2021 Preseason AP Poll released

By Kevin Kelley -

The 2021 Preseason AP Poll has been released and the Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked first. Alabama received 47 of the 63 first-place votes and 1,548 total points.

Alabama is also ranked first in the Coaches Poll that was released on Tuesday, August 10.

The Oklahoma Sooners debut in second place behind the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma received six first-place votes and 1,462 total points.

The Clemson Tigers also received six first-place votes and were 15 points behind the Sooners (1,447 total points) to come in at third in the preseason AP poll.

Rounding out the top five are the Ohio State Buckeyes (one first-place vote; 1,393 total points), and the Georgia Bulldogs (three first-place votes; 1,364 total points).

The Sun Belt landed two teams in the AP Poll. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are ranked 22nd and 23rd, respectively.

The Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-12 lead all conferences with five teams each in the AP Top 25 poll. The ACC and Big 12 are next with three teams apiece, followed by the Sun Belt with two teams in the Top 25. Listed below is the full conference breakdown:

  • SEC – 5
  • Big Ten – 5
  • Pac-12 – 5
  • ACC – 3
  • Big 12 – 3
  • Sun Belt – 2
  • AAC – 1
  • IND – 1

The complete 2021 Preseason AP Poll is listed below (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Alabama (47)
2. Oklahoma (6)
3. Clemson (6)
4. Ohio State (1)
5. Georgia (3)
6. Texas A&M
7. Iowa State
8. Cincinnati
9. Notre Dame
10. North Carolina
11. Oregon
12. Wisconsin
13. Florida
14. Miami FL
15. USC
16. LSU
17. Indiana
18. Iowa
19. Penn State
20. Washington
21. Texas
22. Coastal Carolina
23. Louisiana
24. Utah
25. Arizona State

Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2

Comments (2)

New Year’s Six and Playoff Semifinals based on this preseason poll are:
Cotton Bowl (CFP Semifinal) = #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal) = #2 Oklahoma vs. #3 Clemson
Fiesta Bowl = #6 Texas A&M vs. #8 Cincinnati
Peach Bowl = #9 Notre Dame vs. #10 North Carolina
Rose Bowl Game = #11 Oregon vs. #12 Wisconsin
Sugar Bowl = #5 Georgia vs. #7 Iowa State
#newyearssix #cfbplayoff :)

Would probably have Bama vs. Ohio State in the Orange Bowl and OU vs. Clemson in the Cotton Bowl considering Oklahoma’s geographic proximity to Dallas. Alabama distance from Miami and Dallas is roughly equal and neither location gives Alabama a definite advantage. Also, the Fiesta Bowl would have North Carolina vs. Cincinnati and the Peach Bowl would have Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M to avoid regular season rematches (Notre Dame plays both Cincinnati and North Carolina in the regular season).