Another day, another hour, and another top spot in a preseason poll for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama was the most popular pick for the top spot in the preseason Super 16 Poll from the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation. Alabama received 36 first-place votes to stay comfortably ahead of No. 2 Clemson. The Tigers received 14 first-place votes and Georgia and Michigan State each picked up one first-place vote.
The voters certainly are leaning toward Wisconsin as the top Big Ten team. The Badgers ranked fourth overall, two spots ahead of Ohio State. If the playoff were determined by this preseason poll, Alabama would play Wisconsin and Clemson would face Georgia. Washington would be the first team out. The Huskies coming in at No. 5 likely means a good number of voters believe Washington will open the season with a win against Auburn in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game as well, and that would certainly create a playoff-or-bust season for Washington out of the gates.
One team that has received some good offseason buzz that failed to crack the Super 16 was West Virginia. A trendy pick in the Big 12 for some, the Mountaineers were the first team out of this particular preseason poll.
No Group of Five programs made the Super 16 cut, although UCF, Boise State, and San Diego State all received at least one point in the voting.
Here is how the preseason Super 16 poll breaks down:
- Alabama (36 first-place votes)
- Clemson (14)
- Georgia
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Miami
- Auburn
- Penn State
- Michigan State (1)
- Notre Dame
- Michigan
- Stanford
- USC
- TCU
Defending National Champion @AlabamaFTBL Tops Preseason @TheFWAA-NFF #Super16Pollhttps://t.co/pANdWheBbx pic.twitter.com/U5gyUPdS7J
— Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) August 20, 2018
In the interest of full disclosure, three College Football Talk contributors are voting members in the Super 16 Poll; myself, Bryan Fischer and Zach Barnett). The poll is made up of members of the FWAA and College Football Hall of Famers with an emphasis on geographic balance. New polls will be updated every Monday this season, with the exception of the post-Week 1 poll, which will be released on Tuesday, September 4.