The annual AP preseason poll has arrived, and it has a familiar name at the top. Reigning champion Ohio State was literally everyone’s choice as No. 1, which might be bad news for the Buckeyes. No preseason No. 1 has finished the season at the top of the polls for over a decade. Can these Buckeyes buck that trend this year?
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, let’s run through the first AP poll of the season and take a closer look at some notable teams from the Top 25 heading into the much-awaited Week 1. Speaking of Week 1, check out our previews for two of the biggest matchups of the week: Louisville vs. Auburn and Wisconsin vs. Alabama.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]The AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
[sc:NCAA240banner ]All aboard the Ohio State hype train. The Buckeyes, who won the first ever College Football Playoff, made another piece of history as they became the first team in AP Poll history to debut as the unanimous No. 1.
They will be without four starters – including defensive stud Joey Bosa – for their Week 1 rematch against Virginia Tech, but it’ll be quite a shock if the undisputed No. 1 falls to the Hokies again.
Not only are the Buckeyes +175 to repeat this season, they’re also +300 to go undefeated en route to successfully defending their crown.
2. TCU Horned Frogs
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama dropped to No. 3 in the AP preseason poll, its lowest ranking since 2009. The Tide, whose +650 odds to win the national championship are also third behind Ohio State and TCU, will have to replace some key starters on offense this season. But based on how highly-touted freshmen QB Blake Barnett and WR Calvin Ridley have been performing in practice, the Tide could be in good hands in the present as well as the future.
4. Baylor Bears
5. Michigan State Spartans
6. Auburn Tigers
7. Oregon Ducks
Finally, Vernon Adams has passed his math class and is now in the process of getting familiar with all things Oregon. Adams will still have to wrest the starting quarterback job away from Jeff Lockie, though. The two are currently locked in a fierce quarterback battle as the Ducks, who are +250 to win the Pac-12 again, prepare for their opening showdown with Adams’ old team, Eastern Washington.
8. USC Trojans
9. Georgia Bulldogs
10. Florida State Seminoles
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Expectations will be sky-high for 11th-ranked Notre Dame, who received their highest preseason ranking in Brian Kelly’s tenure in South Bend. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Malik Zaire will be under a lot of pressure to deliver a national title, which the Irish are priced at +2,000 to do. He’ll get his first big test in Week 1 with a primetime matchup against Texas.
12. Clemson Tigers
13. UCLA Bruins
14. LSU Tigers
15. Arizona State Sun Devils
After consecutive 10-win seasons, Todd Graham’s Arizona State finds itself up to No. 15 in the preseason poll, its highest ranking since 2008. Senior D.J. Foster returns, along with 12 starters from last year to make it three double-digit win seasons in a row. The Sun Devils will be tested right off the bat, though, as they face Texas A&M in Week 1 on a neutral field.
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
17. Ole Miss Rebels
18. Arkansas Razorbacks
19. Oklahoma Sooners
Expectations haven’t been this low heading into a Sooners season since Bob Stoops’ second year in Norman way back in 2000. Oklahoma is ranked way down in No. 19, 15 spots below the other Big 12 team in the polls (Baylor).
The Sooners, who are +3,500 to win the national championship this year, will be running new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense. But it remains to be seen if they have a quarterback in the roster that can actually run it competently.
20. Wisconsin Badgers
21. Stanford Cardinal
22. Arizona Wildcats
23. Boise State Broncos
24. Missouri Tigers
25. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee finds itself ranked in the preseason AP Poll for the first time since 2009. But if the Vols can live up to their preseason hype, they’ll be ranked much higher than No. 25 in the coming months. The Vols return a host of starters from last season’s promising bunch which went 7-6, and add a couple of very talented linemen on defense.
However, junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs and the offense will have to take a major step up from last season’s middling production to meet those lofty expectations.
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