When the first Associated Press Top 25 football poll was revealed Monday, it was probably no surprise that Alabama took the top spot. The Crimson Tide are the defending national champions but they weren’t No. 1 on my AP ballot.
That honor went to Clemson, which wound up third in the preseason rankings, behind Oklahoma. Both teams finished with six first-place votes while Alabama managed an overwhelming 47 first-place nods. Ohio State, which was fourth, received one while No. 5 Georgia finished with three votes.
Clemson was the preseason No 1 in each of the past two seasons, finishing as the runner-up to LSU in the 2019 national championship game and third in 2020 after a 49-28 loss to Ohio State.