Top Five Overrated Teams in the First College Football AP Poll

The AP just dropped its first poll of the college football season, and until there is a college football game actually played on the field, it’s all really just speculation.

With that in mind, we are going to take a stab at who we think are the five most overrated teams ranked in this initial Top 25.

5) Oklahoma - Ranked #16

Coming in at number five, we have one of the newest members of the SEC, the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma wasn’t a powerhouse in the Big 12 under Brent Venables last year, and we have no reason to believe they will take a leap against better competition. Being mid-tier in the SEC will almost always rank you in the Top 25, which means this ranking fits that logic. But as far as being one of the best 16 teams in the country, we aren’t sure that anything outside of their name warrants such a high preseason regard.

4) USC - Ranked #23

USC is coming off a very average season where they lost the best quarterback in the country and made the move to the Big Ten. Last year’s Pac-12 might have been the deepest conference in the entire country when all was said and done, but nothing about USC screams Top 25 team under head coach Lincoln Riley. Moving to the Big Ten should make USC’s defensive woes easier than life in the Pac-12, but they also won’t be able to score nearly as many points as they did last season. It wasn’t a high ranking for the historic program by any stretch of the imagination, but once again, it’s a team that finds itself in the initial Top 25 poll based more on name recognition than anything we have seen take place on a football field.

3) Michigan - Ranked #9

Ranking the defending national champions outside of the top 10 does feel a bit wrong, but when you look at the amount of turnover this program had to deal with in the offseason, it leaves a lot more questions than answers. We fully expect to see Michigan return to its normal self under Sherrone Moore in the future, but rebuilds like this take time. We will learn a lot more about what this version of the Wolverines is all about on September 7th when they take on a loaded Texas team in the Big House.

2) Clemson - Ranked #14

Dabo’s refusal to utilize the transfer portal with all the resources Clemson has seems crazy, to say the least. They did finish the season stronger than they started last year and are still in a pretty weak conference all things considered, but opening their season against number one Georgia will be a recipe for disaster. We fully expect to see a drastic tumble from this top 15 spot after Week One of the college football season, and this may be the only time we see Clemson ranked this high all year.

1) Notre Dame - Ranked #7

The Irish have one of the easiest schedules in college football, but when have the Irish lived up to expectations as of late? Notre Dame didn’t lose a step as far as the quarterback position is concerned, with Duke transfer Riley Leonard lining up under center this year, but if recent history has taught us anything, this team is due for two to three head-scratching losses at some point. We hope we are wrong because college football is more fun when Notre Dame is in the national title picture, but we would have liked to have seen a little bit more of a modest ranking for a program that is trying to return to actual national relevance.

Smack Apparel’s Top 10 College Football Saturday Traditions

Not all college football traditions are created equal...

We took the liberty of ranking our Top Ten favorite college football traditions you may find around the country on any given college football Saturday.

10) Oregon - Shout

Based on the cult classic movie "Animal House" that was filmed in Eugene, Oregon, the Shout tradition isn’t as widely known on the East Coast but ranks among the best in college football. At the end of the third quarter, the Oregon faithful go quiet while a music video imitating the classic toga scene begins to play over the video board. The video features cameos from Oregon greats such as Joey Harrington and Marcus Mariota, and the crowd sings along. Like the scene out of the hit movie, the crowd follows the instructions of “a little bit softer now” until you can hear a pin drop. Almost as soon as you’re ready to fall asleep, “a little bit louder now” begins blasting over the speakers until the crowd is so loud you can’t hear yourself think! It will be fun to watch this tradition hit the mainstream of the Big 10 in 2024.

9) Notre Dame - Touchdown Jesus

We will admit, this isn’t in line with traditions of music blasting and getting the fans fired up, but if you love college football, there’s something magical about seeing a gigantic mural of Jesus Christ looking down over South Bend as their football team needs all the prayers they can get to be National Champions again in the near future.

8) Florida State - Chief Osceola/The Chop

There’s just something about a white horse riding through a football field while Chief Osceola carries a spear (that is on fire) and spikes it at the 50-yard line that gets our juices flowing. Follow that with 80,000+ crazed FSU fans tomahawking their hearts out to get the team fired up, and you get one of the best traditions in the land.

7) Colorado - Ralphie’s Run

Hand up, we are suckers for live animals, especially big ones. Any time you run a live buffalo down the middle of a football field to kick off a college football Saturday, we are going to put you on a list.

6) Penn State - White Out

It’s a cold night in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions are about to take the field while 100,000+ fans all dressed in white scream at the top of their lungs while music blasts over the loudspeaker. Is this heaven? Nope. It’s the White Out at Penn State. This long-standing tradition creates one of the best atmospheres in all of college football and lands at number six on our list.

5) Auburn - Rollin’ Toomer’s Corner

If it’s a Saturday in Auburn, you better make sure you have toilet paper in the house because it might be a few days before the stores and restock. After any big win on a football Saturday students flood the streets and make their way down to Toomer’s Corner to toilet paper the historic oak trees.

4) Wisconsin - Jump Around

When the third quarter ends, the party is about to begin in Madison, Wisconsin. The entire stadium gets quiet in anticipation, and then the loudspeakers blast House of Pain's "Jump Around" while the entire stadium falls in line and starts jumping like kangaroos. The combination of fan excitement and music selection makes this an unforgettable scene.

3) Florida - Won’t Back Down

A relatively new tradition busted on to the scene in Gainesville, Florida and instantly became a Smack Apparel favorite. All the lights of the Swamp are replaced with cell phone flashlights swaying side to side as Tom Petty’s classic “I won’t belt down” belts over the speaker PA. Students and alumni link arm in arm and since at the top of their lungs letting the entire world know they are going to stand their ground. A beautiful sight to be seen.

2) Iowa - The Wave 

The Wave in Iowa has quickly become everyone’s favorite sentimental tradition in the sport, and for good reasons. When the clock strikes zero at the end of the first quarter, every single person in the stadium turns their attention to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital that overlooks Kinnick Football Stadium and waves to the patients and their families who are looking over the field. It is truly one of the most heartwarming gestures that play out in sports today and goes a long way to let the patients know that there is an entire stadium full of people rooting them on in their path to recovery.

1) Virginia Tech - Sandman

Dun dun dun dun dun… dun dun dun dun dun… dun dun dun dun dun… If you know, you know. Enter Sandman at Virginia Tech tops our list of Saturday traditions because, frankly, it’s the most badass entrance of any school on the planet. Metallica rocking over the loudspeakers, the team taking the field while all the fans are absolutely losing their minds… there’s nothing better.

My Four-Year-Old Son Is Cheering for the Team I Hate the Most… What Do I Do?

The Yankees. My son is cheering for the Yankees.

Now, I didn’t ask for much when I became a parent. All I wanted was a healthy kid and a mutual love for the same sports team…

IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?

On the one hand, he has his health, which I am grateful for and yada yada yada, but when I heard a "GO YANKEES" pour out of my son’s mouth yesterday, my health immediately started to decline. It left a pit in my stomach that made me want to puke or cry. Maybe both.

How did we get here? Did I fail as a fan? No. I was sideswiped. I was bamboozled. I was screwed from the second we signed him up for daycare.

If you live in Tampa and you are a baseball fan, there are really only two ways to go: Yankees or Rays. I, of course, chose the latter.

The Yankees have had a stranglehold on this town from the beginning since they set up their Spring Training shop right in the heart of the city. It’s a stranglehold that I’ve been fighting publicly and privately for years. The Rays are our team; this is not New York.

Little did I know, while I was fighting the good fight, my son was being brainwashed by his little friends whose dads happen to work for the Evil Empire. I DIDN’T EVEN SEE IT COMING.

So now I'm stuck. While of course, I want to support his individuality and freedom to express himself, I now have a son who is a Yankees fan. What do I do?

I want to be a good dad above everything else, but I’m worried that he may want me to purchase some form of Yankees gear at some point. So, not only am I supporting his love for my enemy, but now I am giving my hard-earned money to the Evil Empire.

Any help from more experienced dads would be appreciated because I am at a crossroads. I can either support my son’s newfound love of the pinstripes or disown him… Not really. But you get the idea.

HELP!

Smack Apparel’s Top 10 Out of Conference College Football Games in 2024

Every year, the schedule makers bless us with out-of-conference games that will leave some fans fired up and others scratching their heads, wondering why in the hell they’d schedule something so absurd. We've decided to rank those games for you.

Here are the Smack Apparel Top 10 Out of Conference Games that we are the most excited about:

(Click on the team name to check out the best gear on the planet  for respective fan bases!)

10) Alabama @ Wisconsin - September 14

A new-look Alabama team will be tested early in the season when they pack their bags and head north, leaving the familiar confines of the SEC. Wisconsin is still in the process of finding their new identity under second-year coach Luke Fickell, but the atmosphere at Camp Randall Stadium will be electric. Expect the stadium to be "Jumping Around" and giving Alabama all they can handle in this early-season matchup between two conference heavyweights.

                      

9) Tennessee vs. N.C. State - September 7 (Charlotte, NC)

Tennessee fans believe in the hype surrounding their football team heading into year three of the Josh Heupel era. Young stud Niko Lamaleava will be under center for the Volunteers, and with Heupel’s explosive offensive game plans, the sky's the limit in Knoxville. N.C. State has quietly put together an impressive offseason themselves and will prove to be a difficult test for the Volunteers early in the season. Don’t be surprised if the Wolf Pack keeps this game close and pulls off an upset that would shock the college football world in Week 2.

8) Notre Dame @ Texas A&M - August 31

Notre Dame welcomes in Duke transfer Riley Leonard at quarterback in 2024. Leonard looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the country before suffering an injury against Florida State. Texas A&M welcomes first-year head coach Mike Elko from that same Duke team, bringing a new attitude and breath of fresh air from the previous Jimbo Fisher regime. A quarterback facing his former coach, two teams with fan bases expecting a national championship every year, and a night game with the 12th Man on full display in College Station are more than enough storylines to have every college football fan excited about this Week 1 matchup.

7) Penn State @ West Virginia - August 31

A backyard rivalry with a history and fans who would love to have the bragging rights for the foreseeable future. Penn State is a team with playoff aspirations every season but could easily see that derailed in Morgantown in Week 1. West Virginia won’t be in the national picture, but anything could happen early in the season, especially in front of a fired-up Mountaineer crowd.

6) Miami @ Florida - August 31

An in-state rivalry between two teams looking to turn things around and two fan bases eager to talk some smack is enough to have this Week 1 matchup at number six on our list. Florida notably has one of the hardest schedules in the country in 2024, and anything besides a win in Week 1 could spell another bowl-less season for a Gators team trying to return to national relevance. On the flip side, Miami welcomes stud quarterback Cam Ward in 2024, and Cane fans believe he is the right man to return the Hurricanes to relevance in the college football landscape. A win in this one would do wonders for both coaches and fan bases.

5) Colorado @ Nebraska - September 7

As college football continues to change, some things remain the same: rivalries. Colorado vs. Nebraska is an old-school rivalry that has found new life, and we are here for it. New-look Colorado under second-year head coach Deion Sanders has just about every fan base outside of Boulder tired of the “look at me” schtick, while Nebraska fans are chomping at the bit for their second season under head coach Matt Rhule. There’s nothing Cornhusker fans would love more than drowning the Buffaloes in the “Red Sea” and canceling Prime Day in Lincoln, Nebraska.

4) LSU vs. USC - August 31 (Vegas)

Two new quarterbacks, two teams with national championship hopes, and two teams with something to prove in 2024 square off in this Big 10/SEC Week 1 clash. Rumors have been swirling that USC has been desperately trying to get out of this game for a few years but had no luck and will have to prove early in the college football season that they are more than just Caleb Williams. Lincoln Riley’s seat at USC could very well be heating up if they don’t show up to play in Week 1, while Brian Kelly has his Tiger team thinking about the College Football Playoff in his third year at the helm. We will learn a lot about both these teams on August 31 when they square up in Sin City.

3) Clemson vs. Georgia - August 31 (Atlanta)

Coming off a down year, Clemson and Dabo Swinney are eager to get back into the national championship conversation, and a win against a Georgia team on a revenge tour in 2024 would shock the college football world to its core. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are more than ready to get back on the football field (and out from behind the steering wheel of a car) to prove to the college football world that they were robbed of a spot in the College Football Playoff last season. This game could get away from Clemson, but if Dabo has his team ready to play in 2024, it could end up being one of the best games on the college football schedule.

2) Florida State @ Notre Dame - November 9

If both of these teams handle their business, we could be looking at two undefeated powerhouses meeting with everything on the line in South Bend this November. Rarely do we see a matchup of this magnitude late in the college football season, but when Notre Dame is involved, every now and then we get a special treat. Looking ahead at both teams’ schedules, this game has all the makings of a College Football Playoff elimination game, and we fully expect all eyes in the college football world to be glued to this one.

1) Texas @ Michigan - September 7

It doesn’t get any bigger than this: Texas vs. Michigan in the Big House. Given we don’t know what to fully expect from last year’s national champion, any time two teams with this much history meet in an out-of-conference clash, it will always be the biggest game on the schedule. Texas is looking to prove that last year was not a fluke and that they belong in the conversation of national championship contenders, while Michigan will be looking to make an early season statement to the rest of college football. The Big House will be rocking, and the Horns will be down on September 7.

Buying a gift this holiday season for a Philadelphia sports fan? If so, we have some great sports gift ideas for the Philadelphia fan in your life. Whether they are fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, or Flyers, we've got something creative and fun for you to buy them.

Is it Just Me or Do the Cowboys Stink? Children’s Apparel

Start your little Eagles fan early! This funny anti-Cowboys design inspires young football lovers and their families to root for their home team.

Don’t Be a Dick (Anti-Cowboys) Shirt

Shut down the obnoxious Cowboys fan in your life with some good-natured ribbing and this fun rivalry gear. Any Philadelphia football supporter would be proud to don this anti-Cowboys t-shirt the next time the Eagles take on Dallas.

Philadelphia Flyers Tiki Totem

Add a fun touch to your garden or patio. This outdoor 16” tiki totem statue, sculpted from 100 percent resin and hand-painted, features Philadelphia Flyers colors and graphics.

Philly Dilly Shirt

Philadelphia football lovers will enjoy this playful design featuring the infamous rallying cry of Phillies fans everywhere. This shirt is the perfect apparel for game day tailgating. Raise your glass high and cheer on your team to victory!

Phillie Phanatic (Philadelphia Phillies) Mascot Bobblehead

Put your Phillies pride on display! Place this Phillie Phanatic mascot bobblehead on your desk at work or set it on a shelf at home to show everyone you’re a real fan. This must-have collectible is perfect for any Philadelphia baseball lover.

Philadelphia 76ers License Plate Frame

Let everyone know you’re a real 76ers fan when you hit the road on your next adventure.

The Bryce is Right Ladies Apparel

This fun women’s design celebrates the Phillies newest star player. After Philadelphia lured Bryce Harper away from Washington, D.C. for the 2019 season, his at-bat stats prove he was worth the hefty price tag. 

Phillies Heritage Banner

Know your Phillies' history. This vertical wall hanging showcases the Philadelphia baseball team’s logos through the years, from 1915 to present day. Celebrate your favorite team’s heritage while upgrading your space.

Philadelphia 76ers Leather Trifold Wallet

This stylish brown leather wallet helps Philadelphia fans organize their belongings while showing off their team pride. The embossed 76ers logo adds a rugged touch to this winning design.

Philadelphia 76ers Throw Blanket

Philly basketball fans, get ready to cozy up on game day. Wrap yourself in this comfy throw blanket while watching the next 76ers game in the comfort of your home or add a pop of team pride to your living room décor. This 60” by 80” raschel-knit blanket is large enough to cover an entire couch and the design’s fun shadow play gives this fan favorite a unique look.

Philadelphia Flyers Coaster Set

Crack open a cold one and root on your favorite team – without messing up your coffee table. These puck-shaped drink coasters feature the Flyers logo and add a nice touch to your next game-day gathering. They make great holiday gifts for Philadelphia Flyers fans.