Did you know? 5 tidbits from the inaugural AP Poll
In case you missed it - you probably didn't - the first AP Poll of the year is out.
To nobody's surprise, Alabama claimed top spot, while Clemson landed right behind at No. 2. For some far less obvious facts, here are a handful of fascinating tidbits from the poll:
Alabama
It's the ninth straight season that No. 1 Alabama has reached the top spot in the AP Poll at least once, an all-time record. The previous record was held by Miami, which had a seven-year streak from 1986-92. On another note, Alabama will attempt to become the first team since USC in 2004 to both start and end the season with the precious No. 1 tick beside its name.
Oklahoma
No. 3 Oklahoma will enter the season with a top-four ranking for the fifth time in the last eight years, but recent, similar experiences haven't served the Sooners so well. In the four previous years it entered with a top-four ranking, Bob Stoops' crew ended the season unranked twice, and finished 15th and 16th the other two times.
Stanford
No. 9 Stanford is the only school ranked in the top 10 that didn't appear on every AP ballot. The Cardinal - the defending Pac-12 champs, the reigning Rose Bowl champs, and the team with the most productive player in college football in Christian McCaffrey - was left off someone's ballot completely. Fellow top-10 teams Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, and Notre Dame were each listed on each and every ballot.
Texas
The Longhorns were left out of the top 25 for the third straight year, meaning coach Charlie Strong hasn't entered any season with a ranked team since arriving at Texas. While they were omitted, in-state rivals TCU, Houston, and Baylor all found spots on the poll. Hey, at least Texas A&M is unranked, too, right?
Florida State/Ole Miss
No. 4 Florida State and No. 11 Ole Miss open the season against one another, making it the highest-ranked matchup of the first week. The only other opening tilt involving a pair of ranked programs comes in the form of No. 3 Oklahoma versus No. 15 Houston.