The AP preseason poll is out. See how many votes Kentucky got.
Alabama, the defending College Football Playoff champion, is the No. 1 college football team in the country, according to the Associated Press preseason Top 25 rankings released Monday.
Alabama received 42 out of a possible 61 first-place votes to place ahead of No. 2 Clemson, which got 18 first-place nods. The Tide lead five Southeastern Conference programs in the rankings (No. 3 Georgia, No. 9 Auburn, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 25 LSU).
The SEC’s five teams in the poll tied for the most along with the Big Ten.
Kentucky received one point in the “others receiving votes,” meaning one voter placed the Cats at No. 25. Louisville, which opens the season against Alabama on Sept. 1 did not receive any votes. Kentucky hosts Georgia and goes to Mississippi State this season. Kentucky also made the “others receiving votes” list of the coaches’ poll released recently.
This is the fifth time in the last 10 years and the third year in a row that Alabama has been the AP’s preseason No. 1 (2010, 2013, 2016, 2017). Alabama has been rated in the top five each year since 2009, and it was that year, when it was No. 5 in the preseason, that it won the first of head coach Nick Saban’s five national titles for the Tide. Last year was the first year Alabama began and ended the season as No. 1 under Saban.
The preseason AP poll started in 1950 and since then only Oklahoma from 1985-87 had started No. 1 in three straight years until now.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Preseason AP Top 25
1. Alabama (42), 1,505
2. Clemson (19), 1,476
3. Georgia, 1,350
4. Wisconsin (1), 1,271
5. Ohio State, 1,256
6. Washington, 1,217
7. Oklahoma, 1,173
8. Miami (Fla.), 1,027
9. Auburn, 1,013
10. Penn State, 1,012
11. Michigan State, 877
12. Notre Dame, 804
13. Stanford, 778
14. Michigan, 773
15. Southern Cal, 543
16. TCU, 533
17. West Virginia, 511
18. Mississippi State, 450
19. Florida State, 384
20. Virginia Tech, 351
21. UCF, 312
22. Boise State, 292
23. Texas, 216
24. Oregon, 148
25. LSU, 106
Others receiving votes: South Carolina 96, Florida 68, Utah 60, Oklahoma State 51, Florida Atlantic 38, Arizona 28, NC State 22, Texas A&M 21, Boston College 18, Northwestern 13, Kansas State 10, Iowa State 8, Houston 6, Memphis 3, Iowa 2, Troy 2, Fresno State 1, Arkansas State 1, Kentucky 1.