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AP Poll releases 2021 college football preseason top 25

By Ethan Lee

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: Head coach Nick Saban and Alex Leatherwood #70 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: Head coach Nick Saban and Alex Leatherwood #70 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
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Unsurprisingly, the Alabama Crimson Tide are on top of the AP Poll’s 2021 college football preseason top 25.

We’ve officially got another 2021 preseason poll and that means another No. 1 ranking for Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide. Just like in the 2021 preseason edition of the USA Today Coaches Poll, Alabama sits on top of these rankings.

And of course, Alabama being ranked No. 1 heading into this season makes a ton of sense. The Crimson Tide continue to be the standard by which every other major college football program is (unfairly) held to. It’s a contributing factor in why successful coaches like Gus Malzahn get fired from places like Auburn.

Looking around the rest of the top five and you’ve got the Oklahoma Sooners chasing Alabama at No. 2. The Sooners are bound to be great this year and should win the Big 12 once again. But that doesn’t mean Kansas State won’t upset them for a third time in as many seasons.

Meanwhile, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers come in at No. 3 while the Ohio State Buckeyes sit at No. 4. The Georgia Bulldogs are No. 5, giving the SEC two teams in the AP Poll’s 2021 preseason top five. The Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC all have one team in the top five.

Check out the full preseason AP Poll top 25:

AP Poll unveils 2021 preseason college football top 25 rankings

  1. Alabama Crimson Tide
  2. Oklahoma Sooners
  3. Clemson Tigers
  4. Ohio State Buckeyes
  5. Georgia Bulldogs
  6. Texas A&M Aggies
  7. Iowa State Cyclones
  8. Cincinnati Bearcats
  9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  10. North Carolina Tar Heels
  11. Oregon Ducks
  12. Wisconsin Badgers
  13. Florida Gators
  14. Miami Hurricanes
  15. USC Trojans
  16. LSU Tigers
  17. Indiana Hoosiers
  18. Iowa Hawkeyes
  19. Penn State Nittany Lions
  20. Washington Huskies
  21. Texas Longhorns
  22. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
  23. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
  24. Utah Utes
  25. Arizona State Sun Devils

Unfortunately for the four college teams KC Kingdom covers, none of them were ranked heading into the 2021 season. Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas State, and Kansas did not make it into the AP Poll.

But, that isn’t really all that surprising for any of those teams. The Huskers, Tigers, Wildcats, and especially the Jayhawks have a lot of work to do when it comes to improving their football programs. Missouri, in theory, is the closest to having a team that could be ranked, but Mizzou still has some improving to do.

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