Alabama preseason No. 1 in coaches poll, followed by Clemson

Updated Aug. 10, 2021 1:12 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Defending national champion Alabama is the preseason No. 1 in the

The Crimson Tide got 63 of the 65 first-place votes while No. 3 Oklahoma got the other two. Clemson is No. 2 with Ohio State and Georgia rounding out the top five.

. So does No. 10 Cincinnati.

At No. 17, Indiana is ranked in the preseason coaches' poll for the first time. And Mack Brown's North Carolina team is ranked ninth, its best opening slot since heading into the season at No. 8 in 1997.

The Associated Press Top 25 will be released Aug. 16.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25