Poll: Preseason football polls ... prediction, or current state of affairs?

Well, for the most part, you need not consider C-USA, Sun Belt and MAC teams for your top 25 voting. That narrows the starting field of 117 a bit.

 

Haven't there been Conference USA and MAC teams ranked in the Top 25 late in the season? If a voter considers the preseason poll a prediction, shouldn't those conferences' teams also be considered?

 

Yeah, but ever since Louisville left C-USA and Southern Miss became mediocre and Bowling Green lost a bit of steam, I can't imagine predicting any team from the conferences I mentioned as top 25 teams. Teams from those leagues occasionally pop into the top 25, but that's just gravy, not something one would reasonably predict.

 

Popularity contest....

And that's why you rarely, if ever, see teams from the MAC or C_USA in them to start the season

 

Small sample, of course, but interesting results so far.

 

Not until they're on the field. Preseason means nothing until you're head to head with an opponent. You can research 24/7 if you want, but it's impossible to legitimately rank teams until they play. Slappy's correct --- preseason polls are popularity contests.

 

If they were a true popularity contest, then Penn State would probably be ranked than teams like California (8-4), Clemson (8-4) and Louisville (9-3) or even Iowa (7-5). But it's not.

 

Whe he's trying to say is that it only puts out the teams that have strong college football background. West Virginia did great last year, and they ended up being 7th.

 

And Penn State did great last year, and it's ranked No. 19.

Miami and Florida State are two of the most popular programs in America -- they're ranked 10 and 11 in the coaches' poll to start. Behind the Mountaineers.

 

I'll agree with you on the Penn State pick, because that's just wrong. But Miami and Florida State don't even deserve to be in the top 15.