2019 Preseason Coaches Poll
/I couldn’t think of a better way to start August than seeing the Preseason Coaches Poll revealed for the upcoming 2019 season. Since I have been combining various power polls and magazine team rankings into a spreadsheet, there weren’t many surprises. There are some interesting tidbits and trends though…
Clemson is ranked #1 for the first time ever in the preseason
Alabama is not ranked #1 for the first time in the preseason since 2015
There are four SEC teams ranked in the top 8, and a fifth (Texas A&M) is just outside the top ten
The Big Ten leads all conferences with seven teams in the top 25, and an 8th team (Nebraska) is the team with the most “Others Receiving Votes”
Only Clemson and Alabama received 1st place votes
Iowa State is ranked in the preseason for the first time ever
And Florida State is unranked for only the second time in the preseason since 1990
The highest and only ranked Group of Five school is UCF
Some of my thoughts on this poll and the upcoming season…
We could get a shakeup in the poll right from the start in Week Zero if Miami beats Florida
I’m not sure Michigan and Texas are Top 10 teams - but I hope that I am wrong
Even though there are quite a few ranked teams in the SEC West and Big Ten East, I think that Alabama and Ohio State will still stand tall at the end of the year
The Pac-12 West and Big Ten West Divisions will be wind open as upwards to four teams in each can stake a claim as the best - though Washington State is a stretch
A lot of teams got votes and rankings for last year’s performance: Washington State inside the poll, and Kentucky, West Virginia, Utah State and Fresno State just outside
No matter who ends up as the champion or who is in the final 2019 Coaches Poll, it is going to be an exciting season with “playoff” games and elimination games being played every week!