Dallas Cowboys locker room reacts to preseason AP Poll, trolls Dak Prescott

College coaches will do whatever it takes to have their team ignore the preseason AP poll. NFL coaches can have some fun with their players when the top 25 is released, though. Brian Schottenheimer decided to get some trash-talking going inside the Dallas Cowboys locker room by showing the poll.

With Texas and Penn State taking the top two spots, a few players got to puff out their chests. Schottenheimer gave his opinion on where his Florida Gators stand before attention apparently turned over to Dak Prescott. The franchise quarterback heard about where his alma mater sits heading into the 2025 season.

“Today, we showed a video, breaking news of the AP top 25 coming out,” Schottenheimer said. “DMo (DeMarvion Overshown) was fired up — he and Micah (Parsons) and Miles (Sanders) about Texas and Penn State being up there high. I do think that Florida got cheated a little bit, I think we should be higher than 15. But people were quick to point out Mississippi State wasn’t on there. So, yeah, Dak didn’t really like that.”

Prescott brought Mississippi State into the national spotlight over a decade ago, earning the No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings back in 2014. Since then, he has remained a major advocate of the program. The team’s current mascot, Bully XXII, is named Dak.

Even so, Prescott is likely to continue to get trolled about the current state of Mississippi State. Jeff Lebby remains in the early stages of a rebuild, coming off a year where they finished 0-8 in the SEC. Not many are too high on the Bulldogs for this season either, predicted to finish 16th in the SEC preseason media poll.

Who knows, maybe an upset will take place at some point. Mississippi State will play against Overshown’s Texas Longhorns on Oct. 25 in Starkville. Unfortunately, not one where they can attend as the Cowboys head out West to face the Denver Broncos the following day.

Schottenheimer will get his opportunity against Overshown as well. Florida hosts Texas on Oct. 4, a massive early-season SEC game. Once again, the Cowboys will be preoccupied elsewhere, facing the New York Jets in the Meadowlands.

If there are some spirited conversations taking place preseason, you know the intensity will go up a notch once results come flying in. Nothing brings out the pride of NFL players, or coaches, more than watching their college teams have success.