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2008
College Football
Season Preview

Preseason Rankings Comparison

Also See:
2006 Preseason Comparison
2007 Preseason Comparison
2008 Preseason Comparison

2008 Preseason Rankings Comparison
Updated 8/17/08

The preseason magazines are on the bookshelves and internet sites, and the only major preseason voter polls have been released. It is our recent tradition to provide a comparison ranking of those which are more widely accepted as valid.

One change this year is that Street & Smith's and The Sporting News have become one. Street & Smith's parent company, American City Business Journals, bought The Sporting News in late 2007. Their season preview is now on the newsstands bearing the Sporting News name.

The AP poll, though no longer a part of the BCS, still releases a preseason poll and regular weekly rankings. It could determine a number one team independent of the BCS. The Harris Interactive Poll, which replaced the AP in the BCS in 2005, will continue in that roll this year. Harris does not publish a preseason poll and will not release its first rankings until September 21.

There are often amazing similarities between the preseason "voter polls" (coaches, Harris, AP) and the "computer rankings". Those similarities would seemingly defy logic. After all, there is an inherent difference between a "poll" and a "preseason magazine prediction". The magazines are picking where they think the teams will be at the end of the year. The polls are determining where the teams should be ranked to begin the year. The Congrove Computer Rankings (CCR) actually release one of each method. The CCR Preseason Rankings are the "projections" of what the rankings will look like at the end of the regular season, and the CCR Current Rankings are how the teams supposedly stack-up on day one of the season.

Who was better last year? 17 teams from Street and Smith's top 25 finished in the top 25 of either the AP or Coaches poll. Phil Steele and Athlon's were next with 16. Both CCR versions had 15 to tie with the Coaches Poll, the AP Poll, Lindy's and The Sporting News. The Gold Sheet brought up the rear with 14.

Here is a sampling of the preseason rankings, listed in alphabetical order of the teams that appeared on at least one published Top 25 list.

Abbreviation descriptions
TSN/S&S - The Sporting News/Street & Smith's combined publication.
SI - Sports Illustrated
CCR Proj - Congrove Computer Rankings - Projected Final Regular Season Rankings.
CCR Wk. 1 - Congrove Computer Rankings - Opening Week Rankings.
Cons. Rank - Consensus rankings exclude both Congrove Computer Rankings to allow for comparison to the CCR.

Click on column heading to sort.

Team Coaches AP Athlon Lindy's Phil Steele TSN/S&S Game Plan SI Cons. Rank CCR (Proj.) CCR (Wk.1)
Alabama
*
24
*
20
*
23
22
*
25
*
*
Arizona State
16
15
15
14
*
17
18
16
19
*
*
Auburn
11
10
8
13
12
16
9
7
10
*
14
Boise State
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
18
*
Boston College
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
12
20
BYU
17
16
14
12
17
19
25
17
14
13
21
California
*
*
*
*
20
*
*
*
33
*
*
Cincinnati
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
19
17
Clemson
9
9
10
9
5
7
8
11
7
22
24
Florida
5
5
1
6
1
9
5
5
5
6
5
Florida State
*
*
*
25
24
*
*
*
29
*
*
Fresno State
25
*
25
22
*
25
*
*
24
23
*
Georgia
1
1
5
1
9
1
2
1
2
2
2
Illinois
19
20
16
18
*
10
20
23
21
*
*
Kansas
13
14
13
15
*
12
17
15
18
5
4
LSU
6
7
9
7
13
5
11
9
8
16
6
Michigan
24
*
*
*
*
18
*
*
28
*
*
Missouri
7
6
6
5
7
6
6
4
6
17
7
New Mexico
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
24
*
Notre Dame
*
*
*
*
19
*
*
*
32
*
*
Ohio State
3
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
1
1
1
Oklahoma
4
3
3
4
3
4
1
6
4
9
9
Oklahoma State
*
*
*
*
*
*
23
*
35
*
*
Oregon
20
21
19
21
22
15
21
20
17
10
10
Oregon State
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
18
30
*
18
Penn State
22
22
23
*
10
*
16
22
22
21
19
Pittsburgh
*
25
*
23
25
*
*
19
26
*
*
Rutgers
*
*
22
*
*
*
*
*
34
*
*
South Carolina
*
*
*
*
18
*
*
*
30
*
*
Tennessee
18
18
17
24
23
22
19
12
16
*
12
Texas
10
11
11
8
15
11
13
13
11
8
8
Texas Tech
14
12
18
16
11
20
10
8
13
*
15
Tulsa
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
20
*
USC
2
3
4
2
4
3
4
3
3
4
3
USF
21
19
20
19
8
21
15
21
15
25
11
Utah
*
*
*
*
14
*
*
25
27
15
25
Virginia Tech
15
17
21
*
16
13
12
24
20
14
22
Wake Forest
23
23
24
17
*
24
24
*
23
7
23
West Virginia
8
8
7
10
6
8
7
14
8
3
13
Wisconsin
12
13
12
11
21
14
14
10
12
11
16


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