OKLAHOMA TOPS PRE-SEASON POLL

It shouldn't matter, yet it does matter. It's the pre-season poll, based purely on speculation, guessing, reputation, and high school football results. And unfortunately, it does matter. Because if you're up at the top, you have to lose in order to be knocked down. If you're #18, well you have to hope that the teams ahead of you lose.

What truly proves the stupidity of the pre-season poll is that 50 teams received votes. 50! Anyway, Oklahoma topped the USA Today Poll, but four teams (Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, and LSU) received first place votes. In other words, we're in for another fun-filled season of college football, loaded with intrigue and surprises. Here's the poll:

1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. LSU
5. Florida State
6. Stanford
7. Boise State
8. Oklahoma State
9. Texas A&M
10. Wisconsin
11. Nebraska
12. South Carolina
13. Virginia Tech
14. Arkansas
15. TCU
16. Ohio State
17. Michigan State
18. Notre Dame
19. Auburn
20. Mississippi State
21. Missouri
22. Georgia
23. Florida
24. Texas
25. Penn State

It's nice to see the Big XII seemingly relevant again, with three teams in the top 10. Then again, it's hard to take this poll seriously. Spots 22 through 25 are filled with reputation picks. Georgia always seems to weasel its way into the top 25 despite having no talent and no prospects for victory.

I can't wait for the college season to actually start, so we can discuss polls that have a meaning. But as a Sooners fan, it's nice to start out as #1.