National runner-up and defending SEC Champion Alabama dominated the preseason poll with 42 of 52 first place votes. This is Alabama’s 59th appearance as the No. 1 team in this poll since 2014. The Crimson Tide leads all schools for appearances at No. 1 and is the only team to appear in each of the 105 weekly rankings since 2014.
Ohio State was second in the poll voting with six first place votes and 56 points behind Alabama with defending national champion Georgia at No. 3 with four first place votes, respectively.
No. 4 Clemson is in the poll for the first time since September 19, 2021, followed by Michigan, Notre Dame, Utah, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Baylor. Seven of the top 10 teams appeared in New Year’s Six bowl games last season. NC State is No. 14 and in the poll for the first time since October 15, 2018.
In the 2022 preseason poll, the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC had three teams each, Independents-one. All Power-Five conferences had equal representation for the first time in the history of the poll which started in 2014.
The eventual national champion has been ranked in the top six of the preseason poll six times since 2015. Alabama in 2017 is the only national champion to start the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll.
SCHEDULE:
WEEK ZERO
No Super 16 Teams in Action
WEEK 1 (Sept. 1-5)
Thursday, Sept. 1
Central Michigan at No. 11 Oklahoma State
Friday, Sept. 2
Western Michigan at No. 15 Michigan State
Saturday, Sept. 3
Utah State at No. 1 Alabama
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State
No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 3 Georgia (Atlanta)
Colorado State at No. 5 Michigan
No. 7 Utah at Florida
Sam Houston at No. 8 Texas A&M
UTEP at No. 9 Oklahoma
Albany at No. 10 Baylor
Rice at No. 13 USC
No. 14 NC State at East Carolina
Bethune-Cookman at No. 16 Miami (Fla.)
Monday, Sept. 5
No. 4 Clemson at Georgia Tech
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