My AP Top 25 ballot: Six SEC teams make my preseason rankings, including Kentucky

The Associated Press college football preseason poll was released Monday.

As an AP voter, I put Alabama at the top of my list because, well, it’s Alabama. And according to none other than Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide’s runner-up finish last season was the result of a “rebuilding year.”

Closer to home, I placed Kentucky at No. 17 on my preseason list, three spots ahead of where UK landed in the voting. I had the Cats as one of six SEC teams included in my rankings along with Alabama (1), Georgia (3), Texas A&M (6), Tennessee (19) and Arkansas (21).

Here’s my ballot:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Michigan
6. Texas A&M
7. Notre Dame
8. Utah
9. Miami
10. Oregon
11. Oklahoma State
12. North Carolina State
13. Texas
14. Michigan State
15. Southern Cal
16. Oklahoma
17. Kentucky
18. Penn State
19. Tennessee
20. Pittsburgh
21. Arkansas
22. Baylor
23. Wake Forest
24. Cincinnati
25. Wisconsin

This story was originally published August 15, 2022 at 1:30 PM.

John Clay

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-472-4218

John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky, he covered UK football from 1987 until being named sports columnist in 2000. He has covered 20 Final Fours and 42 consecutive Kentucky Derbys. Support my work with a digital subscription