This means college football kickoff is just around the corner. In other words, pre-season rankings.
A high rank in the early top 25 is important given the results of the College Football Playoffs, but it doesn’t mean everything.
How did CBS Sports’ experts rank the 25 best teams this preseason?
25. Pittsburgh. Kedon Slobis and Jordan Addison are out, but Kedon Slobis is on at quarterback to keep the Panthers in the ACC title race.
24. Tennessee. Could be an up-and-comer in the SEC in the top 10 offense a year ago, but has holes to fix in the secondary first.
23. Kentucky. Will Levis is back under center, but the availability of lead-back Chris Rodriguez is up in the air over legal issues for SEC East hopefuls.
22. Houston. This could be the year the Cougars overtake Cincinnati in the AAC and both teams move into the Big 12 next year.
21. Wake Forest. The core of college football’s 11th-ranked offense is back, including Sam Hartman, while Deeks’ defense ranked 91st in the nation last fall.
20. Michigan. Kenneth Walker leaves for the NFL, but Spareth has a solid 1-2 punch that moves the ball while repairing the 111th-ranked pass defense in college football.
19. Miami. Mario Cristobal will take over the elite coaching staff and succeed quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, but still faces a difficult schedule in his first year.
18. Pennsylvania. Sean Clifford is back. This time around, WKU transfers his wideout Mitchell Tinsley to be a very reliable downfield threat.
17. Cincinnati. Nine of the playmakers who led Sincey to the college football playoffs are now professionals.
16. Arkansas. Perhaps last year’s college football surprise team, the Hogs have brought back quarterback KJ Jefferson and signed transfer receiver Jadon Hazelwood to replace Treylon Burks. Now comes that brutal SEC West slate.
15. Wisconsin. A year ago, the top-ranked total defense needs to add some new pieces, but Breron Allen looks like one of the top young backs in the country to keep this team, Graham Mertz has become a quarterback.
14. Oregon. Dan Lanning has stepped down as Georgia’s historic defensive coach to bring that magic to a Ducks team that looked close to making the playoffs last season.
13. Oklahoma. With Spencer Sanders returning to QB, the Pokés retain experience, despite the addition of a new face to the third-ranked defense in college football in 2021.
12. USC. The sport’s biggest problem after Lincoln Riley moved west and brought a transfer class with him for years.
11.NC condition. The team beat Clemson last fall to take a total of 8 points off the perfect ACC record. And now Devin Leary is running this offense again.
10. Baylor. Dave Aranda led the Bears from two wins to a Big 12 title in one year, returning enough experience on both sides of the ball to be able to do it again.
9. Texas A&M. This could be the year Jimbo wraps it up and runs it in the SEC after signing into the highest-rated recruiting class ever.
8. Michigan. The Big Ten Champion on defense loses a pile of their most important contributors, but they have plenty of offensive ball-moving skills.
7. Oklahoma. Brent Venables stepped in to stabilize the ship after Riley left, leaving quarterback Dillon Gabriel in a reunion with playcaller Jeff Levy as the two coordinated a top-10 offense at UCF. After that, I brought it.
6. Notre Dame. Another first-year coach for Marcus Freeman, who has dominated the recruiting scene so far, he may have the best offensive line in college football.
5. Clemson. A defensive injury and subpar quarterback play saw the Tigers suffer three losses a year ago, but this defense is now healthy and may have the most physical front-seven unit in the country. .
4. Utah. The big offseason optimism for the Pac-12 champions is the return duo of QB Cam Rising and backfield Tavion Thomas, a tandem that combined for 41 touchdowns last season.
3. Georgia. College football’s defending national champion needs to fix a few holes in its blistering defense, but it returns a ton of downfield threats and perimeter speed, and is playing a very winnable schedule.
2. Ohio. The core of college football’s No. 1 offense is back, led by Heisman finalist quarterback CJ Stroud, but whether or not this team belongs in the playoffs will depend on how well Jim Knowles handles the Buckeyes defense. It is indicated by whether it can be repaired.
1. Alabama. BREAKING NEWS: The Crimson Tide have become the best team in college football after signing an excellent transfer class that complements a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and veteran defense led by linebacker Will Anderson.
(h/t CBS Sports)
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