LSU ranks 13th in preseason AP Poll

FUTURE IN DOWNTOWN SHREVEPORT. SPEAKING OF BRIGHT MAN, THAT SUN IS JUST SHINING BRIGHT FOR ALL OF US ON THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON. KIND OF UNRELENTING, BUT HEY, IT’S REALLY COOL TONIGHT THEY HAVE THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER RIGHT? THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN THIS EVENING. YEAH, YEAH. AND THE SKIES SHOULD BE MOSTLY CLEAR FOR THAT. SO THAT’S A GOOD THING. AND LOOK, IT’S LOOKING PRETTY GOOD OUTSIDE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. AND THERE’S SOME CLOUD COVER WITH US AND SOME SHOWERS. BUT OVERALL IT’S A IF YOU CAN DEAL WITH THE HEAT YOU’RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. YOU JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH SOME PRETTY HIGH TEMPERATURES. THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE PRETTY MUCH ALL AFTERNOON LONG. LET ME TAKE YOU OUT TO THE TROPICS AND SHOW YOU WHAT’S GOING ON OUT HERE. AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE CARIBBEAN ARE BOTH NICE AND CLEAR, NOT EXPECTING MUCH OF A CHANGE TO EITHER OF THOSE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS OUT HERE IN THE ATLANTIC, WE’RE CONTINUING TO FOLLOW POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE NUMBER FIVE THAT’S MOVING IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION RIGHT NOW AROUND HIGH PRESSURE. THAT BIG BERMUDA HIGH THAT’S HERE IN THE ATLANTIC. AND THAT’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, AS IT IS, AS THIS STORM POTENTIAL STORM IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO BEFORE IT HEADS UP TOWARDS, UM, TOWARDS BERMUDA OVER SOME VERY WARM WATER. IT’S GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH SOME DRY AIR ON ITS WAY THERE. HOWEVER, IN SOME MEASURE OF WIND SHEAR AS WELL. BUT IT IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM AND EVENTUALLY A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE BEFORE IT. IT ENDS UP SOMEWHERE AROUND BERMUDA AS WE GO INTO THE WEEKEND, SO RIGHT NOW IT’S MOVING WEST AT 26MPH WITH 35 MILE PER HOUR WINDS. WE’LL KEEP YOU AS UP TO DATE AS POSSIBLE ON THAT. THERE’S NOTHING ELSE OUT THERE IN THE TROPICS RIGHT NOW. DEFINITELY NOTHING THREATENING US LOCALLY. YOUR HEADLINES FOR TODAY. ANOTHER HOT AND HUMID START TO THE WEEK. I EXPECT SOME VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES TO BE WITH US TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND SOME SCATTERED RAINFALL, ESPECIALLY TODAY AND TOMORROW. AND IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ARE GOING TO BE PRETTY DRY. AND THEN THE RAIN IS GOING TO BE BACK ON FRIDAY. RIGHT NOW, TEMPERATURES AT THE AIRPORT, IT’S 91, BUT IT FEELS LIKE 104 93 OVER THE LAKEFRONT WHERE IT FEELS LIKE 107 DEGREES ON THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST. IF YOU’RE IN GULFPORT, IT’S 94 DEGREES, BUT IT FEELS LIKE 102 DEGREES RIGHT NOW. THE UV INDEX IS AT THE THE HIGH END OF THE VERY HIGH RANGE. SO YOU’VE GOT TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM THE DANGEROUS RAYS OF THE SUN. WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN, WEAR YOUR HAT, WEAR YOUR SHADES, PUT ON LIGHTWEIGHT, LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING AND KEEP YOURSELF AS HYDRATED AS POSSIBLE. TAKE A LOOK AT THE RAINFALL OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW. IT’S NOT ON THE NORTH SHORE, NOT IN HANCOCK AND PEARL RIVER COUNTIES, JUST DOWN HERE ON THE SOUTH SHORE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE’S NOT MUCH OF IT. MOST OF IT IS OFFSHORE RIGHT NOW. SOME THUNDERSTORMS OUT HERE AS WELL. BUT IN TERREBONNE PARISH A FEW SHOWERS THERE AND PLAQUEMINES PARISH, A FEW SHOWERS THERE AND SAINT BERNARD PARISH 1 OR 2 THERE AS WELL. BUT OTHERWISE WE ARE RAIN FREE AND WE’RE EXPECTING A FEW MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT FEW HOURS, WHICH SHOULD HELP COOL THINGS OFF DOWN HERE ON THE SOUTH SHORE, PRIMARILY OVER THE COURSE OF THE AFTERNOON. BUT THE TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW IN THE LOW TO THE MID 90S ACROSS THE AREA WHERE THE TEMPERATURES ARE LOWEST, IS ALSO WHERE THE RAIN AND THE CLOUD COVER IS. THE FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. I WAS SAYING THE RANDI A MINUTE AGO THAT HOUMA THE FEELS-LIKE TEMPERATURE WAS 111 DEGREES. THAT IS VERY, VERY HIGH. THAT SHOULD GO DOWN AS THE RAIN APPEARS OVER THAT AREA. BUT IT’S STILL PRETTY HIGH THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES. THOSE FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURES AND TRIPLE DIGITS FOR JUST ABOUT ALL OF US. AND IT LOOKS LIKE TOMORROW WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET MUCH OF A BREAK TO THOSE. FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURES. AND WE’RE THINKING THAT THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY THAN THEY ARE TODAY. THERE’S A LOOK AT THAT RAINFALL I’M EXPECTING ON FRIDAY AND A MOSTLY DRY, SUNNY AND HOT

The LSU Tigers enter the 2024 season ranked 13th in the Associated Press Top 25. In last week's Coaches Poll, LSU ranked 12th in the country. The Tigers open the season against No. 23 USC on Sunday, September 1 in Las Vegas. AP Top 25 College Football Poll: 1. Georgia2. Ohio State3. Oregon4. Texas5. Alabama6. Ole Miss7. Notre Dame8. Penn State9. Michigan10. Florida State11. Missouri12. Utah13. LSU14. Clemson15. Tennessee16. Oklahoma17. Oklahoma State18. Kansas State19. Miami20. Texas A&M21. Arizona22. Kansas23. USC24. North Carolina State25. IowaGeorgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the superconference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings.The Bulldogs received 46 first-place votes and 1,532 points in the Top 25 released Monday and the SEC powerhouse finished comfortably ahead of No. 2 Ohio State (15 first-place votes and 1,490 points) of the Big Ten.New Big Ten member Oregon is No. 3, receiving one first-place vote from the panel of 62 media members who cover college football. Texas, which joins Georgia in the Southeastern Conference this season, is fourth.The Big Ten and SEC each have four teams in the top 10.Conference realignment has reduced the Power Five to the Power Four, with the Pac-12 whittled to just two schools. The Big Ten now has 18 schools. The Atlantic Coast Conference has 17 football teams, and the SEC and Big 12 each have 16. All the movement created an unprecedented preseason poll with just four conferences represented: The SEC leads with nine ranked teams. The Big Ten has six, the Big 12 has five and the ACC has four.Alabama, in its first season without coach Nick Saban since 2006, starts No. 5. No. 6 Mississippi gives the SEC half the top preseason top six.Independent Notre Dame is the highest ranked team from outside the SEC and Big Ten at No. 7.No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Michigan give the Big Ten four top-10 teams. Florida State from the ACC is No. 10.Title game finalistsThe defending national champion Wolverines said goodbye to coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and 12 other players who were selected in April’s NFL draft. All that attrition led to Michigan receiving the lowest preseason ranking for a defending national champion since 2011, when Auburn was No. 23 after the departure of Cam Newton.Before that, the last time a defending national champion was ranked worse than No. 7 in the following preseason poll was Colorado at No. 13 in 1991. Washington, which lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff championship game, took an even bigger fall after losing its head coach (Kalen DeBoer replaced Saban at Alabama), star quarterback and a mountain of talent to the draft and transfer portal. The Huskies are the first team to reach the CFP and be unranked the following season.Top-ranked ‘DawgsGeorgia started last season at No. 1 in pursuit of a record third straight national championship. Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs stayed there the whole regular season, and then missed the four-team playoff by losing the SEC title game to Alabama.“We’re dealing with new challenges this year,” Smart said at SEC media days. “We don’t have a chip on our shoulder in terms of people trying to use that as motivation. I’ve never used a failure from the previous year as motivation and never used the success of a previous year as motivation; we won’t do that this year. That’s not who we are. We want to recreate ourselves to stay in the best light we can.”There will be more room for error this season with the playoff expanding from four to 12 teams. The Bulldogs are 42-2 over the last three seasons and loaded again. Quarterback Carson Beck leads the offense and edge rusher Mykel Williams is in line to be the next defensive star at Georgia.Beck is a rarity in college football these days, a star quarterback in his fifth season with the same school who waited three years to become starter. Beck completed 72% of his passes last year, with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.“He is a great elder for us and great example of resiliency in college football,” Smart said.Repeating as preseason No. 1 is a recent trend. Going back eight seasons, Alabama had separate streaks of three (2016-18) and two (2021-22) years as preseason No. 1. Clemson was top-ranked in the 2019 and ’20 preseason rankings.Georgia will try to become the 12th team since the AP preseason poll started in 1950 to start No. 1 and finish No. 1. The last was Alabama in 2017.

NEW ORLEANS —

The LSU Tigers enter the 2024 season ranked 13th in the Associated Press Top 25.

In last week's Coaches Poll, LSU ranked 12th in the country.

The Tigers open the season against No. 23 USC on Sunday, September 1 in Las Vegas.

AP Top 25 College Football Poll:

1. Georgia

2. Ohio State

3. Oregon

4. Texas

5. Alabama

6. Ole Miss

7. Notre Dame

8. Penn State

9. Michigan

10. Florida State

11. Missouri

12. Utah

13. LSU

14. Clemson

15. Tennessee

16. Oklahoma

17. Oklahoma State

18. Kansas State

19. Miami

20. Texas A&M

21. Arizona

22. Kansas

23. USC

24. North Carolina State

25. Iowa

Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the superconference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings.

The Bulldogs received 46 first-place votes and 1,532 points in the Top 25 released Monday and the SEC powerhouse finished comfortably ahead of No. 2 Ohio State (15 first-place votes and 1,490 points) of the Big Ten.

New Big Ten member Oregon is No. 3, receiving one first-place vote from the panel of 62 media members who cover college football. Texas, which joins Georgia in the Southeastern Conference this season, is fourth.

The Big Ten and SEC each have four teams in the top 10.

Conference realignment has reduced the Power Five to the Power Four, with the Pac-12 whittled to just two schools. The Big Ten now has 18 schools. The Atlantic Coast Conference has 17 football teams, and the SEC and Big 12 each have 16.

All the movement created an unprecedented preseason poll with just four conferences represented: The SEC leads with nine ranked teams. The Big Ten has six, the Big 12 has five and the ACC has four.

Alabama, in its first season without coach Nick Saban since 2006, starts No. 5. No. 6 Mississippi gives the SEC half the top preseason top six.

Independent Notre Dame is the highest ranked team from outside the SEC and Big Ten at No. 7.

No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Michigan give the Big Ten four top-10 teams. Florida State from the ACC is No. 10.

Title game finalists

The defending national champion Wolverines said goodbye to coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and 12 other players who were selected in April’s NFL draft. All that attrition led to Michigan receiving the lowest preseason ranking for a defending national champion since 2011, when Auburn was No. 23 after the departure of Cam Newton.

Before that, the last time a defending national champion was ranked worse than No. 7 in the following preseason poll was Colorado at No. 13 in 1991.

Washington, which lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff championship game, took an even bigger fall after losing its head coach (Kalen DeBoer replaced Saban at Alabama), star quarterback and a mountain of talent to the draft and transfer portal. The Huskies are the first team to reach the CFP and be unranked the following season.

Top-ranked ‘Dawgs

Georgia started last season at No. 1 in pursuit of a record third straight national championship. Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs stayed there the whole regular season, and then missed the four-team playoff by losing the SEC title game to Alabama.

“We’re dealing with new challenges this year,” Smart said at SEC media days. “We don’t have a chip on our shoulder in terms of people trying to use that as motivation. I’ve never used a failure from the previous year as motivation and never used the success of a previous year as motivation; we won’t do that this year. That’s not who we are. We want to recreate ourselves to stay in the best light we can.”

There will be more room for error this season with the playoff expanding from four to 12 teams.

The Bulldogs are 42-2 over the last three seasons and loaded again. Quarterback Carson Beck leads the offense and edge rusher Mykel Williams is in line to be the next defensive star at Georgia.

Beck is a rarity in college football these days, a star quarterback in his fifth season with the same school who waited three years to become starter. Beck completed 72% of his passes last year, with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

“He is a great elder for us and great example of resiliency in college football,” Smart said.

Repeating as preseason No. 1 is a recent trend. Going back eight seasons, Alabama had separate streaks of three (2016-18) and two (2021-22) years as preseason No. 1. Clemson was top-ranked in the 2019 and ’20 preseason rankings.

Georgia will try to become the 12th team since the AP preseason poll started in 1950 to start No. 1 and finish No. 1. The last was Alabama in 2017.

LSU ranks 13th in preseason AP Poll