After months of watching the coronavirus overshadow everything in college sports, I figured my preseason Associated Press top 25 ballot and All-America team would give me a temporary reprieve from the pandemic to focus on actual football.
Nope. The pandemic wrecked that plan, too.
The first hiccup came on my All-America team. As I was finalizing it two weeks ago, Yahoo! reported that Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons was opting out of the season. Because the news hadn’t yet been officially announced, I kept Parsons on my ballot but included an alternate (North Carolina’s Chazz Surratt).
Between the time I hit send and the end of that day, two more players (Miami’s Gregory Rousseau and Purdue’s Rondale Moore) had opted out. Another, Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman, was gone a day or two later.
I stopped keeping track after that. I didn’t need to. The Associated Press decided its All-America team will include players who opted out or have had their fall seasons canceled. Its preseason Top 25 (set to be released Monday) will include teams who aren’t playing this autumn.
Even so, the pandemic was an unavoidable factor in my thought process, starting at the top.
For months, I figured Clemson would begin the season No. 1 on my ballot. But as I researched more, the gap between the Tigers and Ohio State wasn’t as big as I first thought. When Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced five-star defensive end Xavier Thomas would likely redshirt because of medical reasons (including a previous bout with COVID-19), that was enough for me to slip the Buckeyes ahead of Clemson.
A day later, Ohio State’s fall season was postponed. Six other teams on my preseason top 25 will also be sidelined this fall, including a pair in the top 10 (Oregon and Penn State).
Rosters have been in flux throughout the last few weeks, and I expect the uncertainty to continue during the season because of outbreaks that seem inevitable or additional opt-outs. The teams that withstand attrition the best will be the ones with the most depth, which is why I put a greater premium than usual on recent recruiting rankings, as quantified by 247Sports’ blue-chip ratio.
One tangible result: Georgia (No. 4) is ahead of Florida (No. 6) on my ballot. Although the Gators’ Dan Mullen has recruited pretty well, Kirby Smart has been recruiting at an elite level. That’s enough for me to give the Bulldogs a slight edge right now. It’s also why I was lower on Wisconsin (No. 15) than some preseason predictions. Regardless, the Badgers won’t have a chance to prove me wrong anytime soon.
Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene
Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter
You’re all signed up!
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Explore all your optionsUCF was the only other state team on my ballot, coming in 19th, just behind another AAC contender, Memphis. Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies are 12th, just ahead of Texas.
I have never taken schedules into consideration in my preseason rankings, so it didn’t matter that many of them weren’t yet finalized when my ballot was due. Instead, I focused on who would win a hypothetical Week 1 matchup at a neutral field. Under AP guidelines, I cannot and do not treat the teams I cover differently than any other team.
Once the games begin, the teams that aren’t playing will be ineligible for my ballot. That leads to the obvious question: Which teams would be on my preseason Top 25 if I kicked off the Ohio States and Oregons?
I have no idea. Three of the other programs I seriously considered on my first ballot (Iowa, Washington and Boise State) aren’t playing, either. My vote, like everything else, is at the mercy of the virus.
My preseason ballot
1. Ohio State
2. Clemson
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Oregon
9. Penn State
10. Notre Dame
11. Auburn
12. Texas A&M
13. Texas
14. Oklahoma State
15. Wisconsin
16. USC
17. Michigan
18. Memphis
19. UCF
20. North Carolina
21. Minnesota
22. Iowa State
23. Cincinnati
24. Virginia Tech
25. Tennessee
• • •
Tampa Bay Times coronavirus coverage
HOW CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code.
LATEST ON CORONAVIRUS: Six things we’ve learned about the coronavirus since March.
MASK UPDATE: Find out where you have to wear a mask in Tampa Bay
GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.
THE CORONAVIRUS SCRAPBOOK: We collected your stories, pictures, songs, recipes, journals and more to show what life has been like during the pandemic.
HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips
We’re working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you haven’t already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.