Despite the uncertainty around so many teams and how they will install new players, there is no shortage of preseason rankings for college football fans to consume this time of year. Count ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt among those staunchly against the need for preseason rankings in modern college football. To illustrate the point, Van Pelt recalled the chaos of the 2025-26 season. “Look at last year as an example of where teams began the season, and rankings, and it will happen again,” Van Pelt said. Nobody really expects the AP or coaches’ polls to stop collecting this info, but Van Pelt may have a point: the preseason rankings are less useful than ever before.