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The 2021 college football season is just around the corner, and the Associated Press is giving us a look at how the competition stacks up. On Monday, August 16, the preseason AP Top 25 poll was officially announced.
As expected, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide is the No. 1 team in the country with 47 of a possible 63 first-place votes.
The Oklahoma Sooners (6 first-place votes) are the No. 2 team, followed by the Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Georgia Bulldogs to round out the top five.
Clemson has 6 first-place votes, Ohio State received one, and Georgia earned three.
Where does your favorite team stand entering the upcoming season in the eyes of the Associated Press voters?
The preseason AP Top 25 poll can be seen below.
- Alabama (47)
- Oklahoma (6)
- Clemson (6)
- Ohio State (1)
- Georgia (3)
- Texas A&M
- Iowa State
- Cincinnati
- Notre Dame
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Wisconsin
- Florida
- Miami
- USC
- LSU
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Penn State
- Washington
- Texas
- Coastal Carolina
- Louisiana-Lafayette
- Utah
- Arizona State
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2
The Associated Press rankings carry more weight than polls like the Coaches Poll and FWAA Poll, as they are part of the deciding factor on which teams reach the College Football Playoff. The Coaches Poll, which is not part of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s formula to determine the four teams that will compete for the College Football Playoff National Championship, is voted on by 65 FBS head coaches.
Longtime college football writers who vote in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll include Ben Jones, Bill Landis, Brett McMurphy, Brian Howell, Rece Davis, Rob Long, Robert Gagliardi, Steve Layman, Steve Virgen, Tom Murphy, and Tony Parks.
The Associated Press began its college football poll on Oct. 19, 1936, and it is now the longest-running poll of those that award national titles at the end of the season. The preseason poll was started in 1950. A panel of 62 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country votes on the poll weekly.