Tom MurphyArkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
E-mail: tmurphy@arkansasonline.com
Twitter: @TomMurphyADG
About: Louisiana Tech graduate (1988) with MA in English; Covered nine head coaches in last 16 seasons at Alabama (1998-2007) and Arkansas (2007-13). Married with 3 children. Native of Atlanta, Ga.
 


Ballot Score

12

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Aug 11, 2025Pre-Season Rankings for Tom Murphy
1Ohio State (11)
0-0Actual: 3
Highest: 1 - 11 Voters
Lowest: 9 - Kirk Bohls
1472
Points
2Texas (25)
0-0Actual: 1
Highest: 1 - 25 Voters
Lowest: 6 - 2 Voters
1552
Points
3Clemson (4)
0-0Actual: 4
Highest: 1 - 4 Voters
Lowest: 11 - Jamal St.
1398
Points
4Penn State (23)
0-0Actual: 2
Highest: 1 - 23 Voters
Lowest: 6 - Jerry Humphrey
1547
Points
5Notre Dame
0-0Actual: 6
Highest: 2 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 9 - 2 Voters
1325
Points
6Oregon (1)
0-0Actual: 7
Highest: 1 - Jamal St.
Lowest: 9 - 12 Voters
1236
Points
7Georgia (1)
0-0Actual: 5
Highest: 1 - Brett McMurphy
Lowest: 10 - 3 Voters
1331
Points
8Alabama
0-0Actual: 8
Highest: 2 - Javon Edmonds
Lowest: 23 - Kevin Carter
1179
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
9BYU
0-0Actual: 26
Highest: 8 - Chad Bishop
Lowest: NR - 49 Voters
156
Points
10LSU
0-0Actual: 9
Highest: 3 - Pete Yanity
Lowest: 13 - Damien Sordelett
1174
Points
11Illinois
0-0Actual: 12
Highest: 9 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 4 Voters
713
Points
12Arizona State
0-0Actual: 11
Highest: 8 - 3 Voters
Lowest: NR - Chad Bishop
791
Points
13Miami (FL)
0-0Actual: 10
Highest: 4 - Brian Fonseca
Lowest: NR - Damien Sordelett
889
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
14Texas A&M
0-0Actual: 19
Highest: 10 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 9 Voters
434
Points
15SMU
0-0Actual: 16
Highest: 12 - 5 Voters
Lowest: NR - Chad Bishop
565
Points
16Indiana
0-0Actual: 20
Highest: 11 - Andy Yamashita
Lowest: NR - 6 Voters
423
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
17Utah
0-0Actual: 27
Highest: 10 - Trevor Hass
Lowest: NR - 44 Voters
144
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
18South Carolina
0-0Actual: 13
Highest: 10 - 4 Voters
Lowest: NR - 7 Voters
667
Points
19Iowa State
0-0Actual: 22
Highest: 11 - Kirk Bohls
Lowest: NR - 15 Voters
309
Points
20Ole Miss
0-0Actual: 21
Highest: 12 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 13 Voters
370
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
21Michigan
0-0Actual: 14
Highest: 9 - Pete Yanity
Lowest: NR - 3 Voters
662
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
22USC
0-0Actual: 30
Highest: 12 - Jamal St.
Lowest: NR - 48 Voters
64
Points
23Boise State
0-0Actual: 25
Highest: 11 - Kirk Kenney
Lowest: NR - 22 Voters
191
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
24Memphis
0-0Actual: 38
Highest: 21 - Jamal St.
Lowest: NR - 61 Voters
9
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
25Kansas State
0-0Actual: 17
Highest: 12 - 4 Voters
Lowest: NR - 4 Voters
512
Points
Ranked Teams Not on Ballot: 15-Florida18-Oklahoma23-Texas Tech24-Tennessee