The Cardinal, who open the season September 2 at home against Kansas State, were the highest-ranked Pac-12 team in the AP poll, followed by No. 14 Washington, No. 16 UCLA, No. 20 USC and No. 24 Oregon. The Vols were in the top 10 of the AP poll on October 29, 2006, when the Vols, led by Erik Ainge and Jerod Mayo, were 7-1 and No. 8 entering Week 10. In the first 21 preseason polls, Ole Miss was ranked 12 times. In fact, they finished 26th in terms of votes received. LSU was ranked third overall in 2012. Tennessee received votes spread from No. 2 to No. 23.
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The AP has UCLA at No. 16 and Louisville at No. 19. Arkansas came in 35 in the overall vote and was named on seven of the 61 ballots with a high rank of 22. Interestingly, Alabama hasn’t finish No. 1 under Saban when it started No. 1. The Crimson Tide previously held the No. 1 spot in the preseason polls of 1966, 1978, 2010 and 2013.
Notre Dame kicked starting safety Max Redfield off the team and suspended reserve cornerback Devin Butler indefinitely after they were arrested in separate incidents and said four others arrested with Redfield face internal discipline. No surprise there. Alabama was also ranked at No. 1 in the first Amway Coaches Poll earlier this month. In fact, no team since USC in 2004 has started the season No. 1 in the polls and gone on to win the national championship.
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For the first time since October 29, 2006, the Vols are in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll.
Clemson, which lost the College Football Playoff championship game to Alabama in January, is ranked second. The AP poll being released means it’s just around the corner! But after No. 4 Florida State, everything is flip-flopped. Alabama tops both polls. This is the eighth consecutive season in which Alabama has begun the season as one of the AP’s five best teams in the country. Miami and Washington were the previous teams. If Clemson’s only loss of the season is by three points to an undefeated FSU team in Tallahassee, there’s no question that the Tigers would at least be considered for a semifinal. No. 4 Florida State had five first-place votes.
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No. 9 Tennessee is making its highest debut in the poll since 2005, No. 10 Notre Dame since 2006 and No. 14 Washington since 2002.
