being ranked in the preseason because we lost to UAB. We all agree that the UAB loss was bad, and that if we didn't lose to UAB, we would have had a better chance at starting this year ranked. However, we were already "punished" for losing that game by being dropped in the final rankings to #19. The problem I have with not starting the year ranked is that there is really not even a remote reason, let alone a legitimate reason, for us not to be ranked considering all the facts. If we finished the year at #19 even after losing to UAB, and we return more than anyone else etc. (include here all the reasons included in the OP which were all legitimate), then there is no logical reason for us not to be ranked in the preseason polls this year. In fact, it would be hard for anyone to convince me that we shouldn't actually be ranked higher than 19 because most/many teams ahead of us in the final rankings, say 12-18, will have lost more players and, therefore, not be worthy of the same ranking. (I realize that some teams get new recruits that could lessen the blow of outgoing players, but this ends up being less impactful than the return of established starters and we are also getting new recruits/transfers so unless we are talking about a handful of teams like Alabama Ohio State etc., this really is a wash.)

Also, I couldn't disagree more with the whole attitude/idea that "it doesn't matter, not being ranked and being disrespected at the beginning of the year will motivate us more." While I agree this might ultimately be a true statement, unfortunately, where you begin in the rankings can really limit your possibilities in any given year. I realize the chance of that happening is rather small, but if a team like Houston for example starts ranked higher than we do, and we both win out, you really risk the chance of losing out on something special because they were unjustifiably ranked higher than us at the beginning of the year.