ESPN Reveals CFB Preseason Top 25 Poll — Who Ranks No. 1?

Now that we’re less than 30 days away from the start of the college football season, it’s time to take a deep dive into some of these preseason polls. ESPN decided to join the party on Tuesday night, revealing their college football top 25 on its “College Football 2021: The Power Rankings” show.

So, how did things shake out? Well, here are how things break down from a conference perspective:

• SEC – 6 teams
• Big Ten – 5
• Pac-12 – 4
• ACC – 3
• Big 12 – 3
• Group of 5 – 3
• Independent – 1

In some ways, it’s an interesting breakdown. Considering how the Pac-12 has been viewed in recent years, seeing four Pac-12 teams (Oregon, USC, Washington and Arizona State) all sitting in the top 25 looks strange — especially since they have more than both the ACC and the Big 12.

Here is how the rankings look overall. As you probably guessed, the Alabama Crimson Tide once again sit atop the list:

1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Ohio State
6. Texas A&M
7. Iowa State
8. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
10. North Carolina
11. Cincinnati
12. Florida
13. USC
14. LSU
15. Miami
16. Wisconsin
17. Indiana
18. Iowa
19. Washington
20. Penn State
21. Texas
22. Coastal Carolina
23. Louisiana
24. Ole Miss
25. Arizona State

If these rankings hold true, we’ll get two top 15 matchups in the SEC in Week 1. We already knew No. 4 Georgia versus No. 3 Clemson in Charlotte would be a barnburner, and now we might get to see a top-15 Miami team take on No. 1 ranked Alabama in Atlanta.

Outside the SEC, No. 20 Penn State will go on the road to No. 16 Wisconsin, which should establish the early pecking order in the Big Ten.

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Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.