For the first time in program history, the Clemson Tigers are kicking off a new college football season at the top of the AP College Football Poll presented by Regions Bank after winning their second College Football Playoff National Championship title in three years.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, coming off a 44-16 loss to Clemson, is No. 2. Clemson received 52 first-place votes and Alabama received the other 10 from the media. Clemson snaps a record-tying string of three straight years in which Alabama was preseason No. 1.
The Georgia Bulldogs are No. 3, followed by the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Other Southeastern Conference schools in the Top 25 are LSU at No. 6. The Bayou Bengals return quarterback Joe Burrow and will feature a stable of running backs including true freshmen John Emery and Tyrion Price-Davis, and junior tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
The Florida Gators are No. 8 in the inaugural poll and will face off against the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday in Orlando.
The Texas A&M Aggies are No. 12 in the first poll of the season. The Aggies have one of the toughest schedules in college football because they will play the defending National Champion Clemson Tigers in Death Valley in Week Two. Texas A&M’s hopes rest squarely on the arm of third year starter Kellen Mond.
No. 16 Auburn faces No. 11 Oregon at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. It is the only Week 1 game with two ranked teams. The first regular-season Top 25 will be released Sept. 3, the Tuesday after Labor Day. The complete poll is listed below. Each poll will be released on Sundays during the regular season.
AP Preseason Top 25
| RANK | TEAM | PREV | CONFERENCE | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 1 | ACC | 1,540 |
| 2 | Alabama | 2 | SEC | 1,496 |
| 3 | Georgia | 7 | SEC | 1,403 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 4 | Big 12 | 1,331 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 3 | Big Ten | 1,261 |
| 6 | LSU | 6 | SEC | 1,199 |
| 7 | Michigan | 14 | Big Ten | 1,164 |
| 8 | Florida | 7 | SEC | 1,054 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 5 | IA Independents | 1,044 |
| 10 | Texas | 9 | Big 12 | 1,005 |
| 11 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 860 | |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 16 | SEC | 852 |
| 13 | Washington | 13 | Pac-12 | 786 |
| 14 | Utah | Pac-12 | 772 | |
| 15 | Penn State | 17 | Big Ten | 651 |
| 16 | Auburn | SEC | 578 | |
| 17 | UCF | 11 | American Athletic | 410 |
| 18 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 377 | |
| 19 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 370 | |
| 20 | Iowa | 25 | Big Ten | 330 |
| 21 | Iowa State | Big 12 | 302 | |
| 22 | Syracuse | 15 | ACC | 209 |
| 23 | Washington State | 10 | Pac-12 | 200 |
| 24 | Nebraska | Big Ten | 154 | |
| 25 | Stanford | Pac-12 | 141 |
Others receiving votes: Missouri 117, Army 94, Mississippi State 87, Miami (FL) 70, Northwestern 63, TCU 57, Virginia 44, Boise State 38, Cincinnati 16, South Carolina 15, Virginia Tech 12, Fresno State 8, Utah State 8, Minnesota 7, Memphis 6, Appalachian State 5, West Virginia 3, Oklahoma State 3, Arizona State 3, Arizona 1, USC 1
