There are only a handful of teams each season that realistically have the capability to compete for a national title, and the AP poll doesn't really do much to help find that cutoff point. So instead of looking at the preseason AP Top 25 poll that came out on Monday as a pure ranking, let's instead twist it into a tier list. It's a mechanism that erases the gap between No. 3 and No. 7 and instead lumps teams together with their peers for the upcoming season.
So, in honor of the internet's favorite way to rank things – a S to F tier list, baby! – this is how the preseason Top 25 teams stack up in terms of their chances to win a national title, or in some cases, even reach the 12-team bracket. S: Legitimate national title favorite A: Can win if things break right B: Have big roster questions but are talented enough C: Can win a playoff game or two D: Could make the playoff F: Would be a surprise if they made the playoff No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Indiana, No. 7 Miami There's a clear top seven contending tier in college football this year. You could attempt to separate out a team or two from that group – voters awarded everyone but Georgia and Texas a first-place vote.
Texas, for example, might have the most talented roster in college football. Then again, so could Oregon. Then again, in talking with scouts and coaches, Ohio State has an argument, and so do Notre Dame and Miami.
Then can you really discount Indiana coming off a national title or a Georgia team that returns the second-most starters in the Power Four? I can't really separate those teams without seeing them play a game. So, they belong in the same tier.
Each of those seven teams features a championship-worthy roster. All but two of them made the playoff last season, with Texas and Notre Dame among the first teams out. All seven teams return a starting quarterback with at least one full season as a starter.
Each roster is loaded with potential Day 1 draft picks. And each team is spending $30-plus million to put itself into contention. Could the schedule present more difficulties for Ohio State or Texas, both of which have brutal roads, compared to Miami or Notre Dame?
Extract — continue reading at the source.
