Alabama Football Is Ranked No. 1 in Preseason College Football Poll By Associated Press

The Alabama Crimson Tide, which lost the national championship game last season to Georgia, is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason college football poll released Monday morning with 1,566 votes, including 54 for No. 1 out of a 63 possible votes.

Ohio State was picked second at 1,506 votes with six first place votes. Defending national champion Georgia, which lost much of its 2021 team to the NFL Draft, was picked third with 1,455 votes and three for No. 1.

Clemson was No. 4, followed by Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Utah, Michigan, Oklahoma and Baylor in the top 10.

Oregon was No. 11, followed by Oklahoma State, North Carolina State, USC, Michigan State, Miami, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Kentucky in the second 10.

Ole Miss was No. 21 as the Southeastern Conference finished with six schools ranked in all. Wake Forest was No. 22, followed by Cincinnati, Houston and Brigham Young.

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 19: Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban addresses the media during the SEC Football Kickoff Media Days on July 19, 2022, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, GA.(Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Alabama, which returns much of its 2021 team including Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young and the nation's top defensive player in edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., was also No. 1 in the USA TODAY Coaches' poll that was released last week. The Tide was ranked No. 1 in the 2021 A.P. preseason poll with Georgia at No. 5.

Alabama got the No. 1 preseason A.P. ranking for the seventh time since coach Nick Saban took over before the 2007 season. The Tide was ranked in the top three for the 13th straight time. Alabama last won the national title when ranked No. 1 entering the season in 2017.

At No. 6, Texas A&M received the best preseason ranking after finishing the previous season unranked since Notre Dame was also No. 6 in 1983.

Utah enjoyed its best preseason ranking ever at No. 7.

Kentucky at No. 20 was ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 1978. Take that, John Calipari. North Carolina State at No. 13 is ranked before a season for the first time since 2003.

LSU was not ranked in the A.P. preseason poll for the first time since 2000, but did receive 55 votes. Tennessee led the way in the "others receiving votes" category with 180. Other SEC teams receiving votes were Mississippi State and Auburn with 15, Florida with 14 and South Carolina with two.

Florida and Florida State are not ranked in the same A.P. preseason poll for the first time since 1974 - two years before Bobby Bowden became the Seminoles' coach.