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Klatt, AP and Pre-Season coaches poll top 25

so much has changed since the 90s. nil, free agency, coaches, conferences. it's just not the same other than the tradition.
What has changed is the quality of our program. Sure we changed leagues which should not have automatically made us worse. Most on this board think the B12 plays HS style ball. NIL hasn’t been around along with multiple transfers so how do you explain the many years before that.

Football is football. It still comes down to having better athletes, better coaching and better play They still block, tackle, run and throw so none of that is new.
 
Too High:

Michigan- Too much turnover and new HC, new coordinators. Will also be hard to come close to how good Mc Carthy was and their schedule does them no favors.

Neutered Shame: Can Marcus Freeman win the big game? Lost a lot of returning starters. They do have a favorable schedule.

Florida State: Lost a lot from last year's team and I'm not so sure they can capture the same type of portal magic this year. Qb played like a cuck in this league with Clemson and I don't think he will be anywhere near as good as a healthy Jordan Travis did.

Alabama: Probably an unpopular pick. New staff (Yes, DeBoer was the best available coach. But he doesn't bring his MVP-OC with him). Only 10 returning starters and lost lots of players to the portal. Teams will not fear them like they did under Nick Satan. Schedule isn't exactly easy. Could see a 3-4 loss season.

Honorable mention:

Oklahoma
Clemson should be here, but their schedule is soft.

Underrated:

Virginia Tech:

Brings back 20 starters and has good momentum. They play a very favorable schedule and a 10-win season and Top 20 finish are within reach.

Oklahoma State: 20 returning starters and lots of momentum. If they beat Utah, they could be a playoff contender and somehow, the mullet finishes with 10 wins and a decent ranking.

Georgia Tech: Their schedule isn't favorable but they return 17 starters from an overachieving team. Tempted to play them on the ML at home vs Florida State.
 
What has changed is the quality of our program. Sure we changed leagues which should not have automatically made us worse. Most on this board think the B12 plays HS style ball. NIL hasn’t been around along with multiple transfers so how do you explain the many years before that.

Football is football. It still comes down to having better athletes, better coaching and better play They still block, tackle, run and throw so none of that is new.
the biggest variable is coaching, obviously. dr. tom to what followed has been at times painful to watch, particularly frosty. but i believe N fans also undervalue the impact of changing conference. they'll die on the bank's steps for that one. and then more lately nil and the portal have leveled the field below the elite.

i expect p12 teams to struggle in their new leagues. oregon picked #1 nationally is laughable. utah as well in the b12. changing leagues that first year is hard. none of those have done well: N, aTm, missouri, cu, ucf, houston, cincy, and the rest. the single consistency there is obvious. uu is probably the exception. we'll see how they do down here.
 
the biggest variable is coaching, obviously. dr. tom to what followed has been at times painful to watch, particularly frosty. but i believe N fans also undervalue the impact of changing conference. they'll die on the bank's steps for that one. and then more lately nil and the portal have leveled the field below the elite.

i expect p12 teams to struggle in their new leagues. oregon picked #1 nationally is laughable. utah as well in the b12. changing leagues that first year is hard. none of those have done well: N, aTm, missouri, cu, ucf, houston, cincy, and the rest. the single consistency there is obvious. uu is probably the exception. we'll see how they do down here.
Utah will be JUST fine.
 
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the biggest variable is coaching, obviously. dr. tom to what followed has been at times painful to watch, particularly frosty. but i believe N fans also undervalue the impact of changing conference. they'll die on the bank's steps for that one. and then more lately nil and the portal have leveled the field below the elite.

i expect p12 teams to struggle in their new leagues. oregon picked #1 nationally is laughable. utah as well in the b12. changing leagues that first year is hard. none of those have done well: N, aTm, missouri, cu, ucf, houston, cincy, and the rest. the single consistency there is obvious. uu is probably the exception. we'll see how they do down here.
Yeah, changing conferences shouldn't be overlooked or in any way de-emphasized. Nebraska's first B1G game after being in the Big 12 for years was a total beatdown by Wisconsin. It sounds odd to say this, but Nebraska - NEBRASKA - was not prepared for the physical nature of B1G football. In many ways, they still aren't.

That's why I think USC and Washington are going to struggle mightily in their new league. UCLA and Oregon are kind of wildcards. I have no idea how they will fare. UCLA isn't going to make much noise this year but we'll have to see what kind of a team Foster puts together there. And Oregon just has elite talent.

In the Big 12, I actually think the former PAC schools will do well because the Big 12 doesn't really play defense. And Utah is actually quite physical so they may have some success early.
 
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Honestly, when did you think you would ever see both Kansas schools rated ahead of Nebraska? My goodness, we have fallen out of relevance nationally.
You'd be one of the last posters on here that I thought would give ANY credence to a preseason poll
 
Joel Klatt likes Nebraska.

GUOw6G1b0AAaAhS
More like it!
 
the biggest variable is coaching, obviously. dr. tom to what followed has been at times painful to watch, particularly frosty. but i believe N fans also undervalue the impact of changing conference. they'll die on the bank's steps for that one. and then more lately nil and the portal have leveled the field below the elite.

i expect p12 teams to struggle in their new leagues. oregon picked #1 nationally is laughable. utah as well in the b12. changing leagues that first year is hard. none of those have done well: N, aTm, missouri, cu, ucf, houston, cincy, and the rest. the single consistency there is obvious. uu is probably the exception. we'll see how they do down here.When I look at the names at the top, they are the same ones the have been there for several years. Bama, tOSU, OU, Texas, USC, the Florida schools, the usual cast of characters.
Was Oregon picked to win it all? When I look at the list I see the same ole names, Bama, Michigan, tOSU, USC, OU, Texas, Notre Dame, the Florida schools, the usual suspects year in and year out. Teams like Washington sneak in there from time to time but most don’t consistently stay planted there Who is MIA ? Our Huskers.
 
Was Oregon picked to win it all? When I look at the list I see the same ole names, Bama, Michigan, tOSU, USC, OU, Texas, Notre Dame, the Florida schools, the usual suspects year in and year out. Teams like Washington sneak in there from time to time but most don’t consistently stay planted there Who is MIA ? Our Huskers.
oregon is #3 in the coaches' poll.
 
Ucla will struggle mightily for a long time. They have a poor athletic program right now.

I have not see. Oregons schedule, but their travel is going to really suck year in and year out. That takes a toll.

That also worries me a little about nebraska now that the big ten is coast to coast. Its dumb. Money money money whatever but we could have some good teams get shafted by poor travel schedules. Ask pro athletes which conferences theyd rather be in they all say east.
Thats why i hope the big ten adds 3-4 midwest teams so we get back to regional divisions but i realize this is just a dream.
 
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Ucla will struggle mightily for a long time. They have a poor athletic program right now.

I have not see. Oregons schedule, but their travel is going to really suck year in and year out. That takes a toll.

That also worries me a little about nebraska now that the big ten is coast to coast. Its dumb. Money money money whatever but we could have some good teams get shafted by poor travel schedules. Ask pro athletes which conferences theyd rather be in they all say east.
Thats why i hope the big ten adds 3-4 midwest teams so we get back to regional divisions but i realize this is just a dream.
Ducks don't leave the state of Oregon until September 28.

They get the butteyes at home and don't cross any time zones until mid-October. They do go back to Michigan, 2 weeks after that trip to Purdue. Wisconsin finishes another sandwich of home vs long travel games. 2nd half of the season could be where a possible upset occurs.
 
the biggest variable is coaching, obviously. dr. tom to what followed has been at times painful to watch, particularly frosty. but i believe N fans also undervalue the impact of changing conference. they'll die on the bank's steps for that one. and then more lately nil and the portal have leveled the field below the elite.

i expect p12 teams to struggle in their new leagues. oregon picked #1 nationally is laughable. utah as well in the b12. changing leagues that first year is hard. none of those have done well: N, aTm, missouri, cu, ucf, houston, cincy, and the rest. the single consistency there is obvious. uu is probably the exception. we'll see how they do down here.

Spot on post. But not every Nebraska fan undervalues the impact of changing conferences. Some of us can use common sense and see the clear correlation. But yeah, a lot refuse to see the single consistency there (as you put it). In their defense, I guess it's probably because it's all we have left to hang onto these days. We've just kept lowering the bar with the decline of the program so we have something to cheer for. It's just gone from playing for championships, to being rated, to winning the off season, to hoping to beat Iowa, until it's, "Hey, at least we're in the B1G. Yay, B1G money B1G money B1G money!"
 
Spot on post. But not every Nebraska fan undervalues the impact of changing conferences. Some of us can use common sense and see the clear correlation. But yeah, a lot refuse to see the single consistency there (as you put it). In their defense, I guess it's probably because it's all we have left to hang onto these days. We've just kept lowering the bar with the decline of the program so we have something to cheer for. It's just gone from playing for championships, to being rated, to winning the off season, to hoping to beat Iowa, until it's, "Hey, at least we're in the B1G. Yay, B1G money B1G money B1G money!"
i suspect the eight p12 teams soon playing in the b10 and b12 are going to learn this N lesson. it may take a year or two for oregon, like it did missouri and aTm in the sec, but the new conference thing, the travel, the environments, the tactics will catch up with the ducks as well in time. the other three b10 newcomers likely are going to struggle out the chute.

what the b12 additions do is not as clear to me. uu and uofa are stacked by b12 standards, supposedly. i believe texas will be in the sec's top tier and make the cfp. oklahoma, at least the popular narrative is, well, the sooners may take a header.
 
top four, no quibbles. after that, it's a dart throw. my sense is that there are a lot of overrated and miss-rated. nd, penn state, michigan all getting the blue blood overhype, ole miss too. irish will be lucky to escape college station, psu morgantown, and texas likely handles M.
 
Very talented team. Have to see if they can reload or have to rebuild for a year or two.
Yeah I hate that everyone is just assuming we're going to waltz up to Michigan and beat them on their field. Not saying we can't but it's not going to be the cake walk everyone thinks it is. They can absolutely beat us.
 
Fire Amie Just. She didn't vote for Nebraska in the most useless poll of the year. What a traitor.

The preseason poll may, in fact, be the most impactful poll of the year

Especially in the age of the 12 team playoff

The higher you start - deserved or otherwise - the more you have to do to fall out of contention

And likewise for the outsiders - the climb just got that much higher
 
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The preseason poll may, in fact, be the most impactful poll of the year

Especially in the age of the 12 team playoff

The higher you start - deserved or otherwise - the more you have to do to fall out of contention

And likewise for the outsiders - the climb just got that much higher
Really? Because now if you make the top 12 you're in with a chance to get to the national championship game. Pre-playoff you had to be top 2. Sounds easier now.
 
Really? Because now if you make the top 12 you're in with a chance to get to the national championship game. Pre-playoff you had to be top 2. Sounds easier now.
It’s especially easier if you start the season in the field.

There will be a team that makes it this year on the strength of their preseason ranking alone (Oregon? Pennst? Ole Miss?)

Perception is reality, even in the face of actual results

Shoutout to the Maryland writer who has us at #14!
 
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The preseason poll may, in fact, be the most impactful poll of the year

Especially in the age of the 12 team playoff

The higher you start - deserved or otherwise - the more you have to do to fall out of contention

And likewise for the outsiders - the climb just got that much higher
that would only apply if the cfp committee was made up of or paid attention to a.p. voters.
 
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our a.d. said otherwise. he sat on the cfp committee for three years.

Yeah I'm sure they claim that, but it has to play a role whether they want to admit it or not. It's just human nature, even when you try to ignore it. That said, the committee does go against the AP/Coaches polls fairly frequently when coming up with their own rankings. But it's usually just a spot or two here and there when that happens.
 
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Committee members will always say that because their deviation from the AP Poll, however slight, is the only reason the committee exists.
There is a 0% chance the admins on the committee watch every game every weekend

Which is why they obviously rely on outside sources when making their rankings
 
Ole Miss in the top 10. Gonna be fun to watch that team. They should be 6-0 when they travel to LSU week 7. Lane Kiffin was my choice two years ago. 👍
 
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Ole Miss in the top 10. Gonna be fun to watch that team. They should be 6-0 when they travel to LSU week 7. Lane Kiffin was my choice two years ago. 👍
Zero chance Lane was coming here, unfortunately
 
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