Five Overrated College Football Teams - Reviewing the Preseason NCAA CFB Rankings

The 2023-24 NCAA College Football season is upon us with Notre Dame and Navy kicking off Week 0 on Saturday, Aug 26. It's always fun to dive into the Associate Press Preseason Poll and evaluate which teams are being overvalued after an offseason of hype.

Oftentimes, big-name programs with plenty of talent are ranked inside the top 15 but fail to meet expectations over and over again. This season is no different, as several historically great programs were shown more love than they were warranted in the AP Top 25 poll.

There are sure to be one or two teams to prove me wrong and make this list look silly, but that's the name of the game! It's time to dive into the top five most overrated teams for the 2023 college football season.

5. LSU Tigers - College Football Rankings

No. 5 in AP Poll

LSU never has and never will have a shortage of talent. The same goes for head coach Brian Kelly, whose Notre Dame squads were the more talented team in most of its matchups during his tenure.

However, the SEC powerhouse being ranked as the No. 5 team in the nation feels a little bit too rich. LSU is coming off of a 10-4 season in which it lost by 27 points to Tennessee and 15 points to a putrid Texas A&M squad. The program also fell to Florida State in Week 1. Obviously, there's no shame in being dominated by eventual National Champion Georgia in the SEC Title game.

The Preseason AP Top 25 is HERE 🙌

Do you agree with these rankings? 📈 pic.twitter.com/d55kqs6Kwj

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 14, 2023

Quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers are a big reason why there's so much optimism in Death Valley. However, the defense that ranked 41st nationally last season lost six starters headlined by edge rusher BJ Ojulari.

Defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, Maason Smith, and linebacker Harold Perkins were all named preseason first-team All-SEC selections, but the Tigers are seemingly lacking the usual firepower in its secondary.

Kelly failed to get over the hump in over a decade with the Fighting Irish, so don't be surprised when LSU underperforms its preseason ranking while facing the fifth-toughest schedule in college football this year.

4. Penn State Nittany Lions - College Football Rankings

No. 7 in AP Poll

Penn State has had plenty of ups and downs during James Franklin's tenure in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions went 11-2 last year and finished No. 7 in the final AP Poll.

However, the team lost its only two games against ranked opponents during the regular season (Ohio State and Michigan) and will go into 2023 without quarterback Sean Clifford, who started 46 games over the last four seasons.

The program also lost cornerback Joey Porter Jr., tight end Brenton Strange, center Juice Scruggs, Safety Ji'Ayir Brown, and wide receiver Parker Washington to the NFL. A step back could be coming after significant departures from its offense and defense.

Ultimately, Penn State could still defeat every program on its schedule outside of Ohio State and Michigan this year, and that resume still doesn't warrant a top-10 ranking. Does anyone believe Penn State is a contender in the Big Ten this year? No. And the legendary program certainly won't be contending for a national title as its preseason ranking suggests.

3. Washington Huskies - College Football Rankings

No. 10 in AP Poll

The Washington Huskies led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had a magical season last year, finishing with an 11-2 record behind the No. 2 offense in the nation (515.8 YPG). The Huskies had an impressive stretch to end the 2022 campaign, winning its last seven contests -- including wins over No. 23 Oregon State and No. 6 Oregon.

However, Washington lost three key offensive linemen Jaxson Kirkland, Henry Bainivalu, and Corey Luciano, and boasts the 30th-most talented roster nationally, according to AthlonSports.com. Head coach Kalen DeBoer's squad avoided matchups with the two teams who faced off in the Pac-12 Championship Game last year -- USC and Utah.

This year, the Huskies will take on both the Trojans and the Utes. Both teams feature two of the best quarterbacks in all of college football Caleb Williams and Cam Rising, respectively. Non-conference games against a sneaky Boise State team and a road matchup with Michigan State, who should be much improved, are cause for concern as well.

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 🤝 2023 Let’s Work 📈

📲Full release: https://t.co/g7A2juVKpb #MontlakeMotion pic.twitter.com/vyv9Vv3ItY

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) January 18, 2023

Washington faced the 44th toughest schedule last season. Unfortunately, its opponents yield the 13th toughest schedule in the country in 2023. Sorry Husky fans -- be ready for a step back.

2. Florida State Seminoles - College Football Rankings

No. 8 in AP Poll

Florida State is another program dying to get back into the College Football Playoff race. The 2014 Seminoles led by Jameis Winston qualified for the first-ever College Football Playoffs but suffered a rout at the hands of Oregon and Marcus Mariota. From 2015 to 2021, FSU posted a 46-39 overall record under Jimbo Fisher, Willie Taggart, and Mike Norvell.

Last season, the former college football juggernaut finally showed plenty of promise. It got out to a hot start, defeating LSU in Week 1 (after a Week 0 victory over Duquesne). Then, the Noles won their next two games against Boston College and Louisville before dropping three straight to Wake Forest, NC State, and Clemson.

The reason for the 2023 hype? Quarterback Jordan Travis caught fire and Florida State won its final six games -- over teams who finished a combined 35-41. In summary, the team upset LSU in Week 1, lost its only three remaining games against nationally ranked teams, and then beat up on the weak part of its schedule.

And the reward is a No. 8 ranking heading into the following season? Yikes.

we get to watch Jordan Travis play football in 2 weeks 👍pic.twitter.com/IqwBu9y4iG

— FSU Plays Daily (@FSUplays) August 21, 2023

In 2023, FSU faces the 13th-toughest (tie) schedule in the nation headlined by LSU and Clemson. Good luck. The Noles holding onto a fringe top-10 spot feels too good to be true.

1. Texas Longhorns - College Football Rankings

No. 11 in AP Poll

Are we really doing this again? No matter how poor Texas performed during its previous campaign, the program always seems to gain more hype and steam as the regular season approaches.

An 8-5 team in the weak overall Big 12 from last season is ranked No. 11? The Longhorns' quarterback Quinn Ewers, who majorly underperformed in 2022 is one of the "favorites" to win the Heisman, really? Odd.

Texas has the No. 6 toughest schedule this season and will once again draw a matchup with Alabama -- this time in Tuscaloosa. Oklahoma should be improved and TCU, Kansas State, and Iowa State are usually tough matchups.

Texas also squares off with two new members of the Big 12 -- Houston and BYU -- who were regularly some of the best non-Power 5 conference teams in the nation before joining.

Quinn Ewers’ day from hell is miraculously over

19-49, 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, including this one that iced the comeback win for Oklahoma State pic.twitter.com/NHPfu95m6X

— PlayerProfiler College (@Profiler_CFB) October 22, 2022

The Texas brand continues to earn the current team unwarranted hype and another four-loss season is brewing.

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