I just hope with so much experience back we start faster out of the blocks next year.
Very Early 2021 Top 25 Expectations
- Thread starter CychiatricWard
- Start date
While that is an effect of preseason polls, it's not that premeditated. It's mostly just media members filling out a form after 15 minutes of research.
People that think Texas will be ranked ahead of us need to take off their tinfoil hat. It isn't happening.
AP people know coach, QB, and where the teams ended last year. ISU will finish about 10 spots higher this year, return a known QB, a First Team AA RB and a coach widely considered top 5 in the country. Texas has none of those things.
Are people really using Penn State or Michigan's preseason ranking as some great proof of horrible preseason rankings? Of course there is bias, but they won 11 and 9 games last year and finished 9th and 19th. Ranking them in the preseason was completely reasonable. Having them be 2 and 3 spots higher than they finished is not out of line. And Nebraska did not start ranked this year. Yes, they were preseason 24th or something like that in 2019, but after a terrible start they finished 2018 4-2 with one of those a 5 pt loss to Ohio State. Frost was also just removed from winning that Natty at UCF, so I don't think it was totally crazy to rank them preseason 24 in 2019. Hindsight is 20/20.
I'm guessing anywhere between 8th and 11th. Depends a lot on how many SEC and Big Ten teams get in top 10 -- I'm guessing voters will wedge 5 in there between those leagues, plus Clemson and Notre Dame, and perhaps the top Pac-12 team. So that, along with OU, the room gets crowded.
I think the key is that, while we know we’ll be losing some key people, it’s in positions that AP voters don’t care about. They don’t care about tight end, for example. They’ll see we have Purdy back, and Hall back, and Hutch back, and Rose back, and Young back, and that’ll be good enough to them.
The preseason poll this year before seasons got paused had 6/14 (43%) Big 10 teams and 4/10 Big 12 teams.
Looking at where Texas started and finished in the AP Poll from 2010-2019:
2010 Started:5 Finished:Unranked
2011 Started:24 Finished:Unranked
2012 Started:15 Finished:19
2013 Started:15 Finished:Unranked
2014 Started:Unranked Finished:Unranked
2015 Started:Unranked Finished:Unranked
2016 Started:11 Finished:Unranked
2017 Started:23 Finished:Unranked
2018 Started:23 Finished:9
2019 Started:10 Finished:25
Texas finished ranked, with a bowl win, and a perceived upgrade at the head coaching spot. It won't shock me that AP voters vote Texas higher than us. They're almost always overrated.
Michigan always has to start the season ranked in the top 15. Regardless how good they were the previous year
This year they started 14th and will end up 16th-17th prob. Disagree that Sarkisian is broadly viewed as an upgrade, nor should he be. And they lose the only player most AP voters could name on UTs roster.
UT is overrated always. But ISU will be picked to finish 2nd in the league and ranked ahead of Texas preseason.
Bold move to hitch Texas’ wagon to Sark. Maybe it will work, but just seems like a less accomplished Tom Herman with more baggage.
Sark brings in a few big name transfers, maybe from Alabama, and the hype train will be in full swing. We'll see how it plays out.
Combined with "the new Texas coach was the OC for 'Bama's historic offense, plus all that Texas talent."
Or that Texas talent that was a failure as an OC until he had the opponent outmanned by a mile at every position.
He made hay from getting to 7 wins at UW because he got to use the Ty Willingham disaster as his bar. It’s a team that had won a Natty like 20 years earlier. It would be like using the Charlie Strong era to measure success at Texas, but worse. UW was SO much better after Sark left.
The guy is not terrible, and mabye he will be good. But his record doesnt suggest he is an upgrade.
Peterson has been much better at U Dub, I just think that will be the media's narrative on why Texas is actually going to be back "for real this time guys, we mean it!" It will be stupid and wrong, but that's how they'll justify a top 15 preseason ranking.
Nope. I mean the one with Mike Rose. And Charlie Kolar. And JaQuan Bailey.
In addition to Breece, of course.
2020 AP All-America team: Alabama stars lead the way as Crimson Tide earn six first-team selections
Mac Jones, Najee Harris and Devonta Smith were first-team quarterback, running back and wide receiver, respectively
www.cbssports.com
UNC is a good call - Howell is good and they offense will be scary good next year imho.
