Texas is Ranked #1 in Preseason AP College Football Poll

Texas has a slight edge over Penn State for the Number 1 position in the pre season AP College Football Poll. The Longhorns received 25 first place votes while the second place Nittany Lions were right behind with 23. Defending National Champion Ohio State is third with 11 first place votes. We will be treated to a great game right away in Week 1 of the schedule when Ohio State hosts Texas on August 30th.

The Clemson Tigers hold down the #4 slot. In another early matchup of ranked teams, Tigers will host some more tigers, the #9 Tigers of LSU, on August 30th. Georgia is ranked #5, while last year’s national champion runner up, Notre Dame, is sixth. The Fighting Irish will open at #10 Miami on August 31st for those nostalgic for the Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry of their game back in 1988. (They’ve played six more times since then). Rounding out the Top 10 are #7 Oregon, #8 Alabama, #9 LSU, and #10 Miami.

The next five are #11 Arizona State, #12 Illinois, #13 South Carolina, #14 Michigan, and #15 Florida. Illinois was 10-3 last year including wins over three ranked teams and in the Citrus Bowl. This year’s schedule is easier with non conference games with an FCS team, Western Illinois, plus games with Duke and Western Michigan. For currently ranked teams, the Illini only have games scheduled with #20 Indiana and #3 Ohio State. This should help them maintain a high ranking, though critics will point to their strength of schedule, similar to Indiana’s situation last year.

SMU is #16, Kansas State #17, Oklahoma is #18, Texas A & M is 19th, and Indiana is 20th. Oklahoma faces seven Top 25 teams, including six of the Sooner’s last seven opponents. Yikes! Kansas State will play #22 Iowa State in the so called Week 0 on August 23rd in what has become an annual game in Ireland to kick off the season. The Wildcats have only one other currently ranked team on their schedule, so the potential is there for a big season. Indiana has a cupcake non conference schedule against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and FCS Indiana State. But unlike last year, the Hoosiers will face #12 Illinois, #7 Oregon, and #2 Penn State in the Conference portion of the schedule. Last year, they only played then #2 Ohio State and lost 38-15.

The final five are #21 Mississippi, #22 Iowa State, #23 Texas Tech, #24 Tennessee, and #25 Boise State. The Broncos have only one ranked team on their schedule, but it is at Notre Dame on October 4th.

The College Football Playoff again is a 12 team tournament, beginning at campus sites December 19th-20th. Quarterfinals will be the Cotton Bowl on December 31st and the Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowls on January 1st. Semifinals are the Fiesta Bowl January 8th and Peach Bowl January 9th. The National Championship game is Monday January 19th at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Here’s the highlight reel from last season’s championship game: