The End of Predictable Polls
Scott Van Pelt, the veteran ESPN host, has grown increasingly vocal about the futility of preseason rankings in college football, a stance he shares with his co‑host Steve Coughlin.
In a recent segment they argued that the traditional poll, once a staple of offseason hype, now serves more as a marketing tool than a genuine assessment of team strength.
The root of their criticism lies in the unprecedented volatility of modern rosters. Less restrictive transfer rules and the proliferation of name, image and likeness compensation have turned college teams into constantly shifting entities, making any preseason projection essentially speculative.
Van Pelt pointed to the 2025‑26 season as a stark illustration, noting how teams that were heavily favored — such as Clemson and Penn State — were eclipsed by Indiana, a program built around a wave of transfers that ultimately delivered a surprise surge.
Even the arrival of high‑profile recruits like Arch Manning cannot guarantee immediate impact when the surrounding supporting cast remains uncertain, a reality that underscores the limits of any preseason forecast.
Coughlin echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that the lack of depth and the constant churn of players make it nearly impossible to gauge a team’s true potential until the first game is played.
Together they contend that the poll’s persistence is less about objective analysis and more about sustaining a narrative that sells storylines and merchandise, a practice they view as increasingly out of touch with the sport’s evolving landscape.