Well, week 0 kicked off to the road for the 12 team college football playoffs, can’t wait to see how this is going to play out. Georgia Tech and #10 Florida State just squared off in Dublin, Ireland. Can someone say upset?
As you might know, or you can now illude to, unranked Georgia Tech upset the number 10 team in the country, Florida State. You may ask yourself why I would think that preseason rankings don’t mean anything. Well, aside from the upset that just occurred across the pond, they are just for the masses and away for the media to have something to talk about before the season kicks off. Also, most people like to assess what is what and who is the best program in the country and ranking teams is a way to do it. Sure, I am sure that there is some validity to the ranking system and often the top 3 to 5 teams are generally correct. However, with all the focus on the top programs, a ton is missed with the programs who are quietly working to improve their craft and who are flying under that top 25 radar.
Preseason ranks are good for one thing, bulletin board material. Coaches, players, anyone who is involved in the program will take the disrespect of not being thought of as better than ranked teams and simply allow it to be a fire that drives them. I could almost guarantee that Georgia Tech mentioned Florida State’s ranking as they were preparing for the game today. Comments such as the #10 team in the country is this, #10 team in the country is that, we have to work harder than that ranked team, everyone believes that you are not as good as they are cause they are ranked and you are not; can lead a team to having a fire that burns so hot and so high that forms callous’ that become the catalyst in their preparation. Teams will put reminders in their lockers, on boards, the bathrooms, and anywhere it can be viewed so they are constantly reminded that the world is against them. Coaches and players take this personally, and coaches can leverage this message into a victory! Georgia Tech just did this and good for them; we love a good underdog story!
With the college football season officially kicked off, I am betting that there is another, or two, top 25 preseason ranked teams that are going to get beat by an unranked opponent. Stay tuned and get ready to watch the craziness of the start of the season.