Preseason AP poll: Florida State claims No. 1 spot, Alabama No. 2, Oregon No. 3
The Florida State Seminoles, fresh off their 2013 national title, remain the team to beat in 2014 as the Associated Press named them the top college football team in the country on their preseason top-25 poll released Sunday afternoon.
Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide claimed the No. 2 spot on the poll, while the Oregon Ducks came in at No. 3, followed by the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners.
Here's the full poll:
| Rank | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida State | ACC |
| 2 | Alabama | SEC |
| 3 | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 5 | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 6 | Auburn | SEC |
| 7 | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| 8 | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 9 | South Carolina | SEC |
| 10 | Baylor | Big 12 |
| 11 | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| 12 | Georgia | SEC |
| 13 | LSU | SEC |
| 14 | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 15 | USC | Pac-12 |
| 16 | Clemson | ACC |
| 17 | Notre Dame | Div I FBS Independents |
| 18 | Ole Miss | SEC |
| 19 | Arizona State | Pac-12 |
| 20 | Kansas State | Big 12 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | SEC |
| 22 | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 23 | North Carolina | ACC |
| 24 | Missouri | SEC |
| 25 | Washington | Pac-12 |
Here are some facts and rapid reaction:
SEC tied its own record w/8 teams in preseason Top 25; Pac-12 has record 6 teams ranked
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 17, 2014
Preseason Top 25 by conference: SEC 8, Pac-12 6, B1G 4, ACC 3, Big 12 3, ND 1
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 17, 2014
McMurphy adds that an average of eight preseason top-25 teams have finished unranked in the last four years.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles' top ranking is a good omen, as far as Florida State is concerned:
Florida State is CFB's AP No. 1 team for the 6th time in school history. The last time that happened (1999), the Seminoles won the title.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 17, 2014
Not so fast, though, says McMurphy:
No. 1 jinx? Last 4 preseason No. 1s: 2013 Bama 11-2 (No. 7), 2012 USC 7-6 (NR), 2011 OU 10-3 (No. 16), 2010 Bama 10-3 (No. 10)
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 17, 2014
The preseason AP No. 1 team has finished 10th or worse four times in the last six years.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 17, 2014
ESPN also put together a nice little list of the top-five college football teams with the most No. 1 rankings in the AP preseason poll and Oklahoma still reigns supreme:
Most No. 1 Rankings in Preseason AP Poll
Oklahoma 10
USC 7
Ohio State 7
Nebraska 6
Florida State 6
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 17, 2014
Finally, good luck Auburn, and keep Florida's Will Muschamp in your thoughts:
#Auburn faces 7 teams in AP Top 25: at #20 KST; vs #13 LSU; vs #9 SoCaro; at #18 OleMiss; vs #21 TAMU; at #12 UGA & at #2 Bama.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 17, 2014
Good luck Will Muschamp> #UF faces 5 teams in preseason top 13: at #2 #Bama; vs #12 #UGA; vs. #13 #LSU vs. #9 #SoCarolina; at #1 #FSU
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 17, 2014