Post by lmills72 on Feb 21, 2021 15:16:10 GMT -6
Noticed on ESPN they have an article listing the top questions for their "Way too early top 25" college football teams for 2021.
So looking at last year's final AP poll and the ESPN early rankings, it's probably no shock to most of us that some teams that finished last year in the top 25 and really didn't have a lot of change in coaching staff or roster make-up (ahem, Ball State) somehow disappeared from the rankings while other teams from more traditional Power 5 programs just leapfrogged them.
Missing from last years final AP poll:
No. 11 Northwestern
No. 12 BYU
No. 20 Okla. St
No. 23 BSU
No. 24 San Jose St.
No. 25 Buffalo
Jumping into the ESPN poll:
No. 13 Oregon
No. 14 Washington
No. 17 Wisconsin
No. 18 Mississippi
No. 20 LSU
No. 22 Penn St.
The ESPN poll did keep FBS relative newcomers Coastal Carolina (14th last year and 23rd this year) and Liberty (17th last year and 24th this year) in the top 25.
I wonder what it would take in terms of year-to-year consistency for BSU or any MAC team to get the relative respect that Liberty and Coastal Carolina seem to have garnered in a fairly short period of time. Coastal Carolina has three years of 11 or 12 wins, which isn't insignificant. Liberty was 8-5 in 2019, 10-1 last year and made it into the poll for the first time.
So looking at last year's final AP poll and the ESPN early rankings, it's probably no shock to most of us that some teams that finished last year in the top 25 and really didn't have a lot of change in coaching staff or roster make-up (ahem, Ball State) somehow disappeared from the rankings while other teams from more traditional Power 5 programs just leapfrogged them.
Missing from last years final AP poll:
No. 11 Northwestern
No. 12 BYU
No. 20 Okla. St
No. 23 BSU
No. 24 San Jose St.
No. 25 Buffalo
Jumping into the ESPN poll:
No. 13 Oregon
No. 14 Washington
No. 17 Wisconsin
No. 18 Mississippi
No. 20 LSU
No. 22 Penn St.
The ESPN poll did keep FBS relative newcomers Coastal Carolina (14th last year and 23rd this year) and Liberty (17th last year and 24th this year) in the top 25.
I wonder what it would take in terms of year-to-year consistency for BSU or any MAC team to get the relative respect that Liberty and Coastal Carolina seem to have garnered in a fairly short period of time. Coastal Carolina has three years of 11 or 12 wins, which isn't insignificant. Liberty was 8-5 in 2019, 10-1 last year and made it into the poll for the first time.
