Preseason polls have never been more interesting. As they stand, perhaps they have never been as irrelevant.
Both the Amway Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll include plenty of teams that will not be competing in a fall college football season.
Removing the teams that aren't playing in the fall, here's my take on what a revised and relevant Preseason Top-25 power ranking should look like.
1. Clemson — The Tigers are a perennial powerhouse under Dabo Swinney. They are led by Heisman frontrunner Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and fellow Heisman contender Travis Etienne at running back. They must retool the offensive line and replace a couple of stud wide outs but there's talent everywhere and the defense should be stout. Clemson is best choice for a fall season national champion.
2. Alabama — Let's not get cute here. This might not be Nick Saban's most dominant team on paper but the Crimson Tide will have an elite defense, an excellent offensive line, a workhorse in Najee Harris, and skill talent galore. There's no reason they should not be regarded as the SEC frontrunner.
3. Oklahoma — Lincoln Riley's Oklahoma teams are always going to race up and down the field against just about any opponent and Spencer Rattler should be a candidate for postseason awards at quarterback. OU loses some weapons but there's an outstanding offensive line and this could be the Sooners' best defense in a long time.
4. Texas A&M — Jimbo Fisher has one of the most talented teams in the nation and even in the gauntlet that is the SEC West this could be the year his Aggies break through. They return most contributors on both sides of the ball from a team that was on average seven points better than the opposition last season. Kellen Mond is one of the SEC's top passers
5. Notre Dame — The Irish have won 33 games over three seasons and appear to have turned the corner under Brian Kelly even if they don't have the marquee win over a playoff team. Notre Dame will be very good on offense, returning seven starters to a team that averaged 37 points per game, and the offensive line will be a force. The front seven on defense looks talented and impressive.
6. Florida — Kyle Trask will lead an offense that should be both efficient and explosive and the Gator secondary is equipped to match up with most receiver units in college football. This should be Dan Mullen's best team following back-to-back 10-win seasons.
7. Georgia — It will be interesting to see how the quarterback position shakes out after an offseason of transfers bolstered the depth but created competition. Regardless, UGA could have the nation's best defense to lean on and the Bulldogs could be more explosive than usual on offense. That will be interesting to see from a Kirby Smart team.
8. LSU — The Tigers are one of the most interesting teams in the nation. They have playmakers at every level on the defense and Ja'Marr Chase is a strong Biletnikoff candidate depending on how the quarterback play goes. There are questions on offense besides Chase.
9. Texas — There's a lot to like about Texas in 2020, even if some are worn out by that preseason line. Sam Ehlinger will be one of the nation's top passers and if Texas can replace receiver Devin Duvernay by committee the offense will be formidable. Defensively the Longhorns must improve but they are much more experienced this year.
10. North Carolina — Sam Howell is a Heisman contender at quarterback and he has one of the nation's best assortments of skill position players. The offense returns 10 starters from a unit that averaged close to 500 yards per game. The defense returns a lot as well after cutting down on the points allowed by 11 points from 2018 to 2019. UNC was 7-6 last year but nearly beat Clemson and did not lose a game by more than a touchdown.
11. Oklahoma State
12. Auburn
13. Virginia Tech
14. UCF
15. Kentucky
16. Tennessee
17. Louisville
18. Cincinnati
19. Baylor
20. Iowa State
21. Memphis
22. Miami
23. Pittsburgh
24. Navy
25. Virginia