Clemson is No. 1 in the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll for the first time, followed by Alabama at No. 2.
The defending champion Tigers received 59 of a possible 65 first-place votes and the Crimson Tide got the rest in the poll released Thursday. The Associated Press preseason Top 25 will be released Aug. 19.
Clemson beat Alabama 44-16 in the College Football Playoff championship game in January. It was the fourth straight year the Tigers and Tide met in the playoff and third time they played for the national championship. Clemson and Alabama have alternated winning the last four championships.
Georgia was No. 3 in the coaches’ poll, followed by Oklahoma and Ohio State. No. 6 LSU and No. 8 Florida gave the Southeastern Conference four top-10 teams.
Coaches preseason poll
| Team | Record | Points | Pvs. |
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| 1. Clemson (59) | 0-0 | 1,619 | – |
| 2. Alabama (6) | 0-0 | 1,566 | – |
| 3. Georgia | 0-0 | 1,447 | – |
| 4. Oklahoma | 0-0 | 1,415 | – |
| 5. Ohio State | 0-0 | 1,368 | – |
| 6. LSU | 0-0 | 1,218 | – |
| 7. Michigan | 0-0 | 1,155 | – |
| 8. Florida | 0-0 | 1,103 | – |
| 9. Notre Dame | 0-0 | 1,100 | – |
| 10. Texas | 0-0 | 1,038 | – |
| 11. Texas A&M | 0-0 | 893 | – |
| 12. Washington | 0-0 | 834 | – |
| 13. Oregon | 0-0 | 787 | – |
| 14. Penn State | 0-0 | 699 | – |
| 15. Utah | 0-0 | 642 | – |
| 16. Auburn | 0-0 | 606 | – |
| 17T. Wisconsin | 0-0 | 436 | – |
| 17T. Central Florida | 0-0 | 436 | – |
| 19. Iowa | 0-0 | 343 | – |
| 20. Michigan State | 0-0 | 313 | – |
| 21. Washington State | 0-0 | 274 | – |
| 22. Syracuse | 0-0 | 227 | – |
| 23. Stanford | 0-0 | 200 | – |
| 24. Iowa State | 0-0 | 169 | – |
| 25. Northwestern | 0-0 | 161 | – |
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| Others receiving votes: Nebraska 152; Boise State 118; Mississippi State 111; Miami 94; Army 91; Kentucky 79; Virginia Tech 64; Texas Christian 63; Southern California 47; Utah State 32; Fresno State 32; Virginia 30; Cincinnati 25; West Virginia 24; Memphis 24; Oklahoma State 20; South Carolina 15; NC State 12; Duke 10; Boston College 5; Florida State 4; Baylor 4; Appalachian State 4; North Texas 3; Houston 3; UCLA 2; Temple 2; Arizona State 2; Troy 1; Tennessee 1; Mississippi 1; Minnesota 1. | |||
