Credit: Mark Bradley
Credit: Mark Bradley
As we know, I'm always wrong about everything. And by saying that, I'm wrong again. Because last year I was, shocking though it might be, right about some facet of college football.
Last January, the top four teams in my pre-preseason Top 25 were Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State and Alabama . Those four would comprise the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Yes, I would tweak the order for the preseason version in July/August, ultimately bumping Ohio State down to No. 10 because Braxton Miller was lost. And no, I didn't have the order exactly right (except for Oregon) this time a year ago, but still: I call 'em as I see 'em, and I take what I can get. Whatever that means.
Enough semi-crowing. Another pre-preseason is at hand, and it will be available in its entirety on myajc and in Sunday's AJC. I offer highlights here.
My top five is Ohio State (duh), TCU, Alabama, Southern Cal and Michigan State. There are eight SEC teams included, along with six from the Pac-12 and three apiece from the ACC, the Big Ten and the Big 12. There's one team from a non-Power Five league (three guesses on that) and one from no conference (one guess there).
Georgia Tech and Georgia, both of which just finished in the Associated Press Top 10, are included in this Top 25 but not its Top 10. I have the Bulldogs at No. 12, same as last January, and the Jackets at No. 18, which is different from last January when I had them nowhere at all.
Teams that were considered but omitted include Mississippi State and Arkansas, simply because there's no way I could put all seven SEC West members in the Top 25. They're bound to beat each other, don't you think? (And by now, close readers should know the identity of six of the eight chosen SEC teams.)
Georgia fans will believe I have their team too low. Tech fans will believe I have Georgia too high and their team too low. Ohio State fans will grouse that I've jinxed the Buckeyes by putting them No. 1. Jen Bielema will probably never say "hello" to me again after I omitted the Razorbacks. But them's the breaks. Whatever that means.
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