Alabama Starts Atop AP Poll for 2nd Straight Year

Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason college football poll for the second straight season and third time in five years.

The Crimson Tide, coming off a last-second loss in the national championship game that left it No. 2 to Clemson in the final Top 25 of 2016, received 52 from a panel of 61 media members.

Ohio State was No. 2, edging out No. 3 Florida State and preventing the first 1 vs 2 opening game since the AP preseason poll began in 1950. Alabama opens the season against the Seminoles in Atlanta on Sept. 2, just the fourth opener involving top-five teams and the first pitting teams ranked in the top three.

Southern California starts the season at No. 4. Defending national champion Clemson begins the post-Deshaun Watson era at No. 5.

Record	Pts	Prv
1. Alabama (52)	14-1	1513	2
2. Ohio St. (3)	11-2	1414	6
3. Florida St. (4)	10-3	1396	8
4. Southern Cal (2)	10-3	1325	3
5. Clemson	14-1	1201	1
6. Penn St.	11-3	1196	7
7. Oklahoma	11-2	1170	5
8. Washington	12-2	1150	4
9. Wisconsin	11-3	926	9
10. Oklahoma St.	10-3	889	11
11. Michigan	10-3	881	10
12. Auburn	8-5	880	24
13. LSU	8-4	784	13
14. Stanford	10-3	695	12
15. Georgia	8-5	690	-
16. Louisville	9-4	629	21
17. Florida	9-4	624	14
18. Miami	9-4	492	20
19. South Florida	11-2	327	19
20. Kansas St.	9-4	317	-
21. Virginia Tech	10-4	240	16
22. West Virginia	10-3	207	18
23. Texas	5-7	173	-
24. Washington St.	8-5	133	-
25. Tennessee	9-4	114	22

Others receiving votes: TCU 98, Utah 85, Notre Dame 65, Boise St. 37, NC State 26, Northwestern 25, Pittsburgh 23, Oregon 21, Houston 19, Colorado 18, UCLA 9, San Diego St. 9, BYU 5, BYU 4, Nebraska 4, Tulsa 4, Kentucky 3, Texas A&M 3, Michigan St. 1.

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More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org/poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Categories: Alabama, Alabama Football