Overrated, Underrated or Just Right: Breaking down the 2023 USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25
Fresh off a pair of back-to-back national titles, the Georgia Bulldogs took the top spot in the preseason release of the USA Today Coaches Poll on Monday.
Kirby Smart’s squad received 61 of 66 first-place votes, with Michigan, Alabama (4), Ohio State (1) and LSU rounding out the Top 5.
With Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams back at quarterback, USC checked in at No. 6, while Penn State, Florida State, Clemson and Tennessee made up the rest of the Top 10.
Some of these selections are bound to be laughably wrong come season’s end. We know this because college football is a crazy, unpredictable sport.
In last year’s preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, six of the Top 15 teams finished the season unranked — including Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Baylor, which were all ranked in the Top 10.
So where did the SIDs, I mean coaches, get it right? Which teams are overrated entering the 2023 season? Which ones are underrated?
OVERRATED — No. 3 Alabama
At this point, Alabama is like the half-completed Death Star 2.0 in the Return of the Jedi. It’s still a behemoth, but it has more exhaust ports. With legitimate questions at quarterback, receiver and linebacker, the Tide should not be ranked above Ohio State, or receive four first-place votes — when Michigan received zero.
UNDERRATED — No. 9 Clemson
Little ole ‘Clemson is the reigning ACC Champion with a better quarterback and an upgrade offensive coordinator this year, yet the Tigers checked in behind Florida State, which must play in Death Valley in September, Penn State, which can’t seem to ever beat a good team under James Franklin, and USC, which might still stink defensively. Ok.
OVERRATED — No. 16 TCU
The Horned Frogs were the darlings of the sport a year ago, but they lost nearly every notable piece off last season’s Cinderella ride to the national time game. Sonny Dykes has cleaned up in the transfer portal, but I don’t believe TCU is the second-best team in the Big 12 (which the rankings indicate) — much less a Top 20 team overall.
JUST RIGHT — No. 15 Oregon
With Bo Nix, Bucky Irving and a host of marquee transfer additions, the Ducks have Top 5 potential this season, but the offensive line must show significant improvement and the defensive front must play to its potential. There’s also the uncertainty of simply replacing OC Kenny Dillingham, who at both Auburn and Oregon is the coach who has gotten the most out of Nix.
OVERRATED — No. 19 Oklahoma
Talk about a blueblood bump. Oklahoma went 6-7 last season with a historically terrible defense, yet Brent Venables’ team earned a preseason Top 20 spot? The former Clemson DC is recruiting at a clip that suggests he will return the Sooners back to their winning ways, but this is a “see it to believe it” deal for me. Other than being a popular brand, I’m not sure why OU deserves such a benefit of the doubt.
Aside from the “blueblood” label, you could literally cross out every Oklahoma and Brent Venables mention and insert Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher and the exact same argument would apply to the Aggies, which was ranked No. 25 overall after their disastrous 5-7 season.
UNDERRATED — Iowa (unranked)
It’s easy to punch on Kirk Ferentz, but the Hawkeyes should’ve been included in the preseason Top 25 Rankings. They finished with the top spot in the “receiving votes” category, but this is a team that is going to field one of the best defenses in the Big Ten again and should be much improved offensively (especially with Brian Ferentz’s hilarious Drive for 325) with Cade McNamara at quarterback, a deep tight end room and a host of transfer playmakers.
JUST RIGHT — No. 24 Texas Tech
Texas Tech is getting lots of love this preseason, with several media members even picking the Red Raiders to win the Big 12 this fall. Joey McGuire’s team returns nine starters on offense, including quarterback Tyler Shough. But Texas Tech hasn’t won nine games since Mike Leach was its head coach. A fringe Top 25 ranking to start the season seems right.