Georgia, Michigan lead Top 25 rankings in preseason coaches poll
Bored with all of the offseason noise in school athletics? Wanting to see some precise video games?
Nicely, you’ll nonetheless have to attend a bit longer. However we’re getting nearer. The discharge of the preseason USA TODAY Sports activities AFCA Coaches Ballot brings the promise that soccer is just some weeks away.
Two-time defending nationwide champion Georgia unsurprisingly will open the season at No. 1. The Bulldogs have been picked first on 61 of the 66 coaches’ ballots. It’s the second preseason No. 1 rating for the Bulldogs since USA TODAY started administering the ballot in 1991. The primary got here in 2008 when Georgia completed at No. 10.
Michigan will open the marketing campaign at No. 2, its highest-ever preseason rating within the coaches ballot. The Wolverines didn’t obtain any first-place nods however nonetheless completed a cushty 21 ballot factors forward of third-ranked Alabama.
The Crimson Tide skilled a uncommon playoff miss in 2022 however nonetheless picked up 4 preseason No. 1 votes heading into this yr. That No. 3 begin may bode properly for them, nonetheless, as two of their championship campaigns, 2015 and 2020, started with a No. 3 rating within the preseason.
TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports AFCA preseason poll
BREAKDOWN: Preseason outlooks for every team in the preseason Top 25
LEFT OUT: The five biggest snubs in the preseason rankings
Ohio State claimed the remaining first-place vote and can open at No. 4 total. LSU checks in at No. 5, giving the SEC three of the highest 5 spots within the ballot with a fourth, Tennessee, checking in at No. 10.
Southern California will start at No. 6, adopted by a 3rd member of the Large Ten, Penn State, at No. 7. ACC favorites Florida State and Clemson maintain the eighth and ninth spots, respectively. The No. 8 beginning place is the very best for the Seminoles since 2017.
The brand new-look Large 12 didn’t crack the highest 10. The very best-ranked workforce within the convention is Texas at No. 12. TCU, final yr’s School Soccer Playoff runner-up, begins at No. 16, and typical energy Oklahoma is at No. 19, its lowest preseason place since 2015. There’s some excellent news for the league, nonetheless, as No. 24 Texas Tech has a preseason rating for the primary time since 2008.
Additionally of notice, No. 18 Oregon State has its highest preseason rating since 2001, when present head coach Jonathan Smith was the Beavers’ beginning quarterback. No. 23 Tulane, the defending American Athletic Convention and Cotton Bowl champion, has its first-ever preseason rating.
Total, the SEC leads all conferences with six groups within the rankings. The Pac-12 and Large 12 every test in with 5. The Large Ten and ACC come subsequent at 4 and three, respectively. Tulane is the lone American college, and unbiased Notre Dame slots in at 13.
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