FanPulse Preseason ballot: At least Virginia fans know what’s up

Just 17 days out from Virginia’s critical Week One matchup with the Pittsburgh Panthers, it’s time to release the brand new SB Nation NCAA FanPulse preseason poll, voted on by you, the fans! Sixty-six of the NCAA team brands voted to create the inaugural FanPulse Top 25, and here’s what the data tells us heading into the 2019 season:

Unsurprisingly, last year’s title game contestants, Clemson and Alabama, sit at first and second, respectively, followed by fellow perennial powers Georgia, Oklahoma, and Ohio State. Besides Dabo Swinney’s squad, two other teams in the ACC found themselves within the top-25: Miami and some other school from Blacksburg. Interestingly, neither the Hurricanes nor the Hokies made the preseason Coaches Poll, announced on August 1. Syracuse, which ranks 22nd in that list, was the only other team from the conference to accompany Clemson there. Virginia didn’t make the cut in the national poll, despite being picked by the media to finish ahead of Miami and Va Tech in the Coastal.

Now for how us Wahoos see it:

As you might be able to tell, our community likes the Hoos a little bit more than what the national averages say (but we’re not biased or anything). Besides UVA’s jump, we had almost no disagreement with the nationwide poll, apart from a few teams flip-flopping up and down a spot or two. Expect these differences to grow larger as the season starts to progress.

Want to join us in helping to show why UVA football needs more attention in the college football landscape? It’s not too late! You can sign up here to participate in the weekly polls.