College football’s Week 0 is less than four weeks away and with each passing day, I get a little more excited for its return. Adding some fuel to that fire is the release of the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, which puts the Hawkeyes 18th.
1) Alabama, 1621 points (63 first place votes)
2) Clemson, 1508
3) Oklahoma, 1481 (2)
4) Ohio State, 1435
5) Georgia, 1386
6) Texas A&M, 1286
7) Notre Dame, 1139
8) Iowa State, 1131
9) North Carolina, 999 note: this is incredible
10) Cincinnati, 979
11) Florida, 870
12) Oregon, 842
13) LSU, 664
14) Southern Cal, 655
15) Wisconsin, 654
16) Miami (FL), 575
17) Indiana, 573
18) Iowa, 554
19) Texas, 427
20) Penn State, 422
21) Washington, 404
22) Oklahoma State, 216
23) Louisiana, 153
24) Coastal Carolina, 150
25) Ole Miss, 149
Others Receiving Votes (Big Ten-only): ~27) Northwestern, 120; ~33) Michigan 30
Quick Hits:
- 4 future Hawkeye opponents rank in the top 25, with ISU & Indiana combining to form as strong a 1-2 punch as any team in the Big Ten, and potentially America, will face in their first two games by these rankings.