How did spring practices impact how 2018 contenders will be perceived by pollsters? Here is our latest edition of the preseason AP Top 25 projections.
Spring practice is in the books. The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror. And the academic year is winding down toward summer on campuses around the country over the next month.
With the downtime, talk can now turn toward both reflection and projection. After our earlier attempt at projecting the 2018 preseason AP Top 25 immediately following the end of the 2017 season, the spring results afford a new opportunity to evaluate how pollsters will grade each of these teams.
As usual, it bears mentioning that these are not personal rankings for these teams. Instead, the object here is to attempt to get into the brains of the AP voters and see how they will view these teams ahead of voting in the AP Top 25 poll.
The top spots in the preseason poll will almost certainly be occupied by a familiar cast of characters that closely resembles the order of rankings at the end of the 2017 season. But there is also going to be some shuffling in the poll, as teams either settle on their new stars of the future or struggle to determine who should start at key positions.
With that in mind, let’s dive in and take a look at who will feature in the AP Top 25 once the summer winds down and the organization releases its preseason rankings.