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Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz is getting blasted by fans for his preseason rankings. Holtz certainly had one of the more questionable lists we’ve seen this offseason.
Over the weekend, he dropped a Top 16. His critics immediately took to social media to mock the standings.
The start of the 2023 season is just a week away. Holtz’s Fighting Irish will headline Week 0 with a matchup across the pond. Notre Dame will play Navy in Dublin, Ireland to kick off the year.
Other notable teams in action will be USC, Hawaii, and Vanderbilt.
A couple of those teams are highly ranked in the head coach’s Top 16, with the Trojans being listed at No. 2. See the full list below.
- Michigan
- USC
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- LSU
- Florida State
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Washington
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma State
- Texas
- South Carolina
- Oklahoma
A surprise to absolutely no one, Holtz pegs two of his former programs as Top 16 teams, ranking South Carolina at No. 15 and Notre Dame at No. 8. The Gamecocks certainly stand out as they enter the year unranked in most major polls.
Maybe more surprising is Georgia’s standing on the list. The two-time defending national champs are ranked fifth behind Michigan, USC, Alabama, and Ohio State.
In theory, that would leave the Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff which would lead one to believe that Holtz sees UGA losing a game or two.
Other interesting things of note include Florida State’s being picked ahead of ACC rival Clemson and Oklahoma State being picked ahead of both Texas and OU.
Fans weren’t kind to Lou Holtz after his rankings release.
“There’s no way that Michigan or USC is better than Georgia or Alabama and it will be shown on the field,” one person wrote in the comments section.
“Was that Top 16 from back in the 90’s when Lou was coaching South Carolina?” someone else asked.
“Oklahoma State at 13? Please, Lou,” this fan replied.
“Funny how coach Holtz placed two of the teams he coached so high on his list. I just can’t see Notre Dame in the top ten and South Carolina in the top 20,” another follower said.
We’ll soon see how the rankings pan out. College football is less than a week away.