Following an 8-5 season, the Michigan football program wound up 14th Thursday in the first release of the Amway Coaches Preseason Poll.
Alabama topped the rankings, which was no surprise. The defending national champs are loaded again. The Crimson Tide was followed by Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma. The Big Ten put three teams in the top 10 and five of the top 14. Michigan football also has five opponents ranked in the top 12.
Those teams are Ohio State (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 7), Penn State (No. 9), Notre Dame (No.