College football is back, and so is the College Football Researchers Association top 25 poll! We are now entering the fifth season of the new CFRA poll, and as you might expect, this year’s preseason rankings are full of intrigue. First of all, there is one startling tie near the top of the rankings as interstate rivals and week 2 opponents, South Carolina and Georgia share the # 4 spot in this year’s preseason poll. There are also two major breaks of twenty or more points, as # 2 Ohio State is 24 points ahead of # 3 Oregon and # 9 Louisville is 20 points ahead of the squad they upset in last year’s Sugar Bowl, Florida. However, the most shocking aspect of this poll may be the fact that the exact same 25 teams included in this CFRA Preseason Poll are ranked in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 Polls!
1. Alabama (8)- 248 points
2. Ohio State (2)- 232 points
3. Oregon- 208 points
4. South Carolina- 201 points
4. Georgia– 201 points
6. Stanford– 195 points
7. Clemson– 190 points
8. Texas A & M– 181 points
9. Louisville– 178 points
10. Florida– 158 points
11. Florida State– 144 points
12. LSU– 132 points
13. Michigan– 123 points
14. Oklahoma State– 117 points
15. Oklahoma– 103 points
16. Notre Dame– 93 points
17. Texas– 91 points
18. Nebraska– 76 points
19. TCU– 56 points
20. Boise State– 55 points
21. Wisconsin– 45 points
22. Northwestern– 36 points
23. Oregon State– 34 points
24. Southern California– 26 points
25. UCLA– 24 points
Others Receiving Votes: Miami-FL 18, Texas Tech, 13, Arizona State 12, Kansas State 11, West Virginia 9, Virginia Tech 8, Baylor 7, Houston 6, Michigan State 6, North Carolina 5, Vanderbilt 1, Washington 1
Teams Ranked Higher in CFRA than AP and Coaches Polls: South Carolina (4), Georgia (4), Clemson (7), Michigan (13), Oklahoma (15), TCU (19), Wisconsin (21), Oregon State (23).
Teams Ranked Lower in CFRA than AP and Coaches Polls: Stanford (6), Texas A & M (8), Notre Dame (16), Texas (17), Boise State (20), UCLA (25).
Teams Ranked Exactly the Same in All 3 Major Human Polls (AP, CFRA, and Coaches): Alabama (1), Ohio State (2), Oregon (3), Louisville (9), Florida (10), Nebraska (18), Northwestern (22), Southern California (24).
The College Football Researchers Association 