Alabama and Clemson will begin this season where they left off: right at the top.
The Tide and Tigers garnered the top two spots in the 2016 preseason Amway Coaches’ Poll, released on Thursday. Fellow 2015 College Football Playoff team Oklahoma follows at No. 3, while Michigan State will begin at No. 11. Florida State and Ohio State rounded out the top five.
Ohio State visits Oklahoma on Sept. 17.
Alabama sucked up 55 of the 64 available first-place votes; Clemson garnered seven, while Florida State and Tennessee both received one. Tennessee can no officially no longer deny its status as a preseason favorite as the Vols checked in at No. 10, the highest of any SEC East team.
Houston earned the top spot among Group of Five programs at No. 13 which, for those counting (and you know they are in Houston), would be the second-highest spot for any Big 12 team. TCU checked in one spot behind the Coogs at No. 14.
Without further ado, the full poll:
- Alabama - 1,585 total points (55 first-place votes)
- Clemson - 1,524 (7)
- Oklahoma - 1,398
- Florida State - 1,351 (1)
- Ohio State - 1,321
- LSU - 1,241
- Stanford - 1,149
- Michigan - 1,062
- Notre Dame - 1,034
- Tennessee - 960 (1)
- Michigan State - 901
- Ole Miss - 792
- Houston - 668
- TCU - 649
- Iowa - 579
- Georgia - 525
- USC - 468
- Washington - 454
- Oklahoma State - 426
- North Carolina - 422
- Baylor - 383
- Oregon - 361
- Louisville - 331
- UCLA - 296
- Florida - 245
Miami was the closest team to joining the top 25 with 120 total votes, followed by Wisconsin, Utah and Boise State.
The preseason AP Top 25 will be released Aug. 21.