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College Football: Preseason rankings shouldn’t be taken seriously

By Connor Muldowney

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Everyone loves the release of college football’s annual preseason rankings, but here’s why they shouldn’t be taken seriously.

The start of the 2017 can officially be announced on Thursday with the release of the annual preseason Amway Coaches Poll. Fans have been looking forward to preseason rankings since the end of last season, but it’s not something that should be celebrated.

No, I’m not trying to be anti-fun here, although it certainly sounds like it, but rather I’m trying to warn fans that these preseason polls don’t mean much. Sure, it’s exciting to see where coaches and, eventually, media members rank each of the top programs, but so much will change from now until, let’s say, Week 3 that the rankings likely will look completely different.

I’m not saying that we should boycott preseason polls. Actually, they are what help fans get a good idea of who the national favorites and underdogs are. Rather, I’m just saying that we shouldn’t be taking them too seriously.

So Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. That makes sense, but the Crimson Tide have to play Florida State (No. 3) in the first game of the season. That’s going to change the top five right there. Clemson is ranked No. 5 after winning the title, but the Tigers lost a ton of talent. There’s a chance they drop.

Let’s take a look at recent history. Just last season, Notre Dame and Michigan State were both ranked in the top half of the preseason rankings to start the season. Both finished with mediocre records, missing bowls and falling completely out of the rankings by Week 4 or Week 5.

All I’m saying is that we shouldn’t get our hopes up over these preseason polls. Yes, it’s good to speculate and play the guessing game, but that’s exactly what these polls are: a guessing game. No one knows who will suffer season-ending injuries or who will have suspensions because of off-field issues or which teams just won’t show up to play.

Next: College Football: Top 50 breakout candidates for 2017

The season not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Check back in after Week 5 and you’ll have a good idea of who the top teams in the nation are. Until then, guess away.

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