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Nothing says "football is almost back" quite like everyone collectively losing their minds over a preseason poll. The Coaches Poll dropped this week, and while it gives us plenty to debate during the final stretch of August, history suggests we probably shouldn't take it too seriously. Today, we're diving into what might be college football’s most overrated tradition.

Letter Rip!

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The August Illusion🔮

On Tuesday, the college football Coaches Poll released its preseason Top 25 for the 2026 season. And, as always, everyone has an opinion.

Part of me loves preseason polls because they're our first real taste of college football during the dreaded dog days of August. They give us something to argue about while we count down the painfully long weeks until kickoff.

The other part of me can't help but ask: Why do we put so much stock into them?

Every August, these rankings dominate headlines as if they're based on some secret formula. In reality, they're educated guesses built on projections, recruiting rankings and returning players. They're fun, but historically, preseason rankings have been anything but an accurate predictor of the season’s trajectory.   

Where was Indiana in last season’s Coaches Poll? Oh, right. Number 19, with zero first-place votes. National runner-up Miami started at No. 10, also without a single first-place vote. Meanwhile, preseason No. 1 Texas didn't even make the College Football Playoff.

So this year, the coaches handed Ohio State the top spot with 38 first-place votes.

Will the Buckeyes be great this season? Probably. Can they make the CFP? Absolutely. Could they win the national championship? Of course.

But what, exactly, separates them so decisively from the rest of the field in August? 

If the answer is recruiting rankings, then I think we're putting far too much weight on stars next to high school prospects.

Three years ago, DJ Lagway was the consensus No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country. Florida landed him, preseason expectations skyrocketed, and there was already Heisman talk before he had even taken a meaningful snap. As a Gator during that time, campus buzz expected him to be the next Tim Tebow. 

Instead, things never fully materialized in the Swamp, and he eventually transferred to Baylor.

That's not a knock on Lagway. It's a reminder that five-star talent doesn't always translate into five-star results. Development, coaching, injuries, chemistry and experience all matter just as much once the games begin.

I'm not saying recruiting shouldn't factor into preseason polls. It absolutely should. But it shouldn't be the primary metric, and it certainly shouldn’t outweigh proven production.

Take Texas. The Longhorns return battle-tested talent, navigated one of the toughest schedules in the country last season and now have an Arch Manning who finally looks ready to make a deep run. Yet they received just two first-place votes and came in at No. 4.

Maybe Ohio State finishes No. 1. Maybe Texas wins it all. Maybe an unranked team crashes the playoff party.

That's exactly why preseason polls are entertaining. They're less of a real prediction and more of a conversation starter.

The only thing history has consistently shown is that by the time December rolls around, August's rankings usually look pretty silly.

2026 Coaches Poll

1. Ohio State

2. Oregon

3. Georgia

4. Texas

5. Notre Dame

6. Indiana

7. Miami (FL)

8. Texas A&M

9. Oklahoma

10. Ole Miss

11. Alabama

12. Texas Tech

13. LSU

14. University of Southern California

15. BYU

16. Michigan

17. Penn State

18. Tennessee

19. Washington

20. SMU

21. Utah

22. Iowa

23. Clemson

24. Houston

25. Missouri

Other Teams Receiving Votes: Louisville (153), Florida (147), TCU (63), Illinois (62), South Carolina (50), Arizona (50), Virginia (40), Vanderbilt (37), Auburn (29), Georgia Tech (26), Boise State (24), Oklahoma State (22), UNLV (17), North Carolina State (13), Florida State (13), Virginia Tech (12), Nebraska (12), Memphis (9), Arizona State (8), James Madison (6), Duke (6), Pittsburgh (4), New Mexico (4), Western Michigan (3), Navy (3), San Diego State (2), Kansas State (1), Jacksonville State (1), Hawaii (1), California (1)