One preconceived notion about preseason polls is that the rankings hold more value than they actually do.

These polls are voted on by journalists and coaches, meaning they’re based on the opinions of these sports professionals and entirely on facts. Just because they vote in a certain way, it doesn’t mean a team is necessarily better than another.

It’s part of the hype that comes with each sport’s preseason, but it’s led some to wonder: Do preseason polls even matter?

The answer lies within the sport of question to truly tell how preseason polls compare to the end of a season.

Football

College football has the smallest sample size of any sport when it comes to the number of games that define a season. Teams are expected to finish the season with fewer than two losses, and with roughly 12 games in a regular season, the poll placement at the beginning of the season could be extremely important.

With the season being so short, it’s necessary to be ranked higher. It gives the team more leeway each week to have rough moments without dropping out of the top spots, and several head coaches have put their opinions on display about the importance of ranking high.

Before the 2001 season, former LSU head coach Nick Saban said that there are expectations that come with being ranked preseason, but that they don’t account for what actually happens.

“We need to make sure our players understand, relative to all the predictions going into this season, that predictions are done according to performance relative to having success,” Saban said. “Predictions are no substitute for performance.”

Saban wanted the Tigers to play to their own talent and not rest on the thought that being ranked preseason meant they would win any matchup. Nonetheless, it’s a strong selling point for how good a team can be for fans.

The number puts in perspective who the coaches and writers think should win the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. It puts a narrative on a team before the season ever starts.

In 2025, LSU began the season ranked No. 9 and rose as high as No. 3, but it hasn’t been ranked for several weeks. As of Week 1, LSU was almost a guarantee to make a competitive bowl appearance, but after dropping from the rankings, it’s near nonexistent.

Since the sample size is so small each season compared to other sports, it’s hard to judge each team properly.

Basketball

College basketball has the median amount of games for the sample size. There are 31 max in the men’s and women’s seasons. An increased number of games means the weekly polls are based on more than one performance.

In football, each team plays once a week, and because that isn’t the case in basketball, there is less value in each appearance from the writers’ and coaches’ perspectives.

LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey said before the 2023 season that it’s an honor to be ranked No. 1, but it is nothing but a target on their backs before the season starts.

“We appreciate the recognition of being the No. 1-ranked team going into the season, and it is something we will embrace,” Mulkey said. “A ranking doesn’t win championships, but it brings great awareness to our program and our school. We want to be ranked No. 1 at the end of the season.”

In 2023, the Tigers won the national championship, and in 2024, they were ranked No. 7 preseason and lost in the Elite Eight. Mulkey might have her team ignore the polls, but it has been spot-on in the past two seasons.

LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon said before the 2024 season that he doesn’t pay attention to preseason polls and that they almost always don’t matter.

“These predictions are impossible,” McMahon said at the 2024 SEC media days. “Every team is new for the most part. When you can have player retention and guys staying in the program, it’s a great competitive advantage in college basketball in 2024.”

It might really depend on the coach and the season, but on the court at LSU, the polls have proven extremely accurate in recent seasons.

In 2023 and 2024, McMahon’s teams began the season unranked and finished the season without a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Baseball and Softball

NCAA baseball and softball have the most games to consider among the big three sports. In either case, the maximum number of games a team can play in the regular season is 56.

Both of these sports are known to be a marathon and not a sprint, meaning that non-conference play isn’t as valuable as conference play. The only thing steady wins do is look good for the selection committee on selection day.

The diamond sports are games of streaks, meaning it’s more important to get hot towards the end of the season.

LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson said before the 2023 season that their No. 1 preseason ranking was because of the hard work they put in during the fall, but he also acknowledged the job wasn’t done yet.

“We had a very productive fall, and that’s a credit to the players,” Johnson said. “We have a ton of new players, so building a concept of a team with our outstanding group of returning players was a priority. We’ve learned a lot about our team, but we’re probably not quite ready to play a game.”

Johnson and the Tigers brought home a seventh national championship to Baton Rouge. In 2025, they got an eighth after ranking No. 2 in the preseason.

LSU softball has been ranked high each season in the preseason poll, but has had disappointing finishes in recent seasons.

Head coach Beth Torina hasn’t spoken directly about preseason rankings in recent years, but the numbers aren’t in the team’s favor.

In 2023, the Tigers were ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll and finished the season at home after being eliminated from their own regional by an in-state rival. In 2024, LSU was ranked No. 15 in the preseason poll and finished the season in the top 16 after being eliminated in the super regional round.

In 2025, the Tigers were ranked No. 10 during the preseason but dropped at home again to another in-state school in the regional round.

Overall, each sport at LSU has had vastly different experiences with preseason polls.

In football, the 12 games in the regular season allow spots to drop or rise more quickly than before.

Basketball appears to be the most consistent because it has the median number of games in the regular season, which is why Mulkey and McMahon have had shockingly accurate experiences in the postseason compared to their recent preseason rankings.

Baseball and softball are the wildcards. In recent years, baseball’s preseason rankings held up, but softball has had vastly different experiences.

Preseason polls’ real purpose is to excite fans, which is why they’re slowly getting pushed back farther and farther away from when the season actually starts.

They might be judged on paper stats and potential, but they will never be 100% accurate.