There was little drama in Alabama’s BCS title game blowout of Notre Dame on Monday night. Without any compelling storylines, it led to a dizzying number of articles about the hotness and sudden Twitter fame of Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron‘s girlfriend in its aftermath.

The anticlimactic finish to the season probably made a bunch of writers eager to look at head to 2013 too, because there’s no shortage of “Way Too Early 2013 Top 25″ stories out there.

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I’m sure this comes to no surprise, but everybody seems in lockstep that Alabama will be the No. 1 team entering next season. as if there was much question about a team that has won back-to-back BCS titles and three in the last four years.

Since these Top 25 poll predictions don’t differ too much from the way the previous season ended — and even when it comes time to actually vote, there’s not too much of a difference — Virginia Tech, which finished a disappointing 7-6 this season, didn’t make the cut in any of the six samples that I found online.

The best the Hokies could do was get into the “Also under consideration” category of several polls. The USA Today and Athlon Sports had them among 15-20 teams next in line for the rankings (the listing is alphabetical). The National Football Post had them 30th.

The last time Virginia Tech didn’t start the season ranked in the Top 25? 2004. The Hokies, coming off an 8-5 season, played No. 1 Southern California to open the year. As everyone remembers, they lost that game (which was closer than expected) but would go on to win the ACC in their first year in the league and go to the Sugar Bowl.

Here’s a look at the way-too-early top 10 from several publications:

Paul Myerberg of USA Today:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Stanford
4. Oregon
5. Florida
6. Florida State
7. Georgia
8. Notre Dame
9. LSU
10. Nebraska

Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com:

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Stanford
4. Ohio State
5. Texas A&M
6. Georgia
7. South Carolina
8. Louisville
9. Clemson
10. Florida

 Dave Miller of the National Football Post:

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. Ohio State
6. Stanford
7. Texas A&M
8. Florida
9. South Carolina
10. Florida State

 Ty Duffy of The Big Lead (Top 20):

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Stanford
4. Ohio State
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU
7. Florida
8. Oklahoma State
9. South Carolina
10. Texas A&M

 Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Texas A&M
5. Georgia
6. Stanford
7. Notre Dame
8. South Carolina
9. Clemson
10. Louisville

NationalChamps.net:

1. Alabama
2. Stanford
3. Oregon
4. Georgia
5. Texas A&M
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Louisville
9. South Carolina
10. Florida

Any thoughts on the subject? Who’s overrated? Who’s underrated? Post them in the comments section.

The Hokies’ 37-0 win against Bowling Green was enough for them to sneak back into the USA Today coaches poll at No. 25.

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Virginia Tech, which dropped from 13th to unranked in both polls last week after losing to Pittsburgh, was the last team in the poll this week by the coaches, in a tie with Rutgers. The Hokies’ climb was helped by Michigan, UCLA and Arizona dropping out after losses.

Tech remained unranked in the Associated Press poll but got enough votes to come in 30th. It made only nine of 60 AP ballots, ranked anywhere from 21st to 25th.

The Hokies play Cincinnati next Saturday at FedEx Field at 3:30 p.m. The Bearcats are unranked but received votes in both polls.

Here a look at the AP poll:

• 1. Alabama (59), 4-0, 1499 points, LW: 1
• 2. Oregon, 4-0, 1414 points, LW: 3
• 3. LSU (1), 4-0, 1346 points, LW:
• 4. Florida State, 4-0, 1340 points, LW: 4
• 5. Georgia, 4-0, 1245 points, LW: 5
• 6. South Carolina, 4-0, 1147 points, LW: 7
• 7. Kansas State, 4-0, 1067 points, LW: 15
• 8. Stanford, 3-0, 1055 points, LW: 9
• 9. West Virginia, 3-0, 1045 points, LW: 8
• 10. Notre Dame, 4-0, 1003 points, LW: 11
• 11. Florida, 4-0, 864 points, LW: 14
• 12. Texas, 3-0, 856 points, LW: 12
• 13. USC, 3-1, 801 points, LW: 13
• 14. Ohio State, 4-0, 633 points, LW: 16
• 15. TCU, 3-0, 616 points, LW: 17
• 16. Oklahoma, 2-1, 611 points, LW: 6
• 17. Clemson, 3-1, 588 points, LW: 10
• 18. Oregon State, 2-0, 451 points, LW: NR
• 19. Louisville, 4-0, 414 points, LW: 20
• 20. Michigan State, 3-1, 348 points, LW: 21
• 21. Mississippi State, 4-0, 246 points, LW: 23
• 22. Nebraska, 3-1, 179 points, LW: NR
• 23. Rutgers, 4-0, 128 points, LW: NR
• 24. Boise State, 2-1, 114 points, LW: 24
• 25. Baylor, 3-0, 92 points, LW: NR

Others receiving votes: Northwestern 89, UCLA 79, Michigan 44, Ohio 40, Virginia Tech 26, Arizona 17, Iowa State 16, Wisconsin 13, Oklahoma State 12, Texas A&M 11, Texas Tech 10, Cincinnati 10, Tennessee 10, Arizona State 8, Louisiana Tech 7, Purdue 5, Miami (FL) 1

And here’s the coaches poll:

• 1. Alabama, 4-0, 1,473  points, LW: 1
• 2. Oregon, 4-0, 1,371 points, LW: 3
• 3. LSU, 4-0, 1,361 points, LW: 2
• 4. Florida St., 4-0, 1,306 points, LW: 4
• 5. Georgia, 4-0, 1,224 points, LW: 6
• 6. South Carolina, 4-0, 1,149 points, LW: 8
• 7. West Virginia, 3-0, 1,137 points, LW: 7
• 8. Kansas St., 4-0, 1,000 points, LW: 13
• 9. Stanford, 3-0, 949 points, LW: 11
• 10. Texas, 3-0, 924 points, LW: 10
• 11. Notre Dame, 4-0, 836 points, LW: 15
• 12. Florida, 4-0, 817 points, LW: 14
• 13. USC, 3-1, 813 points, LW: 12
• 14. TCU, 3-0, 705 points, LW: 16
• 15. Oklahoma, 2-1, 699 points, LW: 5
• 16. Clemson, 3-1, 560 points, LW: 9
• 17. Louisville, 4-0, 493 points, LW: 18
• 18. Michigan St., 3-1, 404 points, LW: 20
• 19. Mississippi St., 4-0, 349 points, LW: 23
• 20. Nebraska, 3-1, 327 points, LW: 22
• 21. Oregon St., 2-0, 220 points, LW: NR
• 22. Oklahoma St., 2-1, 154 points, LW: 25
• 23. Wisconsin, 3-1, 102 points, LW: 24
• 24. Baylor, 3-0, 101 points, LW: NR
• 25. Rutgers, 4-0, 98 points, LW: NR
• 25 Virginia Tech, 3-1, 98 points, LW: NR

Others Receiving Votes: Northwestern 96; Boise State 69; Michigan 57; Iowa State 45; Cincinnati 42; UCLA 33; Texas A&M 31; Louisiana Tech 28; Arizona State 22; Texas Tech 17; Arizona 16; Ohio 13; Minnesota 11; Tennessee 6; Western Kentucky 5; Louisiana-Monroe 4; Purdue 4; Miami (Fla.) 2; San Jose State 2; Washington 2.

For the first time since 2010, Virginia Tech isn’t ranked anywhere in the polls.

After losing 35-17 at Pittsburgh, the Hokies fell from No. 13 to unranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls, which were released Sunday. Virginia Tech had been ranked in 28 consecutive polls prior to this week.

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The Hokies are in the “others receiving votes” category of both rankings. They had 13 points in the AP poll, which puts them 33rd, and 71 points in the coaches poll, putting them 26th.

The highest anyone had Virginia Tech in the AP poll was 23rd.

The last time the Hokies weren’t in either poll was Oct. 10, 2010. Tech dropped out in the third week that season after starting 0-2 following losses to Boise State and James Madison. But it worked its way back into the rankings after five straight wins.

Florida State and Clemson are the only two ACC teams ranked in the polls. The Seminoles are No. 4 in both polls. The Tigers are ranked No. 9 by the coaches and No. 10 by the AP. They play in Tallahassee on Saturday night.

Virginia Tech wasn’t overly impressive in a 42-7 win against Austin Peay, but it didn’t lose like some of its Top 25 brethren, and moved up in both polls as a result.

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The Hokies are ranked 13th in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches’ polls. That’s a two-spot bump in the AP and a five-spot jump in the coaches’ poll.

The move was aided by some losses by a couple of top-15 teams. No. 13 Wisconsin lost at Oregon State, and No. 8 Arkansas lost at home to Louisiana-Monroe. Both took major drops in the polls.

Virginia Tech was ranked as high as seventh and as low as 23rd on AP ballots this week.

The Hokies travel to play Pittsburgh next Saturday at noon. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

Here’s the full AP poll:

Team (First-Place Votes), Record, Points, Previous

• 1. Alabama (48), 2-0, 1,486 points, LW: 1
• 2. Southern California (8), 2-0, 1,414 points, LW: 2
• 3. LSU (4), 2-0, 1,404 points, LW: 3
• 4. Oregon, 2-0, 1,299 points, LW: 4
• t5. Florida St., 2-0, 1,160 points, LW: 6
• t5. Oklahoma, 2-0, 1,160 points, LW: 5
• 7. Georgia, 2-0, 1,155 points, LW: 7
• 8. South Carolina, 2-0, 1,025 points, LW: 9
• 9. West Virginia, 1-0, 1,017 points, LW: 9
• 10. Michigan St., 2-0, 995 points, LW: 11
• 11. Clemson, 2-0, 868 points, LW: 12
• 12. Ohio St., 2-0, 772 points, LW: 14
• 13. Virginia Tech, 2-0, 734 points, LW: 15
• 14. Texas, 2-0, 716 points, LW: 17
• 15. Kansas St., 2-0, 714 points, LW: 21
• 16. TCU, 1-0, 542 points, LW: 20
• 17. Michigan, 1-1, 429 points, LW: 19
• 18. Florida, 2-0, 427 points, LW: 24
• 19. Louisville, 2-0, 316 points, LW: 23
• 20. Notre Dame, 2-0, 310 points, LW: 22
• 21. Stanford, 2-0, 260 points, LW: 25
• 22. UCLA, 2-0, 250 points, LW: NR
• 23. Tennessee, 2-0, 177 points, LW: NR
• 24. Arizona, 2-0, 149 points, LW: NR
• 25. BYU, 2-0, 110 points, LW: NR

Others receiving votes: Boise St. 106, Arkansas 79, Nebraska 79, Oregon St. 77, Mississippi St. 70, Baylor 54, Wisconsin 44, Louisiana-Monroe 23, Ohio 17, Georgia Tech 15, Oklahoma St. 13, South Florida 12, Arizona St. 10, Iowa St. 5, Northwestern 5, North Carolina 1, Utah St. 1.

And here’s the full coaches poll:

Team (First-Place Votes), Record, Points, Previous

• 1. Alabama (42), 2-0, 1,455 points, LW: 1
• 2. LSU (5), 2-0, 1,380 points, LW: 3
• 3. Southern California (11), 2-0, 1,363 points, LW: 2
• 4. Oregon (1), 2-0, 1,292 points, LW: 4
• 5. Oklahoma, 2-0, 1,203 points, LW: 5
• 6. Florida State, 2-0, 1,153 points, LW: 6
• 7. Georgia, 2-0, 1,120 points, LW: 7
• 8. West Virginia, 1-0, 1,024 points, LW: 8
• 9. South Carolina, 2-0, 1,008 points, LW: 9
• 10. Michigan State, 2-0, 950 points, LW: 11
• 11. Clemson, 2-0, 904 points, LW: 12
• 12. Texas, 2-0, 730 points, LW: 15
• 13. Virginia Tech, 2-0, 704 points, LW: 18
• 14. Kansas State, 2-0, 696 points, LW: 20
• 15. TCU, 1-0, 649 points, LW: 17
• 16. Stanford, 2-0, 455 points, LW: 21
• 17. Florida, 2-0, 452 points, LW: 23
• 18. Michigan, 1-1, 440 points, LW: 19
• 19. Notre Dame, 2-0, 398 points, LW: 22
• 20. Louisville, 2-0, 280 points, LW: 24
• 21. Arkansas, 1-1, 246 points, LW: 10
• 22. Wisconsin, 1-1, 151 points, LW: 13
• 23. UCLA, 2-0, 147 points, LW: NR
• 24. Nebraska, 1-1, 135 points, LW: 14
• 25. Arizona, 2-0, 120 points, LW: NR

Others receiving votes: Boise State 104; Oklahoma State 97; Mississippi State 88; Tennessee 71; Brigham Young 70; Arizona State 58; Baylor 57; Cincinnati 29; Oregon State 28; Georgia Tech 24; South Florida 21; Louisiana Tech 13; Rutgers 12; Virginia 11; Iowa State 10; Northwestern 9; Wake Forest 6; Mississippi 3; Ohio 2; Texas Tech 2; Washington 2; Louisiana-Monroe 1; Nevada 1; Texas A&M 1.

Virginia Tech’s Monday night overtime win against Georgia Tech was enough for it to creep up a little bit in both polls.

The Hokes moved up one spot to 15th in the Associated Press poll and two spots to 18th in the USA Today coaches poll. Both were released Tuesday afternoon.

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The Hokies are ranked between Ohio State and Nebraska in the AP poll, moving up after Michigan dropped from eighth to 19th following its blowout loss in the opener to Alabama. The Crimson Tide are the new No. 1.

The Hokies were ranked as high as seventh on AP ballots this week and as low as 24th.

Virginia Tech jumped Michigan and Stanford in the coaches poll.

Here’s the full AP poll:

• 1. Alabama (45), 1-0, 1,481 points, LW: 2
• 2. USC (11), 1-0, 1,435 points, LW; 1
• 3. LSU (4), 1-0, 1,382 points, LW; 3
• 4. Oregon, 1-0, 1,295 points, LW: 5
• 5. Oklahoma, 1-0, 1,170 points, LW: 4
• 6. Florida State, 1-0, 1,135 points, LW: 7
• 7. Georgia, 1-0, 1,083 points, LW: 6
• 8. Arkansas, 1-0, 992 points, LW: 10
• 9. South Carolina, 1-0, 980 points, LW: 9
• 9.West Virginia, 1-0, 980 points, LW: 11
• 11. Michigan State, 1-0, 915 points, LW: 13
• 12. Clemson, 1-0, 788 points, LW: 14
• 13. Wisconsin, 1-0, 664 points, LW: 12
• 14. Ohio State, 1-0, 634 points, LW: 18
• 15. Virginia Tech, 1-0, 604, LW: 16
• 16. Nebraska, 1-0, 603 points, LW: 17
• 17. Texas, 1-0, 584 points, LW: 15
• 18. Oklahoma State, 1-0, 558 points, LW: 19
• 19. Michigan, 0-1, 446 points, LW: 8
• 20. TCU, 0-0, 355 points, LW: 20
• 21. Kansas State, 1-0, 339 points, LW: 22
• 22. Notre Dame, 1-0, 198 points, LW: NR
• 23. Louisville, 1-0, 190 points, LW: 25
• 24. Florida, 1-0, 145 points, LW: 23
• 25. Stanford, 1-0, 131 points, LW: 21

And the coaches poll:

• 1. Alabama (37), 1-0, 1,447 points, LW: 2
• 2. Southern California (14), 1-0, 1,398 points, LW: 3
• 3. LSU (7), 1-0, 1,375 points, LW: 1
• 4. Oregon (1), 1-0, 1,286 points, LW: 5
• 5. Oklahoma, 1-0, 1,171 points, LW: 4
• 6. Florida State, 1-0, 1,144 points, LW: 7
• 7. Georgia, 1-0, 1,092 points, LW: 6
• 8. West Virginia, 1-0, 1,032 points, LW: 11
• 9. South Carolina, 1-0, 943 points, LW: 9
• 10. Arkansas, 1-0, 929 points, LW: 10
• 11. Michigan State, 1-0, 868 points, LW: 13
• 12. Clemson, 1-0, 826 points, LW: 14
• 13. Wisconsin, 1-0, 719 points, LW: 12
• 14. Nebraska, 1-0, 652 points, LW: 16
• 15. Texas, 1-0, 600 points, LW: 15
• 16. Oklahoma State, 1-0, 595 points, LW: 19
• 17. TCU, 0-0, 479 points, LW: 17
• 18. Virginia Tech, 1-0, 476 points, LW: 20
• 19. Michigan, 0-1, 427 points, LW: 8
• 20. Kansas State, 1-0, 414 points, LW: 21
• 21. Stanford, 1-0, 324 points, LW: 18
• 22. Notre Dame, 1-0, 252 points, LW: 24
• 23. Florida, 1-0, 204 points, LW: 23
• 24. Louisville, 1-0, 109 points, LW: NR
• 25. Boise State, 0-1, 82 points, LW: 22