AP Preseason College Football Rankings 2018: Analyzing Initial Top 25 Poll
The reigning champion of college football is once again viewed as the top team in the sport.
Alabama topped the preseason AP Top 25 Monday, as it received 42 first-place votes from members of the media who vote in the poll.
Clemson came in second behind the Crimson Tide with 18 first-place votes. while No. 4 Wisconsin received a single vote for the top spot.
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National Championship runner-up Georgia sits third, while Ohio State is fifth as one of five Big Ten teams in the top 15.
Below is a closer look at the first AP Top 25 of the college football season.
AP Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Georgia
4. Wisconsin
5. Ohio State
6. Washington
7. Oklahoma
8. Miami
9. Auburn
10. Penn State
11. Michigan State
12. Notre Dame
13. Stanford
14. Michigan
15. USC
16. TCU
17. West Virginia
18. Mississippi State
19. Florida State
20. Virginia Tech
21. UCF
22. Boise State
23. Texas
24. Oregon
25. LSU
Analysis
Alabama Is Once Again the Team to Beat
One of the least shocking developments of the preseason was Alabama earning the No. 1 spot in both polls.
The Crimson Tide finished the season as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, and they'll carry that designation into their season opener against Louisville.
While there are other talented programs expected to be in contention for the national championship, Alabama's recent resume is better than that of any team.
One of the remarkable aspects about the Alabama program, which has become the norm, is it'll seamlessly replace 12 draft picks, including first-round selections Minkah Fitzpatrick, DaRon Payne, Calvin Ridley and Rashaan Evans.
At any other program, replacing a dozen draft picks would be the top storyline entering the season, but that's far from the case down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The quarterback battle between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa has dominated headlines, which might end up benefiting the younger players on the roster who can further develop during the first few weeks before being thrust into the national spotlight.
Although there's always the potential for an upset to occur, Alabama looks like it'll be on top of the AP Top 25 for quite some time.
Road trips to Ole Miss and Arkansas, who are both rebuilding under new coaching staffs, should be easy for Alabama to navigate, which leaves the October 20 trip to face former Alabama assistant Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee as the first big test.
With LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn on the schedule in November, the Tide could slip up at some point, but it wouldn't be surprising to see them run the table for the first two months of the campaign.
Washington Appears to Be Pac-12's Best Playoff Hope
The Pac-12 was left out of the College Football Playoff for the second time in 2017, and it's only been represented twice in the first four years of the new championship format.
The Pac-12 was viewed as the weakest power conference a year ago, with three-loss teams Washington and USC being the best the league could offer.
With the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 expected to produce at least one concrete playoff contender, the Pac-12 needs one of its teams to step up and challenge the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State.
To start the season, Washington leads the charge for the Pac-12 at No. 6, but that could change after Labor Day weekend.
The Huskies' high ranking is a sign of respect for the potential the team has, but in order to even have a chance of impressing on a national stage, they must defeat Auburn on September 1.
The clash with the ninth-ranked team in the country serves as a proving ground for Washington and the Pac-12 since the Tigers are the best non-conference opponent the ranked Pac-12 teams face.
USC and Stanford both play Notre Dame later in the season, but they don't play a quality SEC opponent like Washington.
Washington has an opportunity to rise in the rankings with a victory over Auburn, but a loss could trigger more of the same skepticism about the quality of the Pac-12 and could lead to the league missing out on the playoff again because of a poor strength of schedule.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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