With ESPN's Mark Schlabach releasing his post-spring practice top-25 college football rankings on Monday morning, there are certainly plenty of interesting topics worthy of discussing. I first pointed out that Schlabach seems to be very bullish on Kalen DeBoer taking over at Alabama. While I do like the fit long-term, Alabama was one of the five teams I think are a tad overrated in his top-25 rankings.
I have to admit that this exercise Schlabach did for is very difficult, and I commend him for putting in a genuine effort. Just because I don't agree with some of his rankings doesn't mean this isn't good. In fact, this is a list that could help me re-evaluate a handful of teams at this point of the offseason before we really get going with next college football season. We are all trying to get it right in the end.
For those who need a refresher, here are the top 25 teams Schlabach had listed in his latest rankings.
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Texas Longhorns
- Oregon Ducks
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Missouri Tigers
- Utah Utes
- Michigan Wolverines
- Florida State Seminoles
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- North Carolina State Wolfpack
- LSU Tigers
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Clemson Tigers
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Arizona Wildcats
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Miami Hurricanes
- USC Trojans
For the most part, I do agree with the range where he has a lot of these teams. His top four is my top four. That is probably the right order, but I think people could argue for Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Oregon to be moved around a bit to some degree. I also like a handful of teams he has in the early teens that I think could be serious playoff contenders like Florida State, LSU and even Tennessee.
However, here are five teams that I think were deserving of a higher ranking than they just received.
Against my better judgment, I am going to keep drinking the North Carolina State Wolfpack Kool-Aid with my FanSided.com colleague and False Start co-host Cody Williams. He may be married to an NC State alum who doesn't care about sports, but we do tend to agree that NC State is ready to shock the college football world. They are Williams' pick to win the ACC, and I am almost on board with that.
NC State has quietly put itself in the same discussions as Clemson and Florida State for the likeliest candidates to come out of the ACC this year. I like Clemson more than I do Florida State, but it would not shock me if the Wolfpack won the league in Charlotte. Getting there has been the problem for them, but you have to be bullish on Grayson McCall coming over from Coast Carolina this offseason.
I would probably have NC State just outside of the top 10 in these rankings, probably right at No. 11.
4. Miami Hurricanes (No. 24)
The other team out of the ACC that I am quite bullish on would have to be the Miami Hurricanes. Schlabach has them slotted in at No. 24. While I think that is a fair ranking to start, I would not be the least bit surprised if this was a top-15 team this year, possibly vying for ACC title contention down to the wire. I am not a fan of Mario Cristobal, but I love the Cam Ward and Damien Martinez pairing a ton.
The Pacific Northwest Step Brothers could make the ACC be all about The U this season. It has never really been the case since the Canes left the Big East to join the ACC. Right now, I have them a shade off North Carolina State's pace for the conference title bout party crashers. Although I think Schlabach having Virginia Tech ahead of the Hurricanes feels odd, he might be onto something there.
Miami has the potential to go 10-2 and decide who comes out of the ACC this football season.
I feel like I am taking crazy pills. I mean, I might be. You and I will never know... What I do know is I have had James Franklin's Penn State Nittany Lions about as close to a College Football Playoff lock without them actually being one. Led by The Driver, I trust Franklin to get this team featuring Drew Allar, Abdul Carter and Nicholas Singleton to something like 10-2. 10-2 in the Big Ten means playoff.
Schlabach has the Nittany Lions slotted in as the No. 12 team. They are at least top 10 for me. I would probably have them behind Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Missouri in that order of teams just outside the top four. So if I did the math right, that would mean the Nittany Lions are the eighth-best team in the country. Losing Manny Diaz may hurt the defense, but I do like Franklin replacing him with Tom Allen.
Penn State will finish somewhere in the 9-3 to 11-1 range this season, which gets them to the playoff.
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (No. 19)
There are a handful of teams that I think could win the newfangled Big 12. While I don't agree with Schlbach's preseason coronation of Utah, I do have the Utes as my runner-up ... to this team. Pokes up, baby! I am all about Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys this season. Alan Bowman is ageless under center, and the Pokes have arguably the best running back in the country in Ollie Gordon II.
As it is every year, you never really know what to make of Oklahoma State. In years we don't believe in them, they are winning double-digit games and thinking about going to Arlington. Conversely, in years we want to believe in the Pokes, they are as real as Santa Claus. Sorry, kids, but Brandon Weeden, Dez Bryant, Chuba Hubbard and Zac Robinson aren't coming down that chimney. It's only Justin Blackmon...
If all goes well, Oklahoma will be artificially inflated to a top-four team, but probably closer to No. 11.
As it is with all of these, this one could so come back to haunt me and bite me in the ass. For a few reasons, I am actually quite bullish on the USC Trojans this year. They had a miserable final season in the Pac-12. Caleb Williams might be gone, but so is Alex Grinch. With Miller Moss taking over for Williams and D'Anton Lynn doing the same for Grinch, we may see a rebirth of sorts for Lincoln Riley.
This feels like a team that will be no worse than 8-4. I think they are a 9-3 team, but if they could somehow get to 10-2, that is a playoff team, baby. To me, how Schlabach feels about Michigan and Penn State is about where I think USC could finish the season. They could be ranked somewhere in the No. 10 to No. 15 range at the end of the year. They may not make the playoff, but it will be close.
Right now, I would have USC ranked right behind the Kansas State Wildcats as the No. 18 team.
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