In a vacuum, declaring a team overrated before a single down has been played in the college football season might seem more than a little harsh. But the simple reality is not every team ranked in the Top 25 in the preseason will be there at the end.
Just last year, for example, only four teams ranked in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll top 10 – Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State – wound up in the top 10 of the final poll after all the playoff games and bowls. In all, 14 of last year’s preseason top 25 ended up unranked.