Brett Hamilton: Staff Writer
With the college football season heading into week six, I always find it interesting to look back at the AP Top 25 Rankings. Specifically, I compare the Preseason Top 25 Rankings to the current week’s new rankings.
If you are unfamiliar, the AP Top 25 is a weekly national ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I FBS college football teams. Sportswriters and broadcasters across the United States, not appointed by the Associated Press, determine these rankings through a vote. When it comes to preseason rankings, teams are placed there for different reasons, whether it be past success, team improvement during the offseason, or even the strength of their schedule.
For me, it’s always interesting to compare the past to now, to see what teams have been a disappointment to their original ranking, and what teams have skyrocketed in the rankings as time progressed.
Looking at the Preseason Top 25, several teams catch my eye in how they have disappointed their original ranking, the main team being the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines were originally ranked 16th in the preseason, but after “winning” a controversial game against Western Michigan, then losing to both Iowa and Minnesota, they are currently unranked heading into week six.
Another team that has had flashes of disappointment was the Oklahoma Sooners. Originally ranked 10th in the preseason, the Sooners were expected to flourish offensively with their quarterback John Mateer, who was considered a Heisman contender. Instead, their offense would be their downfall as they would struggle against teams like Michigan and Georgia, leading to them being kicked out of the AP Top 25.
The secondary reason why I compare preseason rankings to current rankings is to see what teams have outperformed, whether they were ranked lowly in the top 25 or even unranked. The one that shocks me the most is the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Going 5-8 in 2025, the Bulldogs were projected to finish 15th in the SEC, second to last, only ahead of the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, as of now, they are ranked 17th in the AP Top 25, with a 4-1 record. They are 2-1 in the SEC, toppling opponents like the Missouri Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Another team that has been a bigger shock than the cowbell-ringing Bulldogs has been the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This team has been putrid in the last few years it looked like another bad season was coming for the Cowboys as they lost to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 24-10. Lastly, one team that not only managed to shoot up into the top 25, but also managed to upset a top five ranked opponent, is the Florida Gators. After coming off a disappointing 4-8 season, the Gators were unranked in the preseason, as well as placed ninth in the Preseason SEC rankings. The team started 3-0, but against minor opponents, with the exception of beating the Auburn Tigers. That was until week four, when Florida would go against the current rank-four Ole Miss Rebels, in which the Gators would DOMINATE the Rebels 52-28. This game would jump Florida to rank eight in the Top 25, before losing to the Missouri Tigers, dropping them down to rank 16.
With the college football season still ever so young, it’s clear that the rankings for most of these teams won’t last. For some, they might drop a few spots or get kicked out entirely, and for others, they may continue to climb up. For the teams previously mentioned, their names could be seen as elite in the future, or nothing but a sad memory, and there’s also the chance of a new underdog rising the ranks, shocking the world of college football. But only time will tell; so, until then…see you next week.