Preseason College Football Rankings 2018: Twitter Reacts to AP NCAA Top 25 Poll

Alabama's position as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press college football preseason poll is nearly as predictable as clockwork.

The Crimson Tide has Nick Saban on the sidelines, and his presence means that Alabama will almost always be among the top recruiting teams in the nation. However, once Saban gets his hands on those players, he finds a way to make the great players even better.

That's why Alabama is in the top spot, followed by Clemson, Georgia and Wisconsin.

The presence of a Big Ten school not named Ohio State in the top four may be the biggest surprise.

Here's a look at the preseason AP poll, along with Twitter reaction to some of the selections.

AP Preseason Top 25

1. Alabama 

2. Clemson 

3. Georgia 

4. Wisconsin 

5. Ohio State 

6. Washington 

7. Oklahoma 

8. Miami (FL) 

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

This is the third straight season Alabama has started the year as the No. 1 team in the nation, and that puts the Crimson Tide in with elite company.

Clemson has become nearly as big a name in college football as Alabama, and the No. 2 ranking is impressive for the Tigers. They have never been higher than that in any previous preseason ranking. Quarterback Kelly Bryant is sure to play a key role in the team's pursuit of a spot in the College Football Playoffs at the end of the season.

Georgia is not the least bit satisfied with being recognized as a team that had a brilliant 2017 season and made it to the college football title game a year ago. The Bulldogs came close to winning the championship, building a 13-point lead before succumbing to Alabama in overtime.

The AP voters recognize the Bulldogs as a powerhouse, voting them as the No. 3 team in the nation.

While the coaches' poll had Ohio State as the No. 3 team, the AP preseason poll went with the Wisconsin Badgers as the nation's No. 4 team. The Buckeyes are a consistent college football powerhouse, but the Urban Meyer investigation will almost certainly be an issue this season.

It was an auspicious day for the Big Ten, which saw five of its teams highly ranked.

Washington received the most respect out of the Pac-12, falling in as the No. 6 team. It would not be a shock if the Huskies made it to the College Football Playoff, especially if they can open the season with a win over Auburn in the season opener. Stanford, USC and Oregon also represent the conference in the Top 25.

Notre Dame has made it all the way to No. 12, but it will be awfully tough for the Fighting Irish to maintain such a ranking this year with its brutal schedule. Notre Dame faces Michigan, Stanford, Northwestern, Florida State and USC this year, and going 3-2 in that span would be a tremendous achievement for Brian Kelly's team.