Preseason College Football Rankings 2019: Predicting Amway Poll's Top 25

College football teams have returned to the practice fields for fall camp, and the long-awaited beginning of workouts are a precursor to the release of preseason polls.

While the Associated Press will unveil its initial Top 25 ranking on Aug. 19, the Amway Coaches Poll is usually announced on the first Thursday of the month.

Clemson is the national champion, but Alabama has stood atop the coaches poll for three straight years. Though the powerhouse programs are expected to open at first and second nationally, which team will claim the top spot in 2019?

As always, consider the preseason polls an "initial expectation" list. They hardly mean anything by October, but they shape perception of many programs for the upcoming season.

Amway Poll Prediction

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU
7. Michigan
8. Texas
9. Florida
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas A&M
12. Washington
13. Oregon
14. Penn State
15. Auburn
16. Utah
17. Mississippi State
18. Syracuse
19. Iowa State
20. Wisconsin
21. Stanford
22. Washington State
23. UCF
24. Boise State
25. Missouri

Any Top-5, Top-10 Surprises?

Clemson and Alabama will be positioned atop the rankings, and the only question is the order of the programs.

Jeffrey McWhorter/Associated Press

But the subsequent tiers seem clearly defined too.

From No. 3 to No. 5, the expected teams are Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma. Again, the exact arrangement is unknown, but LSU, Michigan or any other school joining the list is unexpected.

Nevertheless, LSU and Michigan are seemingly top-10 locks, while each of Florida, Notre Dame and Texas shouldn't be far behind. Florida and Texas ended the 2018 season as two of the hottest teams, and Notre Dame reached the College Football Playoff.

Will offseason hype be enough for Texas A&M or Oregon to crack the top 10? Jacob Eason taking the starting job for Washington? Any chance for Penn State?

Forced to make a prediction, it's more likely that quartet is somewhere between 11 and 16. But if any program takes a small leap, expect it to be one of those four teams.

Outside Looking In

Get ready for the "which teams got snubbed" lists following the Amway release. But remember to read those as entertainment value more than legitimately dissecting the poll.

Considering how much will change in September alone, it's not worth yelling about a team's placement.

Al Goldis/Associated Press

At the same time, we understand that fans of Army, Iowa, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern and Virginia are hoping to see their favorite team in the Top 25.

Each of those programs should receive a fair number of votes, so a couple of them making an appearance is totally foreseeable. The four Big Ten teams in particular—Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska and Northwestern—have a solid chance.

Army has the disadvantage of being a non-Power 5 team, yet consecutive 10-win seasons merits attention. Missouri is potentially facing a bowl ban in 2019, but the schedule is extremely favorable.

Other schools likely to garner a handful of votes include Miami, Minnesota, Utah State and Virginia Tech.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.