Pre-Season Poll (inspired by Temp)

[23andCounting]

Insert Carroll instead of Valpo (typo on Temp's part). Otherwise, respected his wish to include all MIC and HCC programs and the others he mentioned. This poll is a combination of last year's results + whether a program has trended up, down, or sideways through the past four seasons. 

1.  Brownsburg

2.  Lawrence North

3.  Westfield

4.  Center Grove

5.  Ben Davis

6.  Crown Point

7.  Hamilton Southeastern

8.  Cathedral

9.  Fishers

10. New Pal

11.  Carmel

12.  Pike

13.  Lawrence Central

14.  Snider

15.  Carroll

16.  Avon

17,  Noblesville

18.  Franklin Central

19.  Chatard

20.  Warren Central

21.  Zionsville

22.  Merrillville

23.  Roncalli

24.  East Central

25.  North Central

 

[temptation]

Good stuff my man.

[Footballking16]

Warren Central at 20? 

[temptation]

1 hour ago, Footballking16 said:

Warren Central at 20? 

If I’m not wiling to do a poll of my own, I’m not sure I can be critical but this one also stood out to me.

Maybe just the change in leadership as they have an unproven head coach?

 

[23andCounting]

2 hours ago, temptation said:

Maybe just the change in leadership as they have an unproven head coach?

 

Boom

[Footballking16]

3 hours ago, temptation said:

If I’m not wiling to do a poll of my own, I’m not sure I can be critical but this one also stood out to me.

Maybe just the change in leadership as they have an unproven head coach?

 

Coaching means a ton, but still fail to see 19 teams better than Warren given the overall talent level they possess. They are one of, if not the most talented team in the state next year...at least on paper.

[Flyingangel]

18 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Insert Carroll instead of Valpo (typo on Temp's part). Otherwise, respected his wish to include all MIC and HCC programs and the others he mentioned. This poll is a combination of last year's results + whether a program has trended up, down, or sideways through the past four seasons. 

1.  Brownsburg

2.  Lawrence North

3.  Westfield

4.  Center Grove

5.  Ben Davis

6.  Crown Point

7.  Hamilton Southeastern

8.  Cathedral

9.  Fishers

10. New Pal

11.  Carmel

12.  Pike

13.  Lawrence Central

14.  Snider

15.  Carroll

16.  Avon

17,  Noblesville

18.  Franklin Central

19.  Chatard

20.  Warren Central

21.  Zionsville

22.  Merrillville

23.  Roncalli

24.  East Central

25.  North Central

 

Cathedral to high for how much they lost. And with all the merrilvillle talk I would put them top 17. Zionsville I don’t see as a top 25 team.

[temptation]

25 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

Coaching means a ton, but still fail to see 19 teams better than Warren given the overall talent level they possess. They are one of, if not the most talented team in the state next year...at least on paper.

I think I agree.  More often than not, a school like Warren simply needs someone to not derail the train from the tracks.

Now, I’m not sure they are a top 10 team but on talent alone, they’d beat schools like Chatard and New Pal.

[temptation]

And FWIW, I agree with 20+ of the 25 teams listed, just not the order.

And after further thought, I agree with the top 4, just in a slightly different order.

[23andCounting]

2 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

They are one of, if not the most talented team in the state next year...at least on paper.

Haven't they been saying that for the past two seasons? New coach, I just don't trust Warren. I get what you're saying talent wise. Their play will speak for itself. I say let them work their way up.

1 hour ago, Flyingangel said:

Cathedral to high for how much they lost. And with all the merrilvillle talk I would put them top 17. Zionsville I don’t see as a top 25 team.

Cathedral is just, well, Cathedral. Typically a Top Ten program regardless of class every season. 

 

1 hour ago, temptation said:

I think I agree.  More often than not, a school like Warren simply needs someone to not derail the train from the tracks.

Now, I’m not sure they are a top 10 team but on talent alone, they’d beat schools like Chatard and New Pal.

I was told New Pal returns 15 starters. You had them pretty high last year, close to that 5 mark. Doesn't 15 starters warrant a Top 10 finish for this program? Not sure how good my source was. 

1 hour ago, temptation said:

And FWIW, I agree with 20+ of the 25 teams listed, just not the order.

And after further thought, I agree with the top 4, just in a slightly different order.

I went with the 25 you gave me.

[temptation]

2 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Haven't they been saying that for the past two seasons? New coach, I just don't trust Warren. I get what you're saying talent wise. Their play will speak for itself. I say let them work their way up.

Cathedral is just, well, Cathedral. Typically a Top Ten program regardless of class every season. 

 

I was told New Pal returns 15 starters. You had them pretty high last year, close to that 5 mark. Doesn't 15 starters warrant a Top 10 finish for this program? Not sure how good my source was. 

I went with the 25 you gave me.

You did.  I was tongue in cheek about North Central, though I do expect them to be massively better (can’t be worse).

[Bobref]

20 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

11.  Carmel

Pretty good schedule. What’s the over/under on regular season wins in the first year of Coach Wright’s return?

[temptation]

6 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Pretty good schedule. What’s the over/under on regular season wins in the first year of Coach Wright’s return?

4.5

[23andCounting]

16 minutes ago, temptation said:

You did.  I was tongue in cheek about North Central, though I do expect them to be massively better (can’t be worse).

I was hesitant, but at the end of the day, I'm not sure there are 25 better teams. Their schedule is utterly brutal. It's like you said, throwing darts right now. All in fun.

[Bobref]

14 minutes ago, temptation said:

4.5

Just for the heck of it, I’ll take the over.

[23andCounting]

9 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Just for the heck of it, I’ll take the over.

Wright's a good coach. Tough call with that schedule. Anyone know how many starters return? Or does it even matter with a guy like Wright and the transfer portal?

[Komets2727]

2 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Wright's a good coach. Tough call with that schedule. Anyone know how many starters return? Or does it even matter with a guy like Wright and the transfer portal?

NIL money makes it all better….

[Flyingangel]

4 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Haven't they been saying that for the past two seasons? New coach, I just don't trust Warren. I get what you're saying talent wise. Their play will speak for itself. I say let them work their way up.

Cathedral is just, well, Cathedral. Typically a Top Ten program regardless of class every season. 

 

I was told New Pal returns 15 starters. You had them pretty high last year, close to that 5 mark. Doesn't 15 starters warrant a Top 10 finish for this program? Not sure how good my source was. 

I went with the 25 you gave me.

Not disagreeing just hearing cathedral lost almost all there jv to another school so they have no “experienced up and comers”

[Footballking16]

4 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Haven't they been saying that for the past two seasons? New coach, I just don't trust Warren. I get what you're saying talent wise. Their play will speak for itself. I say let them work their way up.

They were 10-2 and 6th overall in Sagarin last year. 20 seems oddly low. Think they’re much closer to that than 20.

[23andCounting]

8 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

They were 10-2 and 6th overall in Sagarin last year. 20 seems oddly low. Think they’re much closer to that than 20.

Time will tell, I don't mind being wrong.............no dog in the fight.

[temptation]

17 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Time will tell, I don't mind being wrong.............no dog in the fight.

What do you see in Pike that I don’t?

They did have their moments last year, especially early (beating Zionsville and Fishers) but I’m not sure I’d have them that high, particularly over Warren and LC.

[FridayNightLights]

On 7/7/2025 at 10:32 PM, 23andCounting said:

Insert Carroll instead of Valpo (typo on Temp's part). Otherwise, respected his wish to include all MIC and HCC programs and the others he mentioned. This poll is a combination of last year's results + whether a program has trended up, down, or sideways through the past four seasons. 

1.  Brownsburg

2.  Lawrence North

3.  Westfield

4.  Center Grove

5.  Ben Davis

6.  Crown Point

7.  Hamilton Southeastern

8.  Cathedral

9.  Fishers

10. New Pal

11.  Carmel

12.  Pike

13.  Lawrence Central

14.  Snider

15.  Carroll

16.  Avon

17,  Noblesville

18.  Franklin Central

19.  Chatard

20.  Warren Central

21.  Zionsville

22.  Merrillville

23.  Roncalli

24.  East Central

25.  North Central

 

I'd sneak Decatur Central in on that list. They bring back everyone from a 5A State Championship team. Multiple D1 kids. I would take them over 21-25 and probably a few others listed. 

[RegionFBFan]

Crown Point is to high on this list. Lost  to much from last season. I would have them in the 12-15 range. They play Pike in Week 2 then Merrillville Week 3. I actually would have Merrillville above CP.

[Justasportsfan]

2 hours ago, FridayNightLights said:

I'd sneak Decatur Central in on that list. They bring back everyone from a 5A State Championship team. Multiple D1 kids. I would take them over 21-25 and probably a few others listed. 

Meh, I will finally say something I loathed forever, 5a was down last year, hence Warsaw being their counterpart for that championship. The SF is doing what it was created for. If they are truly a 4a program then I'd say top 25 for sure. 

[Rodney]

17 minutes ago, Justasportsfan said:

Meh, I will finally say something I loathed forever, 5a was down last year, hence Warsaw being their counterpart for that championship. The SF is doing what it was created for. If they are truly a 4a program then I'd say top 25 for sure. 

This guy gets it

 

Just don't say it to much people don't like it when you mention a class has a down year