The University of Alabama in entering the 2022 college football season as the number one-ranked team in the league for the second straight season.
The Crimson Tide received 54 of 63 first-place votes and a total of 1,566 points, according to the poll released on Monday. This is the ninth overall time the team has been placed in the lead rank, according to the Associated Press (AP). (RELATED: Is It Time For Georgia To Replace Stetson Bennett As Quarterback?)
The number one rank was largely in part due to Alabama’s starting lineup that includes reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and national defense player of the year Will Anderson Jr., AP reported.
The Crimson Tide’s preseason No. 1 ranking is the seventh in 15 years under coach Nick Saban. Since the preseason rankings started in 1950, only Oklahoma with 10 has been No. 1 in the initial AP Top 25 more often than Alabama. | by @ralphdrussoap https://t.co/k5hvkdDvnk
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 15, 2022
Ohio State followed closely behind ranked No. 2 in the poll with six first-place votes and 1,506 points from the media panel, while Reigning national champion University of Georgia ranked No. 3 with three-first place votes and 1,455 points, according to the poll. (RELATED: Iowa Hawkeyes Athletic Director Gary Barta Says The Big Ten Is Taking Calls On Further Expansion)
Started in 1950, The Associated Press’ (AP) preseason poll is the longest-running national football poll and consists of a panel of 63 sports writers and broadcasters that publish weekly rankings.
Alabama is in good company with six teams from the Southeast Conference ranked in the Top 25 including Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss. Rankings will change as the season unfolds, but preseason rankings can give an idea of what fans can expect this year.