8/8/2022 2:14:10 PM EST
Eyeing its fourth national title in eight years, Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll released Monday.Led by head coach Nick Saban and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide received 54 of the 66 first-place votes in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.No. 2 Ohio State received five first-place votes and No. 3 Georgia, the defending College Football Playoff national champion, received six. No. 18 Texas, which finished 5-7 in coach Steve Sarkisian's first season in 2021, drew the other first-place ballot.Clemson and Notre Dame round out the top five, followed by Michigan, Texas A&M, Utah, Oklahoma and Baylor.Alabama opens the season on Sept. 3 against Utah State in Tuscaloosa.The rest of the top 25:11. Oklahoma State12. Oregon13. North Carolina State14. Michigan State15. Southern California16. Pittsburgh17. Miami (Fla.)18. Texas19. Wake Forest20. Wisconsin21. Kentucky22. Cincinnati23. Arkansas24. Mississippi25. Houston--Field Level Media