Lou Holtz hasn’t been a coach in college football since he retired following the 2004 season. Some fans are wondering if his 2023 preseason rankings aren’t from 20 years ago either.
Holtz posted his Top 16 heading into the 2023 college football season over the weekend and fans were extremely confused by some of his questionable rankings and decisions.
Here’s the Hall of Fame coach’s Top 16:
- Michigan
- USC
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- LSU
- Florida State
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Washington
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma State
- Texas
- South Carolina
- Oklahoma
While putting Michigan at No. 1 isn’t unheard of, his ranking of USC ahead of Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia certainly raises some eyebrows. His placement of two-time defending champion Georgia at No. 5 also caught a lot of attention. And then there’s his placement of South Carolina at No. 15, which appears to be a bit of favoritism from the former Gamecocks head coach.
College football fans had a field day reacting to the rankings on social media.
“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.
“Was that Top 16 from back in the 90’s when Lou was coaching South Carolina?” a reader responded.
“Oklahoma State at 13? Please, Lou,” one fan said.
“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 fan said.
Holtz finished his college coaching career with a 249–132–7 record, which includes the 1988 national championship he won with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
[BroBible]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.