Florida Atlantic among the five biggest preseason poll snubs
Not making the cut for the preseason Amway Coaches Poll is essentially a fatal blow to a team’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. Not since the early 1980s has a team opened the season unranked and gone on to win the national championship: Clemson did so in 1981, Miami (Fla.) in 1983 and Brigham Young in 1984.
For teams without a realistic chance at making the Playoff, however, simply earning preseason Top 25 recognition is a bench mark worthy of celebration.
Several teams just on the outside of the initial coaches poll, which was unveiled Thursday, had a strong case for making the cut ahead of a few rivals with flimsier credentials. Here are the five biggest snubs:
Florida Atlantic
Lane Kiffin and the Owls carry a 10-game winning streak into 2018, the second longest in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind No. 23 Central Florida. A matchup with the Knights on Sept. 21 and a date at No. 5 Oklahoma in the opener probably contributed to the idea that FAU will struggle to match last year’s finish. But this is the best team in Conference USA by a wide margin and a team likely even more comfortable with Kiffin’s system heading into his second season.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks, not No. 24 LSU, deserved to be the fifth team from the Southeastern Conference in the Top 25. Unlike the Tigers, South Carolina has an allconference quarterback, a solid if unspectacular head coach and a schedule friendly enough to draw several key games — No. 4 Georgia, Texas A&M and Tennessee — at home. This was a nine-win team a year ago with the ability to match that total and finish a clear second in the East.
Northwestern
There’s no rationale for not including Northwestern in the debut poll. Ten wins last season. A final ranking of 17th in the Coaches Poll. If healthy, one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects in Clayton Thorson. One of the nation’s most consistent coaching staffs, headlined by Pat Fitzgerald. The Wildcats’ case is stronger than that of LSU, No. 21 Texas and even No. 19 Florida State, though the Seminoles have the talent and newfound energy to warrant a preseason ranking. If the Big Ten Conference is the best league in the FBS, and it looks like it is, Northwestern deserves a spot on the back end of the Top 25.
Kansas State
What might be Bill Snyder’s final turn as Kansas State’s head coach finds the Wildcats in familiar position in the Big 12 Conference. The league has identified its favorites in Oklahoma, No. 16 TCU, No. 20 West Virginia, Texas and No. 25 Oklahoma State. Look for Kansas State to finish ahead of at least two of those teams and perhaps three in making a run at the conference title and earning a spot in the Top 25. There are some experienced hands to replace on defense, but the returning talent on offense and Snyder’s steady hand paint the Wildcats as one of the most overlooked teams in the FBS.
Oregon
Utah is another Pac-12 Conference team with a case to be made for the Top 25, though coaches and media alike are waiting to see if the Utes’ young core is ready to make a charge at No. 15 Southern California in the South Division. A better option for the preseason poll is Oregon, which is one team with quarterback Justin Herbert and another when the junior is sidelined. A year ago, for example, the Ducks went 6-2 with Hebert and 1-4 without. If he’s healthy, Oregon is a threat to finish second in the North Division.