Arizona State Finishes Just Outside Top 25 in USA Today Coaches Poll

The Sun Devils didn't quite make the cut to be ranked in advance of the 2021 college football season.

Author:
Donnie Druin
Publish date:
Aug 10, 2021 5:12 PM EDT

On Tuesday, the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll released their rankings of the top 25 teams in the country ahead of the 2021 college football season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide sit atop the list after winning last year's College Football Playoffs, raking in nearly every first-place vote possible. The Oklahoma Sooners managed to grab two of the 65 total first-place votes in the polls.

The top 10 currently looks like this:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

2. Clemson Tigers

3. Oklahoma Sooners

4. Ohio State Buckeyes

5. Georgia Bulldogs

6. Texas A&M Aggies

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

8. Iowa State Cyclones

9. North Carolina Tar Heels

10. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Arizona State Sun Devils, chosen by many to take the Pac-12 conference by storm in 2021, fell just short of being ranked in the initial poll. The Pac-12 saw only three of their teams ranked, as Oregon (12), USC (14) and Washington (21) finished in the top 25.

The Sun Devils gathered a total of 90 top-25 votes, third-most of any unranked team behind Utah (145) and Northwestern (120). This would rank Arizona State as 28th in the country heading into the season.

UCLA, Stanford and Cal also received votes in the poll.

The upcoming season should answer many questions for the Sun Devils, including their status surrounding the ongoing NCAA investigation. On the field, Arizona State's talent is undeniable. ASU possess a potentially potent offense and a stingy, experienced defense to make a true run for a Pac-12 title.

Time will tell to see if voters underrated Arizona State. Yet, in the meantime, it appears ASU will begin the season without the prestigious status of "ranked" next to their name.

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