August is almost over, and the air has that new-season smell to it. And with a new season coming, we need new rankings to argue about. In fact, before we even get to the actual teams in the rankings, the argument about preseason rankings is existential: Do we even need the standings in August at all?
College football rankings 2017: Alabama’s preseason No. 1 in the AP and across the board
The AP Poll has since been added to this chart, meaning we’re one step closer to the season.
Whichever side you fall on in that debate, the preseason rankings are indeed here, now that the AP Poll has officially joined the mix. It will likely come as no surprise that Alabama is dominantly No. 1 across the board.
Beyond the Tide are usual suspects like Florida State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Penn State in various orders. The AP Poll has FSU No. 3, making Bama-FSU the biggest opening game in sport history. That’s largely because they’re the most known quantities in what is a very uncertain sport. Go with what you know, and bluebloods who contended for Playoff spots last season are as good a bet as any.
College football preseason rankings 2017
Rank | AP Poll | Coaches | S&P+ | Sagarin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama |
| 2 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Florida State | Ohio State |
| 3 | Florida State | Florida State | Ohio State | Florida State |
| 4 | USC | USC | LSU | Oklahoma |
| 5 | Clemson | Clemson | Oklahoma | Auburn |
| 6 | Penn State | Penn State | Clemson | Clemson |
| 7 | Oklahoma | Washington | USC | LSU |
| 8 | Washington | Oklahoma | Auburn | Washington |
| 9 | Wisconsin | Michigan | Penn State | Wisconsin |
| 10 | Oklahoma State | Wisconsin | Michigan | Penn State |
| 11 | Michigan | Oklahoma State | Wisconsin | Oklahoma State |
| 12 | Auburn | LSU | Stanford | USC |
| 13 | LSU | Auburn | Louisville | Michigan |
| 14 | Stanford | Stanford | Florida | Stanford |
| 15 | Georgia | Georgia | Notre Dame | Miami |
| 16 | Louisville | Florida | Washington | Arkansas |
| 17 | Florida | Louisville | Texas | Notre Dame |
| 18 | Miami | Miami | Miami | Georgia |
| 19 | USF | Kansas State | TCU | Louisville |
| 20 | Kansas State | West Virginia | Oklahoma State | Kansas State |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | South Florida | Georgia | Texas A&M |
| 22 | West Virginia | Virginia Tech | Texas A&M | Virginia Tech |
| 23 | Texas | Texas | Ole Miss | Florida |
| 24 | Washington State | Tennessee | Virginia Tech | Utah |
| 25 | Tennessee | Utah | Tennessee | Northwestern |
The four rankings used here
The Associated Press Top 25: The longest-running and best-respected human poll. Didn’t have any official bearing on the latter years of the BCS and doesn’t have any official bearing on the Playoff. During the season the AP Poll can be expected early afternoon on Sundays during the regular season.
The USA Today Coaches Poll: Formerly part of the BCS and now just a poll. It tends to react more cautiously than the AP’s. Though polling athletic departments to rank other athletic departments is dubious, we still want multiple human polls in here, and this is the other big one. This poll typically rolls in around noon on Sundays during the regular seasons.
Bill Connelly’s S&P+ ratings: SB Nation’s favored advanced stat. An important thing to keep in mind: It will probably look different than the human polls, but that’s because it isn’t a human poll! It’s a measure of efficiency derived from play-by-play and drive data from every FBS game. It’s designed to predict which teams would win upcoming games, not award teams for impressive wins.
The Sagarin rating: A long-running computer ranking, similar to Connelly’s.
The College Football Playoff Top 25? Not yet. The Committee’s rankings, much like its BCS predecessor, won’t be with us until October.
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