#17 in Coaches Poll

[PSUForever]

My guess is we will be around there in the AP poll as well. Starting from the middle of the pack, which is not a terrible thing.

My take is this assumes 3 losses and no playoff.

Usual suspects in top 6 with OSU and Oregon at 1, 2. Note Dump at #5 and Indiana lurking at #6.

USC #14, Michigan #16, Washington #19.

No other opponents ranked nor receiving any votes.

We all know preseason rankings are pretty worthless but still you can't dismiss it completely. I think all the top 7 or 8 in this preseason poll will be in the playoff so we are probably battling for one of the last 4-5 spots.

 

[psuro]

The ranking system is antiquated.

 

[Blair10]

My guess is we will be around there in the AP poll as well. Starting from the middle of the pack, which is not a terrible thing.

My take is this assumes 3 losses and no playoff.

Usual suspects in top 6 with OSU and Oregon at 1, 2. Note Dump at #5 and Indiana lurking at #6.

USC #14, Michigan #16, Washington #19.

No other opponents ranked nor receiving any votes.

We all know preseason rankings are pretty worthless but still you can't dismiss it completely. I think all the top 7 or 8 in this preseason poll will be in the playoff so we are probably battling for one of the last 4-5 spots.

If recent history means anything, you are way too optimistic regarding the usual suspects making the playoffs.

Just look at the 2025 preseason ranking. The following 2025 preseason ranked teams did not make the playoffs:

1. Texas
2. Penn State
4. Clemson
6. Notre Dame
9. LSU

In fact, only 50% of the 2025 preseason top 10 actually made the playoffs:

3. Ohio State
5. Georgia
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
10. Miami

Bottom line, preseason rankings are mostly useless.

 

[PrtLng Lion]

Last fall when the coaching search seemed to have no end and we were losing recruits, I would have thought a #17 preseason ranking was a joke.

 

[PSUForever]

If recent history means anything, you are way too optimistic regarding the usual suspects making the playoffs.

Just look at the 2025 preseason ranking. The following 2025 preseason ranked teams did not make the playoffs:

1. Texas
2. Penn State
4. Clemson
6. Notre Dame
9. LSU

In fact, only 50% of the 2025 preseason top 10 actually made the playoffs:

3. Ohio State
5. Georgia
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
10. Miami

Bottom line, preseason rankings are mostly useless.

You could be right but I don't know how the other recent years turned out.

Top 7 are:
OSU
Oregon
Georgia
Texas
ND
IU
Miami

So who is a pretender out of the top 7? Maybe IU slips up but I'm not betting against Cig plus they did great in the portal nabbing Josh Hoover at QB from TCU and Nick Marsh (remember him?) at WR from Sparty. Georgia is always good and Smart just wins. Texas is always a bit of an underachiever but they have Manning so he could carry them. Oregon and OSU? I don't see that. ND has a pretty weak schedule and Carr is a good QB. Miami has Mensah from Duke at QB but lost some key pieces but play in a weak conference.

I am not sold on 8-10, A&M, Okie and Ole Miss.

 

[Lion84]

Domers always at the top... in the beginning but shown as frauds as the season goes on even with their joke of a schedule.

 

[rigi19041]

My guess is we will be around there in the AP poll as well. Starting from the middle of the pack, which is not a terrible thing.

My take is this assumes 3 losses and no playoff.

Usual suspects in top 6 with OSU and Oregon at 1, 2. Note Dump at #5 and Indiana lurking at #6.

USC #14, Michigan #16, Washington #19.

No other opponents ranked nor receiving any votes.

We all know preseason rankings are pretty worthless but still you can't dismiss it completely. I think all the top 7 or 8 in this preseason poll will be in the playoff so we are probably battling for one of the last 4-5 spots.

0 big wins and an upset loss.

 

[trufan]

Rat poison

 

[Bison13]

All it takes is one upset early in the year, and it could completely change the psyche of a program. It wasn’t even really an upset, losing Oregon, but you see that our coaching staff couldn’t figure it out after that game.

 

[Nitt1300]

championships are the standard- win 12 regular season games and it will all work out

don't, and it won't

 

[laKavosiey-st lion]

im 2 losses and 1 playoff win (away)

 

[SleepyLion]

Last fall fail when the coaching search seemed to have no end and we were losing recruits, I would have thought a #17 preseason ranking was a joke.

I read it this way the first time. Somehow it still works.

 

[Marshall2323]

USC has Oregon and Washington before 10/10 at PSU. If they lose 1 of those, PSU (5-0) should be sitting at or near top 10 and ahead of USC in the polls. Michigan is likely to be 5-0 coming off a bye week. So they could conceivably be rated above PSU. The problem is that Micigan has Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State after PSU.
If PSU beats Michigan, they could be a 4 or 5 loss team. So the schedule provides 9 wins, but the remaining 3 contests may need to provide 1 quality win to influence committee selection at 10-2.