Preseason College Football Rankings 2018: Release Info for Amway Coaches Poll

College football fans never stop talking about their favorite sport, even during the offseason. With the release of the Amway Coaches Poll Thursday, the discussion will get quite a few decibels louder.

The first poll of the year is likely to look very familiar to college football insiders and enthusiasts because it would be quite surprising—perhaps shocking—if Alabama was not in the top spot followed by perennial contender Clemson.

If Alabama is in the No. 1 team in the poll, it will be the fifth straight year that head coach Nick Saban sees his Crimson Tide in the top spot. The poll is scheduled to be released at noon ET.

Sixty-five FBS head coaches take part in the voting, and those coaches are chosen conference by conference through a random draw conducted by the American Football Coaches Association, per Erick Smith of USA Today. 

While coaches have been conducting their own poll since 1950, this is the 28th year of the Amway Coaches Poll.

The Crimson Tide finished as the No. 1 team in the nation after beating the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff title game in January. Saban has a somewhat unsettled quarterback situation where Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa are battling for the starting position. 

Hurts has a 26-2 record and has led Alabama to consecutive national championship games while earning the 2016 SEC player of the year honors. Tagovailoa led Alabama to a comeback win against Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship and he has the stronger arm. 

Saban is an institution at Alabama, and he recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with the school through 2025. "Our family is thrilled to agree to a contract extension with the University of Alabama that will keep us in Tuscaloosa for the rest of our coaching career," Saban said, per Charlie Potter of BamaOnline247.

While Saban is used to seeing his team at the top of the college football world and has done an exceptional job of contending for the national title on a consistent basis, Dabo Swinney has also built Clemson into a powerhouse of a program.

The Tigers have one of the most exciting players in the nation in running back Travis Etienne, who should have an excellent chance of contending for the Heisman Trophy this season if he can stay healthy. Etienne ran for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman last season while averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

In addition to Etienne, Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins should be able to cause havoc on the defensive line. Lawrence had 33 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks last year, while Wilkins recorded 60 tackles, 9.0 TFL and 5.0 sacks.

Swinney recently explained his coaching philosophy. "You know, the program is what I've always been focused on, not just having a good team," Swinney said, per Zach Lentz of The Times and Democrat. "From Day One, we've always been program oriented, with the goal being developing a consistent winner, to one day be a team that year in and year out you just know you've got a chance."

The Georgia Bulldogs look like a formidable team once again, as Kirby Smart had a brilliant recruiting class and a sensational quarterback in Jake Fromm. The 6'2", 225-pound sophomore completed 62.2 percent of his passes and had a 24-7 TD-interception ratio a year ago.

Ohio State is regularly at the top of the Big Ten standings and also represents that conference's best chance to get into the College Football Playoff. There's no reason to think that won't be the case again in 2018. Head coach Urban Meyer has a brilliant running back J.K. Dobbins while hard-charging Nick Bosa has an opportunity to dominate on defense.

Dobbins ran for 1,403 yards as a freshman with seven touchdowns and a 7.2 yards per carry. The 6'4", 270-pound Bosa is coming off a monster season in which he had 34 tackles, 16 TFL and 8.5 sacks along with two passes batted down and one forced fumble.

If Ohio State is going to represent the Big Ten, it is going to have to beat out a battle-tested Wisconsin team. Head coach Paul Chryst will be depending on quarterback Alex Hornibrook and running back Jonathan Taylor to carry the offense. The Badgers fell short in the Big Ten title game last year, but they could have more to offer this year.

Other solid teams that could crack the Top 10 include Oklahoma, Washington, Auburn, Miami and Notre Dame.

All stats courtesy of College Football Reference.