COACHES POLL
The top five, with last year’s final records: 1. Alabama (14-1) 2. Ohio State (11-2) 3. Florida State (10-3) 4. Southern California (10-3) 5. Clemson (14-1)
Preseason football poll, with school outlooks provided by Joe Fleming, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus (TV times ET).
1. Alabama (14-1) Points: 1,603 (49 first-place votes). Previous ranking: 2. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. No. 3 Florida State in Atlanta (ABC, 8). Outlook: Dynamic QB Jalen Hurts has a year under his belt, his backfield is loaded and the defense should be its formidable self. 2. Ohio State (11-2)
Points: 1,512 (5). Previous ranking: 6. Opens: Aug. 31 at Indiana (ESPN, 8). Outlook: QB J.T. Barrett and RB Mike Weber will provide the bulk of the yards. Some new defensive starters must perform immediately, but there’s enough talent in place for a run at the Big Ten title. 3. Florida State (10-3) Points: 1,434 (4). Previous ranking: 8. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. No. 1 Alabama in Atlanta (ABC, 8). Outlook: QB Deondre Francois will see a lot of new faces in his huddle, and he needs better protection. But the Seminoles defense, led by DB Derwin James, is experienced.
4. Southern California (10-3)
Points: 1,415. Previous ranking: 5. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Western Michigan (Pac-12, 5:15). Outlook: Sophomore QB Sam Darnold is the biggest reason Trojans fans are excited. He’ll need his young receivers to step up, and the USC defense must also deliver to meet the lofty expectations. 5. Clemson (14-1) Points: 1,367 (7). Previous ranking: 1. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Kent State (ESPN, noon). Outlook: The Tigers offense has a lot of questions. A dominant defensive line and LB Kendall Joseph give the Tigers their best shot at a repeat title bid. 6. Penn State (11-3) Points: 1,257. Previous ranking: 7. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Akron (ABC, noon). Outlook: RB Saquon Barkley and QB Trace McSorley provide the star power. If the recent recruiting success pays dividends, the Nittany Lions could be headed for a special season even after winning the Big Ten last year. 7. Washington (12-2) Points: 1,245. Previous ranking: 4. Opens: Sept. 1 at Rutgers (FS1, 8). Outlook: QB Jake Browning and most of his primary weapons are back for the Huskies’ high-scoring attack. But how will Washington respond to wearing the defending Pac-12 champion bull’s-eye? 8. Oklahoma (11-2) Points: 1,237. Previous ranking: 3. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. TexasEl Paso (Fox, 3:30). Outlook: The return of QB Baker Mayfield and an outstanding offensive line should ease the transition for new coach Lincoln Riley. The de-
fense needs work, though the Sooners are hardly alone in that regard in the Big 12. 9. Michigan (10-3) Points: 959. Previous ranking: 10. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. No. 16 Florida in Arlington, Texas (ABC, 3:30). Outlook: No team was hit harder by personnel losses. Jim Harbaugh will have a lot of talent. But many of those expected to play key roles, particularly on defense, are unproven as full-time starters. 10. Wisconsin (11-3) Points: 936. Previous ranking: 9. Opens: Sept. 1 vs. Utah State (ESPN, 9). Outlook: The offensive line should lead the way. QB Alex Hornibrook could blossom as a sophomore. In TE Troy Fumagalli and WR Jazz Peavy, he has two productive targets. The defense should be stingy. 11. Oklahoma State (10-3) Points: 912. Previous ranking: 11. Opens: Aug. 31 vs. Tulsa (FS1, 7:30). Outlook: Scoring points should not be a problem with the combination of QB Mason Rudolph and WR James Washington. To win the Big 12 and contend for the Playoff, the defense must improve. 12. LSU (8-4) Points: 834. Previous ranking: 14. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Brigham Young in Houston (ESPN, 9:30). Outlook: Ed Orgeron’s first full season in Baton Rouge will feature RB Derrius Guice carrying the offensive load. DE Arden Key and DE Donte Jackson lead a defense that will be difficult for opponents to crack. 13. Auburn (8-5) Points: 819. Previous ranking: 22. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Georgia Southern (SEC, 7:30).
Outlook: The arrival of Jarrett Stidham should drastically improve the Tigers through the air. Running backs Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson should find more room this season. The defense returns four of its top five tacklers. 14. Stanford (10-3) Points: 732. Previous ranking: 12. Opens: Aug. 26 vs. Rice in Sydney (ESPN 10). Outlook: The Cardinal are hopeful QB Keller Chryst will be healthy for the opener. RB Bryce Love will try to fill the shoes of Christian McCaffrey. DL Harrison Phillips is part of what should be the top defense in the Pac-12. 15. Georgia (8-5)
Points: 701. Previous ranking: not ranked. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Appalachian State (ESPN, 6:15). Outlook: The running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel will be one of the nation’s best. QB Jacob Eason will look to improve on an up-anddown freshman season. He will be helped by a defense that returns 10 starters. 16. Florida (9-4) Points: 681. Previous ranking: 13. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. No. 9 Michigan in Arlington, Texas (ABC, 3:30). Outlook: The start-
ing quarterback for the Gators will need to be sorted out with the late transfer of Malik Zaire from Notre Dame. RB Jordan Scarlett and WR Antonio Callaway will help make things easier. The defense needs to fill gaps in the front seven. 17. Louisville (9-4) Points: 676. Previous ranking: 20. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Purdue in Indianapolis (Fox, 7:30).
Outlook: With Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson running the show, the Cardinals will be prolific. The defense looks to be in great shape with LB James Hearns and DB Jaire Alexander back. 18. Miami (Fla.) (9-4) Points: 472. Previous ranking: 23. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Bethune-Cookman. Outlook: The offense can be built around RB Mark Walton and WR Ahmmon Richards, who set the school record for receiving yards as a freshman. The defense is full of young talent. The big challenge will be replacing Brad Kaaya at quarterback. 19. Kansas State (9-4)
Points: 339. Previous ranking: not ranked. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Central Arkansas. Outlook: The defense will be stingy, and the offense will rely on the run game and efficient passing. That formula took time to come together last season before Kansas State won six of its last seven. A big key was the play of dualthreat QB Jesse Ertz. 20. West Virginia (10-3) Points: 319. Previous ranking: 17. Opens: Sept. 3 vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech in Landover, Md. (ABC, 7:30). Outlook: The Mountaineers, coming off a 10win season, return eight starters, fewest in the Big 12. Quarterback should be a strength, however,
with the addition of Florida transfer Will Grier. The defensive line loses three starters, but AlRasheed Benton and David Long form one of the best linebacker duos in the conference. 21. South Florida (11-2) Points: 247. Previous ranking: 19. Opens: Aug. 26 at San Jose State (CBSSN, 7:30). Out
look: The Bulls, following the best season in school history, return most of their stars, including QB Quinton Flowers. They lost head coach Willie Taggart (now at Oregon) but brought in Charlie Strong. 22. Virginia Tech (10-4) Points: 235. Previous ranking: 16. Opens: Sept. 3 vs. No. 20 West Virginia in Landover, Md. (ABC, 7:30). Outlook: In Justin Fuente’s first season, the Hokies reached the ACC title game and nearly upset Clemson. They will have to make up for several key losses, including quarterback Jerod Evans. The linebacker and secondary groups are loaded. 23. Texas (5-7)
Points: 193. Previous ranking: not ranked. Opens: Sept. 2 vs. Maryland (FS1, noon). Out
look: There should be new energy with new coach Tom Herman. He will have a core of young talent on defense, including 10 returning starters and greater depth. After a promising freshman season, quarterback Shane Buechele has the potential to flourish. 24. Tennessee (9-4) Points: 155. Previous ranking: 24. Opens: Sept. 4 vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta (ESPN, 8). Outlook: Butch Jones’ recruiting success should help the team handle several key departures. Quinten Dormady appears to have an edge on Jarrett Guarantano in the quarterback competi-
tion. The defense must get better against the run after allowing 218.5 yards per game. 25. Utah (9-4)
Points: 109. Previous ranking: 21. Opens: Aug. 31 vs. North Dakota (Pac-12, 7:30). Outlook: As usual, coach Kyle Whittingham’s defense should be up to the challenge behind another strong front. The questions come on offense, where Troy Taylor takes over as offensive coordinator.