The Solid Verbal College Football
Way-Too-Early Rankings Reactions & 2026 Big Boards
Episode notes
Let's give knee-jerk reactions to Andy Staples' way-too-early, post-spring top 25. In this episode, we examine Andy's rankings and debate the case for Texas as the preseason No. 1 team, get a little to excited for Clemson, discuss the downside for Notre Dame and Penn State, try to make sense of Alabama and Georgia, and pick out some unranked sleepers. Who's too high, who's too low? Plus, some final thoughts on the 2025 NFL Draft a quick look at PFF's early big board for the season ahead.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro & Post NFL Draft Thoughts
11:10 - Andy Staples' Way-Too-Early, Post-Spring Top 25
53:19 - PFF's 2026 Big Board
🔑 KEY TOPICS 🔑
- Andy Staples’ Way-Too-Early Top 25: Debate the rankings, with Texas coming in as Andy's top team, post-spring football.
- Clemson’s Case for the Top Spot: Highlight Clemson’s returning production, favorable schedule, and Cade Klubnik’s upside as reasons to rank them higher.
- Notre Dame and Penn State Questions: Question Notre Dame’s No. 2 ranking due to defensive concerns and Penn State’s offensive growth with Drew Allar.
- Iowa’s Tough Road Ahead: Discuss Iowa’s challenging Big Ten schedule and why its No. 25 ranking might be generous.
- Washington and Texas A&M as Sleepers: Make the case for unranked teams like Washington and Texas A&M to crack the top 20.
- 2025 NFL Draft Takeaways: React to the Shedeur Sanders drama, Mel Kiper’s over-the-top commentary, and the Giants’ draft of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.
- 2026 Mock Draft Buzz: Explore PFF’s early 2026 big board, featuring Arch Manning, Caleb Downs, Cade Klubnik, and South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor.
- Bill Belichick’s UNC Adventure: Touch on the bizarre CBS Sunday Morning interview with Belichick and Jordon Hudson’s interjections.
A fan of our college football podcast? Leave us a rating and review, and don't forget to subscribe or follow so you don't miss any of our podcast episodes:
Apple Podcasts:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/apple-podcasts
Spotify:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/spotify
Amazon Music:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/amazon-music
Overcast:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/overcast
Pocket Casts:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/pocketcasts
Podcast Addict:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/podcast-addict
CastBox:Â https://play.solidverbal.com/castbox
Our college football show is also available on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@solidverbal
Learn more about the show on our website:Â https://www.solidverbal.com/about
Want to get in touch? Give us a holler on Twitter: @solidverbal, @tyhildenbrandt, @danrubenstein, on Instagram, or on Facebook. You can also find our college football podcast out on TikTok and Threads. Stay up to date with our free weekly college football newsletter: https://quickslants.solidverbal.com/subscribe.
College football has been our passion since we started The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast back in 2008. We don't just love college football, we live it!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.