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Mississippi State Football: Five Thoughts On The 2018 Preseason AP Poll

By Ethan Lee

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 21: Garrett Johnson #9 of the Kentucky Wildcats catches a pass as Maurice Smitherman #31 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles him during the first half of a NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 21: Garrett Johnson #9 of the Kentucky Wildcats catches a pass as Maurice Smitherman #31 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles him during the first half of a NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 01: Fans cheer during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between the Auburn Tigers and the UCF Knights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 01: Fans cheer during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between the Auburn Tigers and the UCF Knights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Putting Central Florida at No. 21 seems disrespectful for a team that just won the national title

Okay, so Central Florida didn’t really win a national title. That’s not something that actually happened. But, it was an incredibly entertaining topic to discuss when the offseason was remarkably quiet.

However, this is a team that went 13-0 a season ago. This is a team that absolutely dismantled the Auburn Tigers in front of everybody on a national stage. This is a team that is returning enough firepower to still be really good going into 2018.

They were 6th in the country according to the AP Poll at the end of the 2017 season. And, well, they’re probably going to be pretty good again. SB Nation’s Bill Connelly’s S&P+ is projecting the Knights to win 10 games this season.

If they can win 10 games this year, they’ll deserve a higher poll ranking than just 21st.

How every AP Poll voter ranked Mississippi State. dark. Next

And so, there’s five thoughts on the 2018 preseason AP Poll. By the time that this is all said and done at the end of the season, this poll will look remarkably different. But, this is how the season will start and this is how teams will be regarded at the beginning of this year.

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