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College football returns this weekend, and the season’s first AP Poll was released Monday with the Alabama Crimson Tide unsurprisingly taking the top spot. Bama enters the season as the reigning national champs, and are one of five SEC squads that made the top 25. The Clemson Tigers take the second spot, followed by the national runner-up Georgia Bulldogs. Clemson received 18 of the 60 possible first place votes, with the Crimson Tide receiving the other 42.
The Big Ten has five squads to equal the SEC’s total, followed by the ACC with four teams (plus “independent” Notre Dame), and the Pac-12 with four of their own. UCF, the actual national champions, come in at No. 21.
Clemson lead the ACC at No. 2, followed by Miami (No. 8), Florida State (No. 19), and Virginia Tech (No. 20). This season, Virginia is scheduled to face just the Hurricanes (October 13 in Charlottesville) and Virginia Tech (November 23 in Blacksburg). NC State, which the Hoos are playing in Raleigh on September 29th, also received votes.
Here’s the full top 25:
AP Top 25 - Preseason
| Rank | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Conference |
| 1 | Alabama | SEC |
| 2 | Clemson | ACC |
| 3 | Georgia | SEC |
| 4 | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 5 | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 6 | Washington | Pac-12 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 8 | Miami | ACC |
| 9 | Auburn | SEC |
| 10 | Penn State | Big Ten |
| 11 | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 12 | Notre Dame | Independent |
| 13 | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| 14 | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 15 | USC | Pac-12 |
| 16 | TCU | Big 12 |
| 17 | WVU | Big 12 |
| 18 | Miss. State | SEC |
| 19 | Florida State | ACC |
| 20 | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 21 | UCF | American |
| 22 | Boise State | Mountain West |
| 23 | Texas | Big 12 |
| 24 | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 25 | LSU | SEC |