College football preseason polls are a shot in the dark – a listing of
teams based on their potential, as well as past success. For example, a traditional power like Alabama receives more annual respect in the eyes of voters than Boise State due to the program’s dominance. We
never know how the players and coaches will perform once the lights turn on. Yet, we ask a
selected committee of coaches each year to fill out their top 25, forming what’s known as the preseason Coaches Poll, before the
first ball is even snapped. While the
coaches are sometimes off – one national champion was ranked No. 23 preseason –
they tend to be in the ballpark with their picks more often than not.

In order to see just how their predictions have fared over the course of recent history, we dove into the last decade of the preseason Coaches Poll. Below is a recap of who was ranked No. 1 heading into the season, where the national champion started in the poll, and what the top 10 was.

2005 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – USC, Finished No. 2 (12-1)
• National Champion – Texas (13-0), Started No. 2

If it weren’t for an amazing performance by Vince Young, the
coaches would have been dead on with their preseason pick of USC. Texas defeated the Trojans, 41-38, in a classic
game that went back and forth in the Rose Bowl. On fourth and five from the 9-yard line, Young found the right
sideline open and waltzed in for the winning score with 19 seconds to play.

Preseason Top 10

1.  USC

2.  Texas

3.  Tennessee

4.  Michigan

5.  Oklahoma

6.  LSU

7.  Virginia Tech

8.  Miami (FL.)

9.  Ohio State

10. Iowa

2006 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Ohio State, Finished No. 2 (12-1)
• National Champion – Florida (13-1), Started No. 8

The preseason Coaches Poll was so close once again. Ohio State ran through the regular season
undefeated, including the Buckeyes defeat of then-No. 2 Michigan to make the BCS
National Championship Game.  After Ohio State ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown, it was all Gators as
Urban Meyer won his first of two titles in Gainesville.

Preseason Top 10

1. Ohio State

2. Texas

3. Notre Dame

4. USC

5. Oklahoma

6. Auburn

7. WVU

8. Florida

9. LSU

10. Florida State

2007 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – USC, Finished No. 2 (11-2)
• National Champion – LSU (12-2), Started No. 2

Despite losing two games during the regular season – both in triple overtime – the Bayou Bengals made the quick trip over to New
Orleans and smashed then-No. 1 Ohio State, 38-24.

Preseason Top 10

1.  USC

2.  LSU

3.  Florida

4.  Texas

5.  Michigan

6.  West Virginia

7.  Wisconsin

8.  Oklahoma

9.  Virginia Tech

10. Ohio State

2008 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Georgia, Finished No. 10 (10-3)
• National Champion – Florida (13-1), Started No. 5

This season still stings for Georgia fans, as the Bulldogs started the preseason No. 1 but had to watch bitter rival Florida hoist the trophy instead. This was the year that solidified Tim Tebow as one of the greatest to ever play the game. His promise following the Ole Miss game was kept, as the Gators took
care of business against Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game.

Preseason Top 10

1.  Georgia

2.  USC

3.  Ohio State

4.  Oklahoma

5.  Florida

6.  LSU

7.  Missouri

8.  WVU

9.  Clemson

10. Texas

2009 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Florida, Finished No. 3 (13-1)
• National Champion – Alabama (14-0), Started No. 5

Florida was ranked No. 1 all year long until the Gators ran into
Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide proceeded to unleash a 32-13 beat down on Urban Meyer’s squad, ending the Tebow era on a sour note for Florida. Alabama then handled business in the BCS National Championship Game, battering Texas for a 37-21 victory, including knocking Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game early.

Preseason Top 10

1.  Florida

2.  Texas

3.  Oklahoma

4.  USC

5.  Alabama

6.  Ohio State

7.  Virginia Tech

8.  Penn State

9.  LSU

10. Ole Miss

2010 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Alabama, Finished No. 11 (10-3)
• National Champion – Auburn (14-0), Started No. 23

To be fair to the coaches who voted in the preseason poll,
no one (outside of the Florida fan base) knew that Cam Newton was going to be as great as he was. A year after watching bitter rival Alabama
win the BCS, Auburn proved there was more than one program to be reckoned with in the Yellowhammer State. In a matchup
of supposed high-octane offenses, Auburn defeated Oregon, 22-19, in a sloppy
defensive game to bring the national championship trophy back home to the Plains for the
first time since 1957.

Preseason Top 10

1.  Alabama

2.  Ohio State

3.  Florida

4.  Texas

5.  Boise State

6.  Virginia Tech

7.  TCU

8.  Oklahoma

9.  Nebraska

10. Iowa 

2011 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Oklahoma, Finished No. 15 (10-3)
• National Champion – Alabama (12-1), Started No. 2

In a rematch of the 9-6 defensive battle won by LSU earlier in the season in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide dominated the Tigers in every way possible under the lights in the Superdome. Alabama shut out LSU, 21-0, to capture the program’s second BCS National Championship in three years.

Preseason Top 10

1.  Oklahoma

2.  Alabama

3.  Oregon

4.  LSU

5.  Florida State

6.  Stanford

7.  Boise State

8.  Oklahoma State

9.  Texas A&M

10. Wisconsin

2012 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – LSU, Finished No. 12 (10-3)
• National Champion – Alabama (13-1), Started No. 2

In what many saw as a matchup between traditional powers in
Alabama and Notre Dame, the Crimson Tide showed the Irish just how far the program still had to go to compete on the big stage in the 21st century. Alabama thumped Notre Dame, 42-14.

Preseason Top 10

1.  LSU

2.  Alabama

3.  USC
4.  Oklahoma

5.  Oregon

6.  Georgia

7.  Florida State

8.  Michigan

9.  South Carolina

10. Arkansas

2013 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Alabama, Finished No. 8 (11-2)
• National Champion – Florida State (14-0), Started No. 12

For nearly the entire season, it seemed as if the Coaches’ pick of Alabama was spot on. However, in the matter of one second during the final regular season game of the year, that changed. Auburn completed one of the wildest plays in college football history, now known as the “Kick Six,” ending Alabama’s run at a third consecutive national championship. Auburn went on to win the SEC Championship before falling to Florida State in the BCS National Championship. The Seminoles scored a touchdown with 17 seconds left to beat the Tigers.

Preseason Top 10

1.  Alabama

2.  Ohio State

3.  Oregon

4.  Stanford

5.  Georgia

6.  Texas A&M

7.  South Carolina

8.  Clemson

9.  Louisville

10. Florida

2014 Preseason Coaches Poll

• Preseason No. 1 – Florida State, Finished No. 6 (13-1)
• National Champion – Ohio State (14-1), Started No. 6

In the inaugural College Football Playoff, Urban Meyer’s
Buckeyes stood tall against then-No. 1 ranked Alabama in the semifinals and
then bullied No. 2 Oregon in the title game for a 42-20 win.

Preseason Top 10

1.  Florida State

2.  Alabama

3.  Oklahoma

4.  Oregon

5.  Auburn

6.  Ohio State

7.  UCLA

8.  Michigan State

9.  South Carolina

10. Baylor

Contact Brian at bstultz@campusinsiders.com or on
Twitter @brianjstultz.