Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson isn’t mincing words, flat-out calling preseason rankings “the most ridiculous thing on the planet” and “the stupidest thing” in college football. He’s got a bone to pick with how the whole system operates, and frankly, he makes some serious points we should all be talking about.
Dawson’s Rant About ‘Idiots’ and Imaginary Rankings
Dawson made it crystal clear Monday: he couldn’t care less about polls or where opponents sit in the AP Top 25. His focus is laser-sharp on getting points on the board with Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney leading one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. And get this: the man believes “there should be no such thing as preseason rankings.” He thinks people “weight those things way heavier than they should,” arguing we shouldn’t even have a ranking until October. Can you blame him? He tossed out Texas A&M as an example, a team ranked in the top 5 previously. “How does that look right now?” he asked. Dawson also took aim at the SEC, which boasts ten teams in this week’s AP Top 25. He threw shade, saying, “well yeah, they have all their teams in the top 25, good for you, at the end of the year half of them won’t be in the top 30.” Ouch. He even said that rankings “give people talking points that are idiots who don’t know what they’re doing,” comparing it to poker where “you don’t know at the beginning.”
Miami’s Dominance Against the So-Called Elite
Maybe Dawson’s got a point to prove, because under Mario Cristobal’s leadership, Miami is absolutely crushing SEC competition, holding a perfect 5-0 record. This isn’t just regular season stuff, either. Last season’s College Football Playoff saw Miami take down Texas A&M and Ole Miss before making it all the way to the National Championship. They beat No. 23 Texas A&M 48-33 in 2023. Then came a 41-17 win at Florida in 2024, followed by another 26-7 victory over Florida in 2025. In the 2025 CFP, they edged out No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 and then beat No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27. With Mensah, their new signal-caller, leading the FBS in completion rate (88.7 percent), touchdown passes (14), and quarterback rating (228.0) this season, it’s clear their strategy is working. Miami is currently sitting at No. 4, building that resume.
The Hurricanes do have some chatter around their strength of schedule, with critics pointing to a lack of nationally ranked opponents. But their ACC-opening win at Wake Forest in Week 3 just got a boost after the Demon Deacons beat Louisville. Still, that wasn’t enough to get Jake Dickert’s Wake Forest team into the latest AP rankings. Dawson summed it up perfectly: “We’ll count those chips up at the end of the year.” That’s the attitude, right? Keep winning, keep proving the doubters wrong, and let the scoreboard do the talking when it really matters.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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