Bob Asmussen of The News-Gazette has been participating in the Associated Press poll of the top 25 college football players since 2009. Here are his three thoughts after the preseason poll was released on Monday:

Thanks to the 14 other reporters who joined me in ranking Ohio State at No. 1. Georgia earned the top spot, with 46 first-place votes. That makes perfect sense given the strength of the returning team and the success coach Kirby Smart has maintained with the Bulldogs. But I like the Buckeyes a bit more, even if the 2023 season ended in disappointment for coach Ryan Day’s program with a loss to Michigan and a setback in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri. I included six Ohio State players on my preseason AP All-American team and am considering three more. The team is loaded. Adam Zucker, Brian Fonseaca, Damien Sordelett, David Jablonski, Dylan Sinn, John Clay, John Wilner, Kirk Kenney, Kirk Bohls, Koki Riley, Matt Baker, Matt Brown, Michael Lev and Ron Counts also ranked Ohio State at No. 1.

What are they thinking? Better question: Why did two voters put Ohio State at No. 5? Even if you think quarterback Will Howard is a total bust after transferring from Kansas State and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is clueless after his mediocre success at UCLA, that’s still way too low. Georgia is the lowest rated anyone has put it at No. 3. I put the Bulldogs at No. 2. The good thing is that voters can switch teams all season long.

It’s in the cards. There’s only one unranked team on my ballot: Louisville. I like Jeff Brohm’s team just a little bit better than another ACC school, North Carolina State, which comes in at No. 24. For the first time in ages, my ballot doesn’t include an extreme choice defined by a team five spots higher or lower than its actual ranking. My ballot has Missouri, Kansas and Louisville three spots higher than they are. Close enough.