There is a poll; let's react

The totally meaningless preseason version of the not-totally-meaningless coaches' poll was released today, which makes this a good day to point out that the season starts in exactly four weeks (woooo!!!!!). No other introduction necessary:

1. LSU (18) 1403
2. Alabama (20) 1399
3. USC (19) 1388
4. Oklahoma 1276
5. Oregon 1258
6. Georgia 1061
7. Florida State 1055
8. Michigan 1023
9. South Carolina 981
10. Arkansas 948
11. West Virginia 833
12. Wisconsin 743
13. Michigan State 717
14. Clemson 598
15. Texas 549
16. Nebraska 501
17. TCU 499
18. Stanford 497
19. Oklahoma State 476
20. Virginia Tech 461
21. Kansas State 398
22. Boise State 271
23. Florida 250
24. Notre Dame 166
25. Auburn 66

Obligatory observations:

There are three favorites but no favorite: There are three teams at the top that are (a) within 15 points of each other and (b) a mile ahead of everybody else. By first-place votes, LSU is third; by total votes, LSU is first. Crazy. There hasn't been a preseason poll in the BCS era with three teams that close. And, based solely on the points gap, I'm not sure any of those teams are catchable if they go undefeated (which only two of the three can possibly do, obviously, since LSU and Alabama play each other).

The top 10: It's pretty much a consensus top 10 since there's a a points chasm between Arkansas and West Virginia and then another between West Virginia and Wisconsin and then another between Michigan State and Clemson. That appears to be the "screw it, these teams are all about the same" threshold.

Some things never change: Florida State is seventh. This gives Phil Steele a happy but gives me a tee hee since Florida State hasn't lived up to its preseason hype since Michael Vick was doing ridiculous things at Va. Tech. That said, I have looked at the defense (maybe the best in the country) and the schedule (one of the easiest in the country among BCS-conference teams) and thus will end up predicting something regrettably optimistic when it comes time to predict things. Resistance is futile, etc.

It's not 2011: Boise State is No. 22, which is ... ummm ... not in the top 10. Also, Oklahoma State and Stanford probably won't be finishing third and fourth this year. The coaches' poll was not necessary for that observation but serves as a reminder that Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener and David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin and Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon (and so on) will not be entirely replaceable.

Michigan woo: Michigan is the nominal Big Ten favorite (!!!) by a crapload of points. I ... uhh ... no comment.

The dancing helps with the cynicism and whatnot.

Oh hai you're not in the Big East: West Virginia and TCU are both in the top 17 and are ranked second and fourth, respectively, in the Big 12. Decent acquisitions, those. I'm not sure the 10-team Big 12 has any less depth than the 12-team one did now that Oklahoma State is a legit, nationally relevant program and K-State and Baylor are in the competitive-to-good range.

Where's Ohio State? Oh yeah ineligible lol wwwhheeeeeeeeee!!!

The Gary Danielson bit: SEC dominance top 10 rabble rabble seven teams rabble rabble.

Four weeks: Four weeks.