The two-time defending BCS football champion Alabama Crimson Tide unsurprisingly enter the new season as the kings of college football after landing the no.1 spot on the Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday.
The message the poll sent was loud and clear-- experts say the Crimson Tide are the team to beat heading into the upcoming college football season as the Nick Saban-coached football program garnered 58 out of a possible 62 first-place votes (1,545 points).
After serving a postseason ban last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes are ready to make some noise this year with an enormously talented roster and a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Braxton Miller. The Buckeyes, who collected three first place votes and 1,427 points to take the no.2 spot in the poll, are expected to improve even farther in their second season under head coach Urban Meyer.
The Oregon Ducks remain a BCS title contender despite the departure of Chip Kelly, who now assumed the head coaching duties for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Ducks received 1,397 points for the no.3 position in the poll.
Stanford (1,262 points), University of Georgia (1,250 points), Texas A&M (1,215), South Carolina (1,136 points), Clemson (1,047 points), Louisville (1,010 points), and Florida (930 points) rounded out the top 10 of the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
On the other hand, the Oklahoma Sooners (16th) found themselves out of the Preseason Top 10 for the first time since 2000 and were even outranked by intra-state rivals the Oklahoma State Cowboys (14th). The LSU Tigers did not make the Top 5 for the first time since 2010 and the USC Trojans are out of the magic five for the first time since 2004 (not included the 2011 and 2010 ban).
The Coaches' Poll, consists of 62 FBS head coaches or athletic department employees, is considered an integral part in determining the teams participating in the BCS Championship game.
Here is the complete list of Top-25 football programs courtesy of USA Today
| RANK | TEAM | 2012 RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (58) | 13-1 | 1545 | 1 | |
| 2 | Ohio St. (3) | 12-0 | 1427 | NR | |
| 3 | Oregon | 12-1 | 1397 | 2 | |
| 4 | Stanford | 12-2 | 1262 | 6 | |
| 5 | Georgia | 12-2 | 1250 | 4 | |
| 6 | Texas A&M (1) | 11-2 | 1215 | 5 | |
| 7 | South Carolina | 11-2 | 1136 | 7 | |
| 8 | Clemson | 11-2 | 1047 | 9 | |
| 9 | Louisville | 11-2 | 1010 | 13 | |
| 10 | Florida | 11-2 | 930 | 10 | |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 12-1 | 872 | 3 | |
| 12 | Florida St. | 12-2 | 844 | 8 | |
| 13 | LSU | 10-3 | 797 | 12 | |
| 14 | Oklahoma St. | 8-5 | 726 | NR | |
| 15 | Texas | 9-4 | 622 | 18 | |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 10-3 | 620 | 15 | |
| 17 | Michigan | 8-5 | 589 | NR | |
| 18 | Nebraska | 10-4 | 426 | 23 | |
| 19 | Boise St. | 11-2 | 420 | 14 | |
| 20 | TCU | 7-6 | 400 | NR | |
| 21 | UCLA | 9-5 | 202 | NR | |
| 22 | Northwestern | 10-3 | 186 | 16 | |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 8-6 | 172 | NR | |
| 24 | USC | 7-6 | 165 | NR | |
| 25 | Oregon St. | 9-4 | 135 | 19 | |
| Schools Dropped Out | |||||
| No. 11 Kansas State (11-2), No. 17 Utah State (11-2), No. 20 Vanderbilt (9-4), No. 21 San Jose State (11-2), No. 22 Cincinnati (10-3), No. 24 Northern Illinois (12-2), No. 25 Tulsa (11-3). | |||||
| Others Receiving Votes | |||||
| Kansas State (11-2) 113; Miami (Fla.) 101; Michigan State 89; Baylor 80; Virginia Tech 65; Fresno State 62; Arizona State 51; Mississippi 32; Vanderbilt (9-4) 29; Utah State (11-2) 23; Brigham Young 20; North Carolina 19; Northern Illinois (12-2) 19; Tulsa (11-3) 9; Ohio 8; San Jose State (11-2) 8; Arizona 5; Cincinnati (10-3) 3; East Carolina 3; Kent State 3; Mississippi State 3; Washington 3; Central Florida 2; Arkansas 1; Arkansas State 1; Rutgers 1; Tennessee 1; Toledo 1. | |||||