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For the first time ever, Clemson is ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll.

The defending national champions received 59 of 65 first-place votes in the poll, which was released Thursday.

Alabama — who the Tigers defeated to win the national championship last January — is ranked No. 2 and received the other six first-place votes.
SEC foe Georgia slots in at No. 3 with 2018 Big 12 champion Oklahoma and 2018 Big Ten champion Ohio State rounding out the top five.

Those same five teams were ranked in the top five in last year’s preseason poll.

The Big 10 have the most schools of any conference in the top 25 with seven. Along with No. 5 Ohio State are No. 7 Michigan, No. 14 Penn State, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 19 Iowa, No. 20 Michigan State and No. 25 Northwestern.

Nebraska was the first team out of the poll as well, falling nine points behind Northwestern.

Despite having the No. 1 team in the country, the ACC only had one other member school make the poll: No. 22 Syracuse.

The SEC has four schools in the top eight with No. 6 LSU and No. 8 Florida joining Alabama and Georgia and six schools overall.

Notre Dame slides in at No. 9 after making the College Football Playoff last season with Texas rounding out the top 10.

Only one Group of Five school made the cut: No. 17 UCF of the AAC. The Knights are 25-1 over the past two seasons, but have not been seriously considered for the College Football Playoff.

In another first for a program, No. 24 Iowa State is ranked in the preseason coaches poll for the first time in school history.

Amway Coaches Poll:

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

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)