We’re finishing third in the summer, which means the start of college football is right around the corner, and that means one thing: preseason rankings.
Being highly ranked in the early Top 25 is important when watching the College Football Playoff shake out, but it doesn’t mean everything.
How did the CBS Sports experts rank the top 25 teams this preseason?
25. Pittsburgh. Kedon Slovis and Jordan Addison are out, but Kedon Slovis is the quarterback to keep the Panthers in the ACC title race.
24. Tennessee. Could be an SEC forward with a top 10 offense a year ago, but holes to patch first in the secondary.
23. Kentucky. Will Lewis is back under center, but the availability of anchor Chris Rodriguez is up in the air due to a legal issue for the SEC East hopefuls.
22. Houston. This could be the year the Cougars overtake Cincinnati in the AAC before both teams move to the Big 12 next year.
21. Wake Forest. The core of college football’s 11th-ranked offense is back, including Sam Hartman, but the Deacs’ defense was ranked 91st nationally last fall.
20. Michigan State. Kenneth Walker is in the NFL, but Sparty still has a solid 1-2 punch moving the ball while patching up the 111th-ranked pass defense in college football.
19. Miami. Mario Cristobal brings in an elite coaching staff and succeeds Tyler Van Dyke at quarterback, but still faces a tough schedule in Year 1.
18. Penn State. Sean Clifford is back, this time with WKU transfer Mitchell Tinsley as a very reliable threat.
17. Cincinnati. Nine of the playmakers who led Cincy to the College Football Playoff are now pros, so we’ll see how well Luke Fickle can develop what he has.
16. Arkansas. Perhaps the surprise team in college football last year, the Hogs returned quarterback Kay Jefferson and signed transfer receiver Jaden Hazelwood to replace Traylon Burks. Now comes that brutal SEC West slate.
15. Wisconsin. The top-ranked total defense from a year ago needs to add some new pieces, but Braylon Allen looks like one of the best young backs in the country to anchor this team while Graham Mertz emerges at quarterback.
14. Oregon. Dan Lanning comes in as coach of Georgia’s storied defense to bring that magic to a Ducks team that looked on the verge of making the playoffs last season.
13. Oklahoma State. Some new faces on what in 2021 was the third-ranked defense in college football, but the Pokes retain experience as Spencer Sanders returns at QB.
12. U.S.C. The biggest question in sports since Lincoln Riley moved west and brought with him the transfer class for the ages.
11. NC state. That team beat Clemson last fall and was a combined eight points away from a perfect ACC record, and now Devin Leary is back running that offense for another run.
10. Baylor. Dave Aranda took the Bears from 2 wins to a Big 12 title in one year and returns enough experience on both sides of the ball to do it again.
9. Texas A&M. This could be the year Jimbo gets it together and makes it in the SEC after signing the highest-rated recruiting class ever. A midseason meeting with Alabama will tell the story.
8. Michigan. The defending Big Ten champions lose a bunch of their key contributors, but still have plenty of skills to move the ball on offense.
7. Oklahoma. Brent Venables has stepped in to steady the ship since Riley’s departure and brought in quarterback Dylan Gabriel to meet with Jeff Lebby after the two orchestrated a top-10 offense at UCF.
6. The Virgin. Another first-year coach in Marcus Freeman, who has dominated the recruiting scene thus far and has arguably the best offensive line in college football.
5. Clemson. Defensive injuries and subpar quarterback play led to three losses for the Tigers a year ago, but this defense, now healthy, may have the most physical front seven unit in the country.
4. Utah. Big offseason optimism for the Pac-12 champions, who return the duo of Cam Rising at QB and Tavion Thomas in the backfield, a tandem that combined for 41 touchdowns last season.
3. Georgia. The defending college football national champions need to patch some holes in this ferocious defense, but also return a ton of downfield threats and speed on the perimeter and play a very winnable schedule.
2. Ohio State. The core of college football’s No. 1 offense is back, led by Heisman finalist quarterback C.J. Stroud, but how well Jim Knowles can fix the Buckeyes’ defense will determine whether this team belongs in the playoffs.
1. Alabama. Breaking news: The Crimson Tide is the best team in college football after signing a blue-chip transfer class to complement its Heisman-winning quarterback and veteran defense, led by defensive end Will Anderson, arguably the nation’s best player at any position.
(h/t CBS Sports)
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