Most overrated, underrated teams in 1st USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
· Yahoo Sports
Tuesday gave us our first look at the preseason college football top 25 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, and at the top, there were few surprises.
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Ohio State takes the preseason No. 1 spot despite major losses on the defensive side of the ball, followed by No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Notre Dame. All five are viewed as legitimate national title contenders, and it's hard to find too many complaints with the order.
Elsewhere in the rankings, however, there are some more surprising decisions. Here are the teams that are most overrated and most underrated in the preseason coaches poll.
Most overrated
Though 2025 looked like a make-or-break season for Brent Venables at Oklahoma, the Sooners won 10 games and earned a home College Football Playoff game. Unlike last season, they enter 2026 with some real expectations and sit in the preseason top 10 at No. 9. While the Sooners should be a CFP contender once again, there are a lot of questions — particularly, whether quarterback John Mateer can get back to the level of play we saw before his hand injury last season. For a team that relied on some luck in tight games last season and could be a regression candidate, this feels a bit too high.
Penn State's decision to fire James Franklin last season was bold, and it created the imperative to land a home-run hire who would raise the ceiling in Happy Valley. Though Matt Campbell has been one of the most successful coaches in the country over the last decade, it's hard to see the Nittany Lions reaching new horizons in Year 1. Campbell's unit is heavily portaled and includes quite a few former Iowa State players, including quarterback Rocco Becht. Penn State should be ranked entering the season, but I question how this import will fare in the Big Ten. I would have ranked Campbell's squad in the 20s, not at No. 17.
Mizzou was the final team to crack the rankings, coming in at the No. 25 spot. This choice is defensible, given the consistency the Tigers have demonstrated under Eli Drinkwitz, but this year's squad feels due for a step back. Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons is a major question mark at quarterback, as is the health of star running back Ahmad Hardy. The Tigers lost quite a bit of defensive production, as well. These losses could be manageable, but I think there are far too many questions for this team to be ranked while one like Louisville — the highest vote-getter among non-ranked teams — is not.
Most underrated
Miami Hurricanes
The reigning national runners-up came in at a respectable No. 7 in the preseason coaches poll, but you could make an argument for the 'Canes to be ranked even higher. Darian Mensah should be an upgrade at quarterback, and he has an absolutely loaded group of skill-position players to help him out. Miami has some pieces to replace on defense but should be strong once again on that side of the ball. This is far and away the preseason ACC favorite, and I probably would have ranked the Hurricanes in the top five.
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss also cracked the preseason top 10, but like Miami, it has a case for being ranked even higher. Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy could be the top quarterback/running back combo in the country, and though most of the rest of the offense is new, the Rebels do return some defensive stars while adding a talented transfer haul. If you're looking for a sleeper SEC contender outside of Texas and Georgia, my money would be on the Rebels.
Washington Huskies
Perhaps a bit overlooked in the top-heavy Big Ten, Washington has a chance to make some noise this fall. The Huskies pulled off a major offseason retention by keeping quarterback Demond Williams Jr. in Seattle, despite his flirtation with the transfer portal, and they have some nice pieces around him entering Jedd Fisch's third season. Washington's No. 19 ranking could end up being just about right, but I'd be willing to bet on this team surprising some folks in the Big Ten this year.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Most overrated, underrated teams in 1st USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll