Today, USA Today released their annual preseason Coach’s Poll. Normally, this poll is chock-full of teams from Texas. This year’s only features the Longhorns, who come in at #23.
The Longhorns are the only team in the top 25 who finished 2016 under .500 to make the list.
The Coach’s Poll has some perks and flaws. On one hand, who best to determine the strength of football teams than the coaches? On the other hand, each coach has intricate knowledge of the game as well as their team, but they can’t possibly have enough time to be able to discuss teams they don’t play every year. I don’t expect Will Muschamp (or another one of his coaches, who more than likely votes in this poll) of South Carolina to know where to rank Willie Taggart’s Oregon Ducks, and vice versa.
The lack of Texas teams this year doesn’t come as a huge surprise either. Most teams in-state are undergoing major changes. Matt Rhule, Tom Herman, and Major Applewhite are all brand-new, and Texas Tech and TCU struggled heavily. The season will more than likely see this list change for better or worse. Last year was the first time in a very, very long time that no team from Texas ended the season in the top 25.
Brought to you by:
Hilarious. Guess who probably won’t be in the final poll…
A lot of teams. The total of teams minus 25. Lol