AP Top 25 Poll reactions: Alabama, Tennessee overrated, Oregon underrated in preseason rankings

This might come as shocking news, but the two-time reigning national champion Georgia was voted No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25, which was released Monday. The Bulldogs received 60 of 63 first-place votes and 1,572 overall points in the poll of record in college football.

The Michigan Wolverines, fresh off of their second-straight College Football Playoff appearance, chimed in at No. 2. They received 1,490 overall points and two first-place votes. Rival Ohio State garnered the other first place vote and came in at No. 3. Alabama and LSU rounded out the top five, respectively. 

USC, Penn State, Florida State, Clemson and Washington made up the rest of the the top 10. The SEC landed the most teams in the poll with six teams. The Pac-12 and Big Ten close behind with five.

The release of the AP Top 25 always sparks conversation. The poll either confirms or contradicts narratives that have dominated the offseason, and gets fans across the country ready for Week 1 matchups that should set the landscape for a three-month sprint to the CFP. 

Which teams are overrated? Which teams are underrated? Let’s slice and dice the poll and examine where the voters missed the mark.

Overrated

Alabama: As was the case with the Coaches Poll, the Crimson Tide got just a little too much love. The quarterback position is a major point of concern that seems to be overlooked by both groups of voters. The trio of Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson have a combined total of four starts. That’s not good. Milroe isn’t an accomplished passer, Simpson is a complete unknown and Buchner’s brief career as Notre Dame’s starter was comparable to a roller coaster that was always close to rolling off of the tracks. Combine that with some questions at wide receiver for the second straight season and an offensive line that hasn’t been up to par lately and you have a problem in Tuscaloosa.

Underrated

Oregon: The Ducks at No. 15 is very strange. I had them at No. 6 in my preseason ballot for the CBS Sports 133 because of a dynamic quarterback in Bo Nix, a two-headed monster at running back and a tough and an experienced front seven. Simply put, the Ducks have the perfect recipe to make a CFP run. They should be able to put up 40 points on a regular basis and have the firepower on defense to force enough stops to be considered the Pac-12 favorite.

Overrated

Tennessee: The Volunteers had a magical season in 2022, but that was due in large part to the play of quarterback Hendon Hooker and Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt — both of whom moved on to the NFL. Joe Milton has taken over for Hooker and is receiving plenty of buzz due to his big arm. The problem is a big arm alone isn’t going to win games in the SEC. Milton has lost starting jobs twice (once at Michigan and once at Tennessee) due in large part to his struggles with short to intermediate passes. Bru McCoy is going to lead a talented wide receiver corps. But if Milton can’t develop a changeup, the fastest players in the world might not even be able to run underneath his deep ball.

Underrated

LSU: The Tigers are ranked No. 5, but should be up to a solid No. 4. Coach Brian Kelly’s crew has a Heisman Trophy contender at quarterback in Jayden Daniels, a deep and versatile offensive line, some studs at wide receiver and a front seven that is led by star linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. — who has a case for the title of “best player in college football.” Maason Smith is back up front on defense after a season-ending injury in Week 1 last year. Kelly also hit the transfer portal hard to shore up a secondary that was essentially the only glaring hole on the roster of the defending SEC West champs. The Tigers have a case to be No. 3, and are closer to that spot than No. 5.