College football, to the joy of its fans, is back — Monday saw the release of the first USA Today coaching poll of the year, although Tigers fans won’t see their team listed among the 25 ranked squads.
Auburn received 98 votes but did not make the cut for the top 25. Its hated rival, Alabama, took the top spot with 54 first-place votes and the other half of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Georgia, landed in third. Auburn’s 98 votes were third in the SEC among teams that didn’t make the cut, with Tennessee (163) and LSU (143) beating them out.
Check out the full preseason AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA Today down below:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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