in the middle of the defensive line, that should be no problem.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. (Credit: Getty Images)

MISS: USC No. 23

It might seem crazy to have a team ranked No. 23 as overrated. However, the Trojans are very overrated despite landing in the Top 25. Simply put, this team can’t tackle. It’s a philosophical problem that followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to USC when he took the job prior to the 2022 season. Riley hired D’Anton Lynn to run the defense this season after the failed Alex Grinch experiment, but I’m going to have to see this defense actually pay attention to fundamentals before I believe it. Plus, quarterback Miller Moss is taking over for superstar Caleb Williams. The offense is going to take a step back, which means the defense must take a massive step forward. I don’t see that happening.