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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
College football preseason poll rankings see differences between US LBM Coaches Poll and AP
The preseason picture is complete: One week after Bowl Subdivision head coaches weighed in with the debut US LBM Coaches Poll, media members have their say with the Associated Press preseason Top 25. The broader framework in each poll remains very similar, with both groups focusing on the same top contenders for the College Football Playoff followed by a predictable run of Power Four teams. Both polls feature just one Group of Five team in defending Mountain West champion Boise State. But there are some notable changes. One is a change at the top of the Big Ten, previewing what should be a neck-and-neck battle for the conference crown and subsequent playoff seeding between Penn State and Ohio State. The Coaches Poll and the AP Poll also had different points of view on some of the SEC teams battling for position after the league's top four. Here's how the two sets of Top 25 polls compared with the most intriguing differences of opinion: Texas is the consensus No. 1 Media voters placed Texas at No. 1, mirroring the Coaches Poll. The big difference was the margin for the Longhorns. The coaches had them 41 points ahead of Ohio State. The media had them five points ahead of Penn State. After the Longhorns came in second in the SEC and reached the national semifinals last season, the national expectations are clear heading into the regular season: to win the program's first national championship in 20 years. Media members and coaches agree that Texas has the overall roster, the quarterback, the coaching and the experience to take that leap. Penn State leads Ohio State in the Big Ten One notable swap from the Coaches Poll finds a change atop the Big Ten. Coaches went with Ohio State, the defending national champions, at No. 2 behind the Longhorns; the media went with Penn State, believing in the Nittany Lions' clearer situation on offense and greater degree of carryover from last season. The Nittany Lions received 23 first-place votes in the AP poll - just two behind Texas. Another advantage for PSU is the addition of former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Clearly, coaches and the media believe both teams are good enough to win the Big Ten and deliver the league's third national championship in a row. Media voters have faith in Oklahoma Coaches were a little more skeptical of Oklahoma coming off a highly disappointing 6-7 season, picking the Sooners as the first team out of the field while putting four Big 12 teams in the final six spots of the Top 25. But the media has faith that 2025 will yield a resurgence, placing the Sooners at No. 18 overall and seventh in the SEC. While there is a drumbeat of support for OU after a lost year, this is clearly seen more among the media than with coaches. A shuffle among the top six The Coaches Poll top six: Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Clemson. The top six from the media: Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame. While there's a consensus over which teams should populate this top grouping, the slight differences – not just the flop of Penn State and Ohio State but also Clemson's rise to No. 4 – is maybe the best example of how preseason polls can vary just slightly while essentially reading from the same script. In other words, coaches and the media agree on which teams should lead the way heading into the start of the season, only with a few subtle changes in the pecking order. And behind the top six, the next eight spots were all the same - Oregon, Alabama, LSU, Miami, Arizona State, Illinois, South Carolina and Michigan. Tennessee's drop in the AP Poll Coaches were more willing to overlook Tennessee's offseason drama involving quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who was set to return as the Volunteers' starter before controversially exiting the program in the spring and landing at unranked UCLA. Media members were less forgiving. Ranked No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, Tennessee slid down to No. 24 in the AP Top 25, reflecting how the media is skeptical of the change from Iamaleava to former Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar. That's an understandable take given Iamaleava's potential, Aguilar's lack of Power Four experience and life in the rough-and-tumble SEC. But coaches have a point, too. While there is an obvious question mark under center for the 2025 team, the Volunteers have gone 30-9 the past three seasons while starting three different quarterbacks – Iamaleava, Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker. It seems as if coaches are much more willing to give UT and coach Josh Heupel the benefit of the doubt. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football poll analysis. How coaches and AP rankings differ
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
College football preseason poll rankings see differences between US LBM Coaches Poll and AP
The preseason picture is complete: One week after Bowl Subdivision head coaches weighed in with the debut US LBM Coaches Poll, media members have their say with the Associated Press preseason Top 25. The broader framework in each poll remains very similar, with both groups focusing on the same top contenders for the College Football Playoff followed by a predictable run of Power Four teams. Both polls feature just one Group of Five team in defending Mountain West champion Boise State. But there are some notable changes. One is a change at the top of the Big Ten, previewing what should be a neck-and-neck battle for the conference crown and subsequent playoff seeding between Penn State and Ohio State. The Coaches Poll and the AP Poll also had different points of view on some of the SEC teams battling for position after the league's top four. Here's how the two sets of Top 25 polls compared with the most intriguing differences of opinion: Texas is the consensus No. 1 Media voters placed Texas at No. 1, mirroring the Coaches Poll. The big difference was the margin for the Longhorns. The coaches had them 41 points ahead of Ohio State. The media had them five points ahead of Penn State. After the Longhorns came in second in the SEC and reached the national semifinals last season, the national expectations are clear heading into the regular season: to win the program's first national championship in 20 years. Media members and coaches agree that Texas has the overall roster, the quarterback, the coaching and the experience to take that leap. Penn State leads Ohio State in the Big Ten One notable swap from the Coaches Poll finds a change atop the Big Ten. Coaches went with Ohio State, the defending national champions, at No. 2 behind the Longhorns; the media went with Penn State, believing in the Nittany Lions' clearer situation on offense and greater degree of carryover from last season. The Nittany Lions received 23 first-place votes in the AP poll - just two behind Texas. Another advantage for PSU is the addition of former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Clearly, coaches and the media believe both teams are good enough to win the Big Ten and deliver the league's third national championship in a row. Media voters have faith in Oklahoma Coaches were a little more skeptical of Oklahoma coming off a highly disappointing 6-7 season, picking the Sooners as the first team out of the field while putting four Big 12 teams in the final six spots of the Top 25. But the media has faith that 2025 will yield a resurgence, placing the Sooners at No. 18 overall and seventh in the SEC. While there is a drumbeat of support for OU after a lost year, this is clearly seen more among the media than with coaches. A shuffle among the top six The Coaches Poll top six: Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Clemson. The top six from the media: Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame. While there's a consensus over which teams should populate this top grouping, the slight differences – not just the flop of Penn State and Ohio State but also Clemson's rise to No. 4 – is maybe the best example of how preseason polls can vary just slightly while essentially reading from the same script. In other words, coaches and the media agree on which teams should lead the way heading into the start of the season, only with a few subtle changes in the pecking order. And behind the top six, the next eight spots were all the same - Oregon, Alabama, LSU, Miami, Arizona State, Illinois, South Carolina and Michigan. Tennessee's drop in the AP Poll Coaches were more willing to overlook Tennessee's offseason drama involving quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who was set to return as the Volunteers' starter before controversially exiting the program in the spring and landing at unranked UCLA. Media members were less forgiving. Ranked No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, Tennessee slid down to No. 24 in the AP Top 25, reflecting how the media is skeptical of the change from Iamaleava to former Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar. That's an understandable take given Iamaleava's potential, Aguilar's lack of Power Four experience and life in the rough-and-tumble SEC. But coaches have a point, too. While there is an obvious question mark under center for the 2025 team, the Volunteers have gone 30-9 the past three seasons while starting three different quarterbacks – Iamaleava, Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker. It seems as if coaches are much more willing to give UT and coach Josh Heupel the benefit of the doubt.
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
A scavenger hunt to find college football's next national champion coach turns up key names
A guided quest to find the next coach to win his first college football national championship turns up obvious names like Brian Kelly and Kalen DeBoer, but also wild cards Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin. Let's embark on a scavenger hunt to find the next college football coach who will win his first national championship. Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day account for the only active championship coaches. Who's next? Reflecting on past winners and adhering to some guiding principles will help identify top candidates. Sixteen coaches won their first national championship during either the Bowl Championship Series or College Football Playoff era that started in 1998. We'll use that group of coaches as our guide, as we try to winnow the list: ∎ Each of the 16 first-time championship coaches from the BCS and CFP eras coached a school that's now in the Power Four ranks. So, we'll confine our search for the next champion to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, plus Notre Dame. ∎ Miami's Larry Coker was the only coach from our control group of 16 who won a national championship in his first season. Coker inherited a team that went 11-1 the prior season. He stepped into a ready-made winner. No current first-year coach enjoys a situation so nice, so let's eliminate the Power Four's six coaches who are entering Year 1. Sorry, Bill Belichick, that includes you. Second-year coaches like Michigan's Sherrone Moore remain in the mix. Bob Stoops, Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Gene Chizik won a national championship in their second season, making Year 2 a time to shine. Looking at you, Kalen DeBoer. ∎ Programs rarely go from the outhouse to the penthouse overnight. The 16 coaches who won their first national title during the CFP or BCS eras coached teams that finished 7-5 or better the season before the championship. The majority of first-timers won at least 10 games in the season preceding their first title. Let's eliminate coaches whose teams didn't achieve at least a .583 winning percentage last season. That cuts 29 more coaches from our list, leaving 30 coaches still alive. Eliminated coaches include Southern California's Lincoln Riley, Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. They built accomplished careers before losing the plot last year. ∎ Each of the 16 first-time championship coaches from the BCS and playoff eras steered teams that were ranked in the preseason Top 25. So, let's consult the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, and trim from our list nine more coaches, whose teams are unranked. We're down to 21 contenders. ∎ Most first-time championship coaches were winners before they won it all. The 16 new champions from the BCS and CFP eras compiled a combined .684 winning percentage before ever winning a national title. This excludes records compiled coaching in the Championship Subdivision. Auburn's Gene Chizik became notable exception. Before Cam Newton spurred Chizik to brief glory, Chizik's career winning percentage had been .351 across stints at Iowa State and Auburn. Not surprisingly, Chizik didn't last long after Newton departed. LSU's Ed Orgeron had a .532 career winning percentage before Joe Burrow propelled the Tigers to an undefeated national championship. Acknowledging outliers exist to our .684 guideline winning percentage, let's create a buffer and eliminate any coaches that do not have at least a .650 career winning percentage coaching in the FBS. Also, trim any coaches who aren't above-.500 at their current school. Each of the past 16 first-time championship coaches were above .500 at their school entering their breakthrough season, except for Coker, who won his title in his first season. Applying the winning percentage parameters trims 12 more coaches and leaves nine coaches standing: They are Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), Brian Kelly (LSU), Lane Kiffin (Mississippi), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Dan Lanning (Oregon), James Franklin (Penn State), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame) and Rhett Lashlee (SMU). That's a strong list, with a couple of notable omissions. More on the omissions in a bit. First, let's examine the nine names to whom our scavenger hunt guided us. DeBoer, Kelly, Lanning, Franklin and Freeman are obvious contenders. DeBoer, Kelly and Freeman previously coached a team to a national runner-up finish. Each of these five coaches have teams ranked in the preseason top 10. The list also includes four wild cards. Kiffin, Heupel, Cignetti and Lashlee coach teams with longshot national championship odds, but the stock of each coach is on the rise, and it's no guarantee the next championship coach will emerge this season. Day, Smart or Swinney could win another ring and prolong this exercise. It's not unthinkable that Heupel or Kiffin would win a title from his current job – just perhaps not this season. Also, this next coaching carousel projects to be more active than the last, especially if Brent Venables doesn't ignite Oklahoma. Any of four wild-card names our scavenger hunt surfaced could nicely suit the Sooners. As for notable omissions, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian stands most prominently. His .618 career winning percentage resulted in his name being trimmed, but he's coming off the best two seasons of his career. His Longhorns rank No. 1 in the preseason, after back-to-back playoff semifinal appearances. In February, I picked Sarkisian as the best-positioned coach to win his first national championship. He'd need to become another exception to the career winning percentage trend. His winning percentage is superior to what Orgeron had amassed before Burrow led LSU to glory. Might Texas' Arch Manning produce a Burrow effect? Our scavenger hunt also nixed Michigan's Moore. Officially, his career winning percentage is .643, resulting in his cut, but that clip does not include his three victories in 2023 while he served as acting coach during Jim Harbaugh's Big Ten suspension. Moore is entering his second season as Harbaugh's replacement. He, too, could be an exception to the career winning percentage rule, like Stoops was when he won a national title in his second season at Oklahoma, after a 7-5 debut. Michigan's roster features freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation's No. 1-ranked recruit. If Day, Smart or Swinney wins another title and prolongs the runway for the next championship coach, Moore could look like a stronger contender in 2026. If we could combine some common sense with the results of our scanvenger hunt, I'd insert Sarkisian and Moore onto the list in place of Cignetti and Lashlee, for a nine-name collection of DeBoer, Kelly, Kiffin, Heupel, Freeman, Lanning, Franklin, Sarkisian and Moore. Or, perhaps, this scavenger hunt serves as little more than a wild-goose choose, and the real exercise in this NIL era should be to follow the money to Texas, where the Longhorns' handsomely paid roster seems capable of making a champion out of Sarkisian, just as the pricy Buckeyes did for Day. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
The biggest college football quarterback competitions still undecided feature elite teams
A new starting quarterback hasn't proven to be a major roadblock for teams chasing the College Football Playoff and national championship. To name two recent examples: Ohio State won last year's title with Kansas State transfer Will Howard as its starter, while runner-up Notre Dame was led by Duke transfer Riley Leonard. Both teams are evaluating their two new options at quarterback without any change in expectations: to win every game they play and be the last team standing at Hard Rock Stadium in January. Neither race has been settled as we turn toward the start of fall camp. Likewise with key battles involving several additional teams with legitimate playoff hopes, including Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee. These Power Four quarterback competitions will define the final weeks leading into the regular season and shape the chase for the national title: Alabama Contenders: Austin Mack, Keelon Russell and Ty Simpson. While the competition is ongoing, Mack and Russell are clearly running behind Simpson, who completed 25 of 45 attempts in two seasons as Alabama's backup to Jalen Milroe. Comments made back in the spring by new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb – that Simpson would've been the starter had the year started then, basically – makes this competition close to a foregone conclusion. In fact, the bigger competition at this point is for the backup role between Mack, a sophomore, and Russell, a five-star true freshman. Starter: Simpson. The fourth-year junior has the edge in experience and in coach Kalen DeBoer's system. He's the overwhelming favorite to be in the starting lineup for the Tide's opener at Florida State. Brigham Young Contenders: Bear Bachmeier, Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead. Jake Retzlaff's unexpected departure from the program amid the possibility of a seven-game suspension for violating the school's honor code dramatically changes the Cougars' plans under center. Hillstead is a redshirt sophomore who started four games for Utah State in 2023, with 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Bourguet, a junior, threw for 1,314 yards in two years at Western Michigan. Bachmeier is a dual-threat true freshman with the most potential, though no experience. Starter: Hillstead. That would be the pick as of today, though Bourguet could change the pecking order with a strong fall camp. Both would be keeping the seat warm for Bachmeier, though his time may be at least a year away. Colorado Contenders: Julian Lewis and Kaidon Salter. That both players were part of Colorado's contingent at last month's media day speaks to where things stand in the competition to replace Shedeur Sanders – basically, that we're still at a neck-and-neck standstill. Lewis was a major recruit who clearly represents the program's future at the position. Salter was productive across three years at Liberty, highlighted by his 32 touchdown passes two years ago to help the Flames reach the Fiesta Bowl. Will Deion Sanders choose this level of proven Group of Five production over potential? Starter: Salter. Given the Buffaloes' important non-conference matchup with Georgia Tech to open the year, Salter would be the safer pick out of the gate. But he'll need to produce to fend off Lewis, who will be the starter sooner or later. Michigan Contenders: Mikey Keene and Bryce Underwood. Underwood is a premier quarterback talent with the tools to succeed under a bright spotlight, should Michigan and coach Sherrone Moore be willing to accept the ups and downs that come with starting a true freshman in the Big Ten. Keene is more limited from a physical perspective but does have starting experience and familiarity with new Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who previously coached Keene at Central Florida. Starter: Underwood. The eventual payoff is too great for the Wolverines to sideline Underwood in favor of Keene's advantage in experience. North Carolina Contenders: Max Johnson and Gio Lopez. Johnson opened last year as the starter before suffering a season-ending injury in the opener. The former Texas A&M and LSU starter has thrown for 5,923 yards and 47 touchdowns across his five seasons, including 27 scores and only six interceptions for the Tigers in 2021. Lopez, a sophomore, is a South Alabama transfer who threw for 2,559 yards with totaled 25 combined scores for the Jaguars as a redshirt freshman. Apropos of nothing, new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick went 84-103 in the NFL without Tom Brady as his quarterback and 249-75 with Brady under center. Starter: Lopez. That Johnson has multiple years of starting experience in the SEC has to count for something. But Lopez brings a different dimension to the offense as a runner, making him the smarter long-term choice for a team that has the talent to contend for a top-four finish in the ACC. Notre Dame Contenders: CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Replacing Leonard won't be easy for the defending national runner-up. What's intriguing about this competition is the juxtaposition of styles: Minchey, who has played in three games in his two years on campus, is more of a dual-threat option; while Carr, a former five-star recruit and redshirt freshman, is closer to a pure pocket passer. Carr has been seen as a possible multiple-year starter since signing with the Irish. Starter: Carr. Maybe there's a package for Minchey in a supporting role. But Carr has the tools to balance out what should be a very strong running game and make Notre Dame even more dangerous. Ohio State Contenders: Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin. This one is tighter than the competition in Tuscaloosa after Kienholz more than held his own during the spring. Kienholz completed 10 of 22 attempts as a true freshman in 2023 but didn't see any game action last season. Sayin was one of the top prospects in the 2024 signing class and was briefly a member of the Crimson Tide before transferring to Columbus. Kienholz has made a move in this battle but remains the underdog. The winner lands the ultimate prize: starting at quarterback in one of the friendliest system in college football and throwing to Jeremiah Smith, among others. Starter: Sayin. At worst, Kienholz has proven himself to be a reliable backup capable of leading the offense. But Sayin's immense ceiling as the starter will be hard for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes to turn down. Tennessee Contenders: Joey Aguilar, George MacIntyre and Jake Merklinger. Nico Iamaleava's abrupt exit for UCLA diminishes Tennessee's chances of returning to the playoff. The Volunteers still have several interesting options, though, led by the addition of Aguilar from Appalachian State after he spent a few months of his own with the Bruins. Aguilar is a high-volume passer (850 attempts his past two seasons) with ample experience but is prone to turnovers, with a Sun Belt-high 14 interceptions in 2024. He still has a distinct edge over Merklinger, a redshirt freshman, and the true freshman MacIntyre. Both are talented, highly recruited prospects who could engage in another battle to replace Aguilar after this season. Starter: Aguilar. He'll have to play cleaner football to get Tennessee to nine or more wins and keep the two younger passers on the sideline.
Dominion Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Linebacker Chase Wilson emerging as leader on WVU defense
MORGANTOWN — Linebacker Chase Wilson entered the transfer portal on Jan. 7, 2025, after five years at Colorado State. His first stop after entering the portal was West Virginia. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley and Wilson spoke and realized Wilson's play style and Alley's coaching style complemented each other. Wilson liked how aggressively Alley coached at Oklahoma, and Alley liked how Wilson played square and downhill, which is how Alley's linebackers played. After talking to Alley and seeing Morgantown, Wilson packed up in Fort Collins, shipped his car to West Virginia because he didn't know if his car with 200,000 miles could make the trip, and announced his commitment on Jan. 10. Wilson appreciated his time at Colorado State, but wanted to move up to a Power Four conference. 'This was the first visit I took, and right after my visit, it felt a lot like Colorado to me, just more hills than mountains,' Wilson said. 'But, I fell in love with it. Fell in love with the people, the game day atmosphere, the fan base, just felt like home to me.' The story of how Wilson wants to end his career is a lot simpler than how it started. Wilson arrived in Fort Collins in 2020, which was during the peak of the pandemic. He played in two games and was contact traced a couple of times, hindering his play time. Then in 2021, he played in three games before suffering a season-ending injury. The injury carried over to 2022. From there, Wilson started 25 games at linebacker and recently earned preseason third-team All-Big 12, according to Phil Steele. 'I think that's why I really love what coach Rodriguez has going on here, because that hard edge started to kind of instill in me when I was younger, and a lot of the adversity that I faced through injury, through covid, this, that and the other,' Wilson said. 'The hard edge was instilled in me before I even knew it was a hard edge.' Wilson isn't the only player to recently join the squad. Wilson is one of the 70-plus transfers added to the team, with some coming in just the spring. The entire roster is also learning a new defensive scheme. Wilson has been quick to make friends through the whole defense, but still making his rounds, getting to know everybody. To be fair, Rodriguez is still learning names, too. 'I think the best part of football at the end of the day is the relationships,' Wilson said. 'This game is going to end one day, but those relationships will carry on for the rest of your life. That's something I really love. Some of these guys are going to be there at my wedding, you know? That's pretty awesome.' Rodriguez said he's still evaluating and looking for leaders, which is hard with no set starters. Wilson hasn't been announced as a starter, even with his strong performance at his last stop, but there's a strong indication he might be one of the leaders on the defense in his last and first year at WVU from what he's done so far after the first week. 'Just my experience is something I can bring to the younger guys,' Wilson said. 'If I can help some of these young guys, whether it's freshmen and sophomores, I want to leave this place better than how I am right now, right? If I can help those guys get ahead of the curve on year one, year two, I'll be happy.'
