Alabama is in a familiar spot. Crimson Tide is No. 1 in the preseason Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Alabama is in a familiar spot. Crimson Tide is No. 1 in the preseason Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Alabama is in a familiar spot: Preseason polls are not the instrument to provide a perfect prediction of a team’s success. They are expected to be viewed as general perceptions of the state of programs. These perceptions tend to change as the actual college football season unfolds. But the first rankings’ arrival always helps fuel the anticipation for the upcoming games.

It is in that spirit of anticipation that the preseason Sports AFCA coaches poll is presented. It should not be an element of surprise that some familiar names will be at the top entering the 2022 season.

Alabama is set to open as the No. 1 team. The Crimson Tide received 54 votes of 66 first-place votes. They will enter the season bagging the top rank for the seventh time in 13 years. That is not very welcoming news for Bama fans. The Crimson Tide has been the national champs only once in the six seasons when they began with No. 1.

Ohio State will be at No. 2 ranking. The Buckeyes received a total of five first-place votes. They have ranked just ahead of defending champion Georgia. The Bulldogs received six No. 1 votes following their long-awaited national title. The Bulldogs will start off this year as third. Clemson and Notre Dame land in the top five. The Tigers hope to retrieve after a 10-3 record last season. They earned their lowest ranking in the preseason poll since 2017.

Preseason Results

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	1st	Prev	Chg	Hi/Lo
1	Alabama	0-0	1634	54	NR	—	1/1
2	Ohio State	0-0	1564	5	NR	—	2/2
3	Georgia	0-0	1542	6	NR	—	3/3
4	Clemson	0-0	1356	0	NR	—	4/4
5	Notre Dame	0-0	1284	0	NR	—	5/5
6	Michigan	0-0	1232	0	NR	—	6/6
7	Texas A&M	0-0	1219	0	NR	—	7/7
8	Utah	0-0	1134	0	NR	—	8/8
9	Oklahoma	0-0	1027	0	NR	—	9/9
10	Baylor	0-0	891	0	NR	—	10/10
11	Oklahoma State	0-0	859	0	NR	—	11/11
12	Oregon	0-0	734	0	NR	—	12/12
13	NC State	0-0	726	0	NR	—	13/13
14	Michigan State	0-0	711	0	NR	—	14/14
15	Southern California	0-0	602	0	NR	—	15/15
16	Pittsburgh	0-0	450	0	NR	—	16/16
17	Miami	0-0	433	0	NR	—	17/17
18	Texas	0-0	383	1	NR	—	18/18
19	Wake Forest	0-0	381	0	NR	—	19/19
20	Wisconsin	0-0	369	0	NR	—	20/20
21	Kentucky	0-0	353	0	NR	—	21/21
22	Cincinnati	0-0	339	0	NR	—	22/22
23	Arkansas	0-0	334	0	NR	—	23/23
24	Mississippi	0-0	327	0	NR	—	24/24
25	Houston	0-0	257	0	NR	—	25/25

Other Receiving Votes

Iowa – 248

Penn State – 246

Tennessee – 163

Brigham Young – 152

Louisiana State – 143

Auburn – 98

Central Florida – 55

North Carolina – 34

San Diego State – 25

Fresno State – 21

Mississippi State – 19

Florida – 17

Utah State – 12

Air Force – 12

UCLA – 10

Boise State – 10

Appalachian State – 10

Minnesota – 6

South Carolina – 5

Kansas State – 4

Iowa State – 3

Army – 3

UL Lafayette – 2

Southern Methodist – 2

Purdue – 2

Oregon State – 2

Coastal Carolina – 2

Texas-San Antonio – 1

Louisville – 1

Florida State – 1