As "religious" seasons go we are about to embark on one of the longest observed every year. I use the term "religious" in quotes because the fervor and passion in which college football is followed in the Deep South can certainly be compared to the way others practice their personal faith.

The NCAA has released their version of the nation's best college football teams. True, it's a bit of a stretch to try and predict how a team will perform without seeing them on the field but this is football, who needs facts right?

Seven teams from the Southeastern Conference are represented in this preseason poll. It's not a shock that Alabama is highly ranked, they came in at #2 behind preseason #1 Clemson. The Georgia Bulldogs were also ranked in the top 5. They were ranked #4.

LSU is ranked #7 and Florida is ranked #8 outside of the top 5. This means of the top 10 programs, four of them are SEC member schools. Outside the top 10, Texas A&M is ranked #11 and Aburn is placed at #17. MIssouri is the other SEC school to earn a nod in this top 25 prognostication. The Tigers were ranked at # 23.

Here's the way the Top 25 breaks out according to the NCAA preseason poll:

  1. Clemson
  2. Alabama
  3. Ohio State
  4. Georgia
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Michigan
  7. LSU
  8. Florida
  9. Texas
  10. Notre Dame
  11. Texas A&M
  12. Oregon
  13. Penn State
  14. Washington
  15. Utah
  16. Wisconsin
  17. Auburn
  18. Iowa
  19. UCF
  20. Nebraska
  21. Virginia Tech
  22. Michigan State
  23. Missouri
  24. Northwestern
  25. Boise State

Oh in case you were wondering, there are already College Bowl Projections being floated around across the Internet as well. Just in case you like planning way ahead on information that will change drastically.

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