Oregon Lands in Top Ten of Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll
USA Today has continued its tradition of releasing a preseason coaches poll. We have seen a few various independent polls so far this Summer from various sports media. But this is the first version of the coaches poll for the season.
Oregon has been consistently ranked inside the top ten and this time is no different. Here is a quick look at those rankings where Oregon landed at No. 7 prior to kickoff.
- Texas – Will this finally be the year for Steve Sarkisian who has entered each of his last few seasons viewed as a national contender. Like many others on this list, Sark is breaking in a new quarterback in highly discussed Arch Manning this season.
- Ohio State – The reigning national champs are back and in the hunt once again. Ryan Day has continued his reloading process in Columbus but also breaks in a new quarterback and quite a few pieces along the line of scrimmage. Texas heads to Ohio State on Aug. 30.
- Penn State – Is this finally James Franklin’s year at Penn State? He’s never quite gotten over the hump watching Michigan and Ohio State trade success. Most consider this the most talented team in the country to enter the season.
- Georgia – Kirby will have some fire in his belly this season after missing the playoffs last year. Carson Beck is done so Kirby too is breaking in a new quarterback. But Georgia always reloads and will have talent all over the field.
- Notre Dame – I think there were questions about Marcus Freeman entering last season but he put those concerns to bed with a great year. I’m not sure if this is a true top five team or not but they’ll have plenty of chances to prove it on the field this season.
- Clemson – Dabo hasn’t forgot how to coach. He’s been adapting these last few seasons and finally decided to play in the transfer portal to help his team win. His quarterback, Cade Klubnik, is one of the best in the country.
- Oregon – This feels like a fair spot for Oregon. We know the Ducks have a ton of new faces that will be in the starting lineup but many other schools do as well. The schedule is manageable and Dan Lanning will have his squad ready to compete.
- Alabama – It was not a great season overall for Kalen Deboer at Bama. But he was fortunate enough to bring his buddy and OC Ryan Grubb back after a failed attempt in the NFL. That could prove to be a job-saving move for Deboer.
- LSU – You can’t have a preseason poll without LSU in the top ten. Is this the year for Brian Kelly who has been a disappointment in Baton Rouge so far? I guess we shall see.
- Miami – The earlier mentioned Carson Beck is no win Miami. Will the new scene improve his year? I’m not sure but I do know he’ll have a much easier team week in and week out in the ACC than he did in the SEC.
- ASU
- Illinois
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- Ole Miss
- SMU
- Florida
- Tennessee
- Indiana
- Kansas State
- Texas A&M
- Iowa State
- BYU
- Texas Tech
- Boise State
