College Football: Hits and misses from preseason Coaches Poll

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greet after the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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UCF

Even after going undefeated last year, beating Auburn (who beat the eventual National Champion) and returning their starting quarterback, the University of Central Florida finds itself at 23 on the coaches poll. Clearly, the coaches are still not taking UCF seriously despite claiming themselves National Champs.

To the coaches credit, UCF did lose a great coach in Scott Frost. Furthermore, UCF lost their defensive and emotional leader in Shaquem Griffin. And UCF plays in the AAC, which is a less competitive conference than some of the other conferences.

However, this is the first time in the last decade that an undefeated team is ranked outside the top 20 the following year. Mckenzie Milton is a veteran quarterback and will lead his team as such this year. UCF will have another strong year in the AAC, and given their schedule, a very reasonable chance to go undefeated once again. If UCF starts off the season strong, look for them to jump to the top of the CFP rankings. However, it is unlikely they will ever move up significantly in the Coaches Poll so long as they remain in the AAC.

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