2018 College Football Researchers Association (CFRA) Preseason Poll

College football is back, and so is the College Football Researchers Association top 25 poll!   This will be the 21st season overall that the CFRA will crown a contemporaneous national champion and the 10th consecutive since the re-emergence of the poll in 2009.  The history there may not seem overwhelmingly vast but keep in mind that when you include all of the retrospective champions we’ve elected, this season’s champion will be the 149th in poll history which is more than any other multi-voter, NCAA-recognized poll in the country .

With all three major national polls now released (Coaches, AP, and CFRA), it is interesting to note that each of these polls has the same top ten teams, with just a slightly different order for each.  Without further ado, here is this year’s CFRA Preseason Poll.

1.  Alabama (8)– 245 points

2.  Clemson– 239 points

3.  Georgia (1)– 222 points

4.  Ohio State– 210 points

———————————————————————————–

5.  Washington– 197 points

6.  Oklahoma– 192 points

7.  Wisconsin- 183 points

8.  Auburn– 156 points

9.  Miami-FL– 135 points

10. Penn State– 133 points

11. Michigan– 130 points

12. Michigan State– 128 points

13. Notre Dame– 117 points

14. West Virginia– 84 points

15. Mississippi State– 74 points

15. Stanford– 74 points

17. Southern California– 73 points

18. Florida State– 69 points

18. TCU– 69 points

20. Virginia Tech– 59 points

21. Florida– 56 points

22. UCF– 55 points

23. LSU– 47 points

24. Texas– 38 points

25. Arizona– 35 points

Others Receiving Votes: Oregon 31, Oklahoma State 28, Utah 23, Boise State 23, Nebraska 20, Florida Atlantic 17, Houston 16, South Carolina 16, Texas A & M 15, Texas Tech 9, NC State 8, Syracuse 7, Iowa 5, Colorado 4, Duke 3, Boston College 3, Wake Forest 2

Dropped Out: N/A

Teams Ranked Higher in CFRA than AP and Coaches Polls: Washington (5), Auburn (8), Michigan (11), West Virginia 14, Mississippi State (15), Florida State (18), Florida (21), LSU (23), Arizona (25).

Teams Ranked Lower in CFRA than AP and Coaches Polls: Miami-FL (9), Notre Dame (13), Stanford (15), Southern California (17), TCU (18), Texas (24), Boise State (NR).

Teams Ranked Exactly the Same in All 3 Major Human Polls (AP, CFRA, and Coaches): Alabama (1), Clemson (2).