Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the college football season’s first edition of the AP Top 25, the sport’s longest-running human poll. Clemson, Oklahoma, Florida State and LSU round out the top five. The full list:
Preseason college football rankings: Alabama starts at No. 1 in AP Poll
Not surprisingly, the Crimson Tide are still media voters’ top team.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0-0 | 1469 | 33 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson Tigers | 0-0 | 1443 | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 1352 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Florida State Seminoles | 0-0 | 1325 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | LSU Tigers | 0-0 | 1269 | 1 | 16 |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 1224 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 1147 | 1 | 12 |
| 8 | Stanford Cardinal | 0-0 | 1029 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0-0 | 1021 | 0 | 22 |
| 10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0-0 | 1006 | 1 | 11 |
| 11 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0-0 | 718 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 710 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0-0 | 707 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Washington Huskies | 0-0 | 651 | 0 | NR |
| 15 | Houston Cougars | 0-0 | 644 | 0 | 8 |
| 16 | UCLA Bruins | 0-0 | 496 | 0 | NR |
| 17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0-0 | 484 | 0 | 9 |
| 18 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0-0 | 448 | 0 | NR |
| 19 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 447 | 0 | NR |
| 20 | USC Trojans | 0-0 | 344 | 0 | NR |
| 21 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0-0 | 316 | 0 | 20 |
| 22 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0-0 | 283 | 0 | 15 |
| 23 | Baylor Bears | 0-0 | 280 | 0 | 13 |
| 24 | Oregon Ducks | 0-0 | 218 | 0 | 19 |
| 25 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 180 | 0 | 25 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Miami 159, Texas A&M 81, Utah 74, Washington St. 68, Boise St. 49, San Diego St. 46, Wisconsin 42, Auburn 22, Pittsburgh 15, Arkansas 14, Texas 12, Nebraska 11, Navy 8, Northwestern 5, W. Kentucky 4, South Florida 2, Toledo 2. | |||||
That Alabama is the AP Poll’s top team isn’t any great surprise. The Crimson Tide return lots of key contributors from last year’s national champion, and their depth gets a boost from this year’s top-rated recruiting class. They’re the favorites to win the whole thing again this season, at least until somebody demonstrates they shouldn’t be.
The usual suspects round out much of the top 25. It’s worth reading preseason polls with a healthy bit of skepticism, because nobody’s seen anybody play any games yet. But the AP Poll is, at least, a good benchmark of where the conventional wisdom stands heading into a new season.
Why Alabama's No. 1
Why Alabama's No. 1
Earlier this summer, the AP unveiled a project to rank the best teams in the history of its rankings. The organization’s formula settled on Ohio State as the best team in the AP Poll era, which dates back to 1936. Oklahoma followed at No. 2, then Notre Dame, Alabama and USC afterward.
The Coaches Poll, which surveys opinions from inside programs, also has Alabama ranked first. Clemson, Oklahoma, Florida State and Ohio State follow the Tide in the top five of that preseason ranking.
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