I am not a coach.

That obvious fact is worth stating because while you might disagree with this Top 25, it’s worth remembering. I am not a coach. I am simply trying to predict how coaches will vote in their first poll of the year.

That means I’m not going to knock teams that I think are getting too much preseason hype and vice versa. I’ll have my time and place to do that.

For now, here’s my prediction for what we’ll see when the first Coaches Poll is revealed on Thursday:

25. FAU

I don’t think anyone is sleeping on Lane Kiffin. And if they are, someone should awake them from their year-long slumber when they missed Kiffin rattle off 10 consecutive wins to close 2017.

24. South Carolina

I’m not sold on the belief that the Gamecocks will legitimately compete with Georgia for a division crown, but I am sold on the belief that a team that returns that much production will crack the Top 25 after the way it finished 2017.

23. UCF

I’d love to get every coach’s thoughts about whether they’re more impressed or annoyed by UCF. With a preseason Heisman Trophy contender in McKenzie Milton, my guess is that enough coaches are impressed enough for them to start off ranked. UCF didn’t receive a single vote in the coaches’ 2017 preseason poll but finished No. 7.

22. LSU

Would I have LSU in my preseason Top 25? No because I think the offense is too big of a mystery.

Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Will coaches blindly pencil in LSU to start in the Top 25 because that’s basically what they’ve been doing every year in the 21st century? Probably. The Joe Burrow buzz certainly doesn’t hurt.

21. Texas

Fun fact: In 3 of the past 5 seasons, Texas was a Top 25 team within the first 2 weeks of the season … only to not finish the season in the Top 25. I’m not saying Tom Herman is going to have Charlie Strong-like disappointment, but starting in the Top 25 seems like a brand recognition deal for Texas these days.

20. West Virginia

Bruce Feldman told me that he thinks West Virginia could be the surprise team in college football by season’s end. For now, though, the Mountaineers are in the back end of the Top 25 because it’s hard to get too fired up about 7-6 team with a coach who has yet to finish better than third in the Big 12.

19. Virginia Tech

It feels like there’s a growing sentiment that Justin Fuente is pretty good at this whole coaching thing. He and the Hokies get the most preseason love than the program has had in recent memory.

18. Mississippi State

This is a good place to remind everyone that I am much higher on Mississippi State than the general masses. I’d probably have the Bulldogs somewhere in the 12-13 range, but it’s not my poll. As for coaches who often vote with historical narratives about a program, an MSU team with one winning season in conference play in the past 15 years might not be a safe bet to crack the top 12 in the preseason.

17. Notre Dame

I’m not crazy high on a Notre Dame team that has major questions at quarterback and has to replace the best defensive coordinator it had in recent memory in Mike Elko. Still, an Irish team that finished No. 11 feels like as safe a bet as any to start the following season in the Top 25.

16. Oklahoma State

Four of the past five years, the Cowboys finished ranked 11 to 19 in the Coaches Poll. That seems about right for Mike Gundy, who has been extremely consistent the past 3 years. Even with replacing a prolific quarterback like Mason Rudolph, the Cowboys will still get plenty of respect as a legitimate Top 25 team to start the year.

15. Florida State

Some believe that Willie Taggart will immediately flip the script on last year’s disastrous season under Jimbo Fisher while others believe that there were deeper problems than the Deondre Francois injury. With questions still surrounding Francois — though for different reasons — FSU starts off the post-Fisher era with perhaps a loftier ranking than it deserves.

14. Michigan State

Get ready for Michigan State fans to get upset when Michigan starts the year with a higher ranking, despite the fact that nobody returns a higher percentage of its production than Mark Dantonio’s squad.

Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

But given where MSU was at about 15 months ago — on and off the field — starting in the top 15 wouldn’t be anything to scoff at.

13. USC

Teams that lose a first-round quarterback often get a noticeable knock in the preseason, and understandably so. Let’s not forget that in addition to filling Sam Darnold’s shoes, the Trojans are in their first year without new Tennessee offensive coordinator Tyson Helton. But Clay Helton has been recruiting extremely well the past couple years and a unit that returns plenty of defensive talent will keep USC from any perceived massive drop-off.

12. Penn State

The Lions are a difficult team to project because while the loss of Saquon Barkley is big in itself, he was far from the only valuable piece of the offense lost. Possession receiver DaeSean Hamilton is gone, as is uber-athletic tight end Mike Gesicki. Most important, the Lions will try and stay afloat as one of college football’s best offensive minds without Joe Moorhead. But having a household name like Trace McSorley will certainly squash the notion that Penn State is due for a significant regression.

11. Auburn

Nationally, it feels like there’s skepticism about Auburn’s running game and that schedule, though not about Jarrett Stidham or the defense. The Tigers started ranked between 6 and 12 in 3 of the past 4 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if that trend continued in 2018.

10. Michigan

Before last year, Jim Harbaugh had 3 consecutive seasons (in college) of finishing with a top 11 spot in the Coaches Poll. Some will point out the fact that he’s yet to get past third place in his own division at Michigan. Still, the hype of Shea Patterson and the massive amount of defensive talent he returns will yield a top 10 ranking.

9. Stanford

Perhaps the most underrated coach in America, David Shaw, will start in the top 10. Having a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite in Bryce Love certainly has something to do with that.

8. Oklahoma

It would make sense if coaches were still in wait-and-see mode with 34-year-old Lincoln Riley. As great as he was as a coordinator and in his first season as a head coach, there will be some cautious optimism about what he can do without Baker Mayfield. It’ll be a telling year in Norman.

7. Miami

Entering Year 3 of the Mark Richt era, I’d be stunned if the Canes started outside of the top 10. What a sentence that is. Miami has talent galore on the back end of its defense and despite the poor finish, Richt should improve that offense. Last year’s 10-0 start was no fluke.

6. Wisconsin

To be clear, yes, I think Wisconsin will be underrated to start the season. No, I don’t think No. 6 is high enough for the Badgers. They return their entire offensive line with a Heisman Trophy candidate tailback in Jonathan Taylor. That’s from a team that won 13 games despite Alex Hornibrook throwing 15 interceptions.

Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

And as long as Jim Leonhard is leading that defense, the Badgers are a lock for one of the nation’s top units. Wisconsin won’t sneak up on anyone.

5. Washington

Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin back in a Chris Petersen offense seems unfair. It seems especially unfair that Washington still has all sorts of talent from a defense that finished fifth in scoring last year. Not only will Washington start the season as an obvious favorite to win the Pac-12, but it’ll also be a clear national title contender … as long as it gets past Auburn in the opener.

4. Georgia

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of preseason treatment Georgia gets after losing all of those playmakers on both sides of the ball. The assumption is that they’ll just reload in Alabama fashion, but that obviously remains to be seen in Year 3 of the Kirby Smart era. Having a returning starting quarterback from a national runner-up team always helps, as does putting together the top class in the recruiting rankings era. A top 5 ranking feels all but a given already with Georgia.

3. Ohio State

It’s funny. Ohio State has been treated like it’s in the same conversation as Alabama and Clemson, but the Buckeyes haven’t finished as a top 3 team since they won it all in 2014. Two of those seasons, however, they started ranked in the top 2. Urban Meyer will always get preseason top 6 love, regardless of the fact that he’s replacing the most prolific quarterback in Big Ten history.

2. Clemson

With that defensive line, it’s awfully tempting to put the Tigers at No. 1 to start the year. When the Playoff system began, there’s no way I thought we’d be talking about a Clemson team with 3 consecutive CFP berths entering 2018. By season’s end, we could be talking about Dabo Swinney’s second national title in 3 years. But it’s hard to just dismiss what we saw in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama. We saw what happens when a 1-dimensional offense meets an elite defense. For now, the Tigers are still behind the Tide.

1. Alabama

Two stats I want to throw at you. In the past 2 years, the Tide started No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. Alabama earned 104 of a possible 129 first-place votes. We’re way past the point of caring how many starters Alabama loses when coming up with a preseason ranking. Spoiler alert: It’s No. 1 until further notice.