MORGANTOWN — Usually, kids don’t have a lot of worries. There’s the occasional name-calling and snack-stealing, but other than that, kids mostly have it pretty easy. Especially now that I’m just becoming an adult and learning about taxes and paying off rent, I’d love to be a kid again.

Unlike most kids, I did worry as a kid. When I was a kid, I’d wait every week and worry about where each team would be ranked in the college football AP Poll. Why? I don’t remember exactly, but I remember before the rankings were released, using all my brain power to figure out whether Alabama or Clemson should be ranked higher, or whether Notre Dame’s wins were valid for being ranked in the top 10. That’s probably why I was placed in the extra help classes in elementary school.

Fast forward 10 years, and I was asked this year to be an AP voter. I finally had a say in whether the SEC’s strength of schedule and quality losses should be considered.

The full AP Poll comes out on Monday morning, so here’s a sneak peek of what I voted and where I think West Virginia would be ranked if the poll were expanded past 25 teams. Most of these selections are based on gut feeling, what others are saying, and mainly, just who I thought would win in a matchup.

Just to note, the preseason poll is the hardest because no one has anything but hype to show for it, and why most conferences did without this year.

No. 1 Texas

I think there’ll be a consensus that Texas is the top team in college football this year. There will be people who put Georgia, Clemson and Penn State up there at No. 1, but Texas has the roster to be named the best team heading into the college football season.

There are questions on the offense, though. The biggest is quarterback Arch Manning, one of the most hyped college players of the last decade. He didn’t play much last season, and the offensive line is rebuilding, but he has some new weapons in the transfer portal and returns a duo of backs.

The defense is also elite. The duo of linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and pass rusher Colin Simmons will be scary for any offensive line. Ohio State won the National Championship last year with an elite defense and some offensive firepower, and Texas fits the same description.

No. 2 Ohio State

The defending national champions lost quite a few pieces last season, starting with quarterback Will Howard, and its pair of running backs. There’s still no named starting quarterback, but five-star Julian Sayin is the favorite and should be serviceable in his first year. Sayin returns the best player in college football, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, to help adjust to college. West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson also fills in at running back.

The defense also has the best player returning, too. Elite defensive back Caleb Downs anchors a reconstructed defense.

There’s a lot of turnover, but Ohio State still has five stars and elite transfers to fill in the losses.

No. 3 Penn State

Penn State’s roster is mostly similar to last year’s semifinal team. Quarterback Drew Allar is back, who was rumored to be a first-rounder last year, and both 1,000-yard running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton returned, too. Most of the offensive line returns, and the only question is the wide receiver room. James Franklin added some of the best receivers in the portal. He’s done that years prior and saw no results, so it’ll be interesting to see if the additions actually make a difference.

The defense lost pass rusher Abdul Carter, but it returned corner A.J. Harris, pass rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and tackle Zane Durant. It also stole Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Penn State’s squad has the most returners and could be put above Ohio State, or even Texas, but the receivers are a question, especially after losing tight end Tyler Warren. There’s also Franklin’s ability to win big games.

No. 4 Georgia

Georgia still has elite talent on both sides of the ball. The question for the Bulldogs is the quarterback position. Carson Beck left for Miami, so Gunner Stockton is the signal caller now. Stockton played pretty well when he came in for Beck to win the quarterfinal game over Texas. The offensive line struggled last season, so we’ll see if they improved and keep Stockton upright and run the ball better.

Kirby Smart always has the Bulldogs in contention and should get all the young stars primed for another tough SEC schedule.

No. 5 Clemson

Clemson is similar to Penn State, with a lot of players returning, as highlighted by their quarterback Cade Klubnik. Klubnik had a promising 2024, but couldn’t lead Clemson over Texas in the first round.

The defense also has some of the best players in the country, especially on the defensive line. However, the defense was still finding its footing. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has a big job to make an immediate impact.

No. 6 Notre Dame

Notre Dame lost some key pieces from its squad last year, and is another team with a new starting quarterback. There isn’t a clear favorite yet with freshman C.J. Carr and sophomore Kenny Minchey.

The Fighting Irish will rely heavily on the nation’s top returning running back Jeremiyah Love, and a stout defense. Notre Dame is another team with a new defensive coordinator, Chris Ash.

If Notre Dame can figure out the quarterback situation, it shouldn’t have issues getting back in contention in 2025.

No. 7 LSU

LSU’s 2024 was pretty disappointing, starting with a loss to USC. Brian Kelly’s squad rebounded, but then lost three straight to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. There were some big wins, but not enough to make the playoffs.

Luckily for Kelly, Garrett Nussmeier is back, as one of the best passers in college football, and Kelly added some weapons in the portal. There were also some additions on defense, attempting to improve on the 9-4 season in 2024.

The additions make it reasonable to put LSU this high. A daunting schedule, opening with Clemson, could bounce the Tigers quickly out of the top 10.

No. 8 Oregon

Oregon was the No. 1-ranked team in the College Football Playoffs and won the Big Ten. Then, the Ducks got rolled by Ohio State in their first game of the playoffs.

Oregon lost a lot of players on both sides of the ball. Dan Lanning used the transfer portal to add a new running back, who should make an impact, and some offensive line help.

Like most of these teams in the top 10, first-year starter Dante Moore will be the X-factor on whether or not Oregon will have success in 2025.

No. 9 Alabama

Alabama’s first year without Nick Saban looked every bit of Sabanless. The Crimson Tide were undisciplined and finished 9-4 with questionable losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Then, a loss to unranked Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Second-year coach Kalen DeBoer needs to improve in 2025 to quiet Alabama fans. There are some positives heading into the season. The defense, which was one of the top in the country, is mostly intact for this year, wide receiver Ryan Williams is back, and some of the offensive line.

The Crimson Tide has a quarterback question, too. After the spring, it looks like T.Y. Simpson will be the guy, but who knows?

After a bad 2024, Alabama should be a bit better and sneak into the top 10.

No. 10 Miami

Miami rounds out the top 10 and had a decent 2024. Miami lost No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Cam Ward and quickly fixed the issue, replacing him with Carson Beck. Beck had his ups and downs at Georgia and was one of the only quarterbacks not to see success in recent years.

After signing a big NIL deal, Beck has his work cut out for him in the ACC. His receiver room is also a bit on the younger side, so he’ll have to adjust quickly to see any sort of success.

With some transfer additions and a new defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, the defense should improve.

With Beck, Miami should hover around the top 10 all season.

Notes on the rest of the

field

Illinois is a team that should make a big jump from 2024 to 2025. It returns its quarterback and has a lot of transfer additions.

South Carolina and Florida are two teams I’m pretty high on because they both have rising young quarterbacks. The coaching is just holding them back a little, and playing in the SEC.

I feel Kansas State is the best team in the Big 12, looking at all three levels, with Arizona State just behind.

Michigan very well could’ve been unranked because who knows what Bryce Underwood is going to be, but there’s also the boom potential as the top quarterback prospect.

Tennessee could’ve been higher if it didn’t lose Nico Iamaleava.

The rest of the field could be rearranged in any order because they all have firepower. Some just have more questions than others. Realistically, they are all educated guesses.

No. 11 Illinois

No. 12 South Carolina

No. 13 Kansas State

No. 14 Arizona State

No. 15 Florida

No. 16 Michigan

No. 17 Indiana

No. 18 Ole Miss

No. 19 Oklahoma

No. 20 Tennessee

No. 21 Texas Tech

No. 22 Texas A&M

No. 23 Iowa State

No. 24 SMU

No. 25 Boise State

No. 60-70 West Virginia

Somewhere in the 60s to 70s might seem low, but there’s a lot unknown with this team. There’s no set starting quarterback, the running back room is thin, there are 70-plus new transfers, not to mention a whole new scheme and coaching staff. With so many new moving parts, it’s hard to think they’ll all work in unison.

Rich Rodriguez’s first year coaching at West Virginia, back in 2001, he finished 3-8, and that’s when he knew who his starting quarterback was. The West Virginia win total is set at 5.5, which is more like five wins. That means Rodriguez will actually have a better season than 2001. There’s a chance, but very slim.