The preseason AP Poll isn’t released until Monday, but a few voters offered sneak peeks of their ballots this week.
Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group, Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times, and Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle all left BC off of their Top 25. Former ESPN and current Stadium reporter Brett McMurphy listed the Eagles at No. 20.
Earlier this summer, Football Writers Association of America member Phil Steele ranked BC at No. 23 in his preseason Top 40, one of the most accurate lists in recent years. Steele has the Eagles’ offensive line as the sixth-best unit in the country and their defense ranked 25th nationally.
Considering 65 writers vote for the AP Top 25, five ballots are a small sample size. But, out of curiosity, I compiled a composite ranking from what we know now. The top team earns 25 points, the next gets 24 points, and so on. Total points are noted in parentheses.
Also receiving votes: FAU (10), BC (9), Utah (7), South Carolina (4), Arizona (2), Arkansas State (1)
With BC right on the fringe, the deciding factor might be how many voters are national college football reporters. The three regional reporters did not include the Eagles in their Top 25, and some of their local biases showed. Wilner, for example, is a West Coast guy who included five Pac-12 teams in his rankings.
I’m confident that BC will perform better in the preseason AP Poll than the Amway Coaches Poll published earlier this month, in which the team tied for 10th in the “Receiving Votes” section. Even though the Eagles probably won’t break through into the preseason Top 25, there’s a sense that it might be right around the corner given their friendly early-season schedule. They haven't been ranked since Nov. 30, 2008.
Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group, Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times, and Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle all left BC off of their Top 25. Former ESPN and current Stadium reporter Brett McMurphy listed the Eagles at No. 20.
Earlier this summer, Football Writers Association of America member Phil Steele ranked BC at No. 23 in his preseason Top 40, one of the most accurate lists in recent years. Steele has the Eagles’ offensive line as the sixth-best unit in the country and their defense ranked 25th nationally.
Considering 65 writers vote for the AP Top 25, five ballots are a small sample size. But, out of curiosity, I compiled a composite ranking from what we know now. The top team earns 25 points, the next gets 24 points, and so on. Total points are noted in parentheses.
- Alabama (124)
- Clemson (121)
- Wisconsin (107)
- Georgia (107)
- Washington (104)
- Ohio State (102)
- Oklahoma (90)
- Miami (87)
- Penn State (82)
- Michigan State (76)
- Auburn (66)
- Michigan (65)
- Notre Dame (60)
- Stanford (59)
- USC (42)
- TCU (41)
- West Virginia (38)
- Boise State (36)
- Texas (34)
- Mississippi State (33)
- Florida State (29)
- Florida (26)
- Oregon (24)
- UCF (19)
- Virginia Tech (16)
Also receiving votes: FAU (10), BC (9), Utah (7), South Carolina (4), Arizona (2), Arkansas State (1)
With BC right on the fringe, the deciding factor might be how many voters are national college football reporters. The three regional reporters did not include the Eagles in their Top 25, and some of their local biases showed. Wilner, for example, is a West Coast guy who included five Pac-12 teams in his rankings.
I’m confident that BC will perform better in the preseason AP Poll than the Amway Coaches Poll published earlier this month, in which the team tied for 10th in the “Receiving Votes” section. Even though the Eagles probably won’t break through into the preseason Top 25, there’s a sense that it might be right around the corner given their friendly early-season schedule. They haven't been ranked since Nov. 30, 2008.
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