Alabama ranks No. 3 in Coaches preseason poll

AUBURN, Ala. (WIAT)- The Auburn Tigers are ranked No. 7 in the USA Today preseason Amway Coaches Poll released on Thursday morning.

Some notable schools not in the Top 25 but received votes include: Virginia Tech (70), Louisville (27), Miami (16) and Florida (2).

The Big 12 coaches participating in the poll this season include Baylor’s Art Briles, Iowa State’s Paul Rhoads, OSU’s Mike Gundy, TCU’s Gary Patterson and Stoops. It marks the first time since 1998 that the Longhorns do not appear in the preseason Coaches Poll. They finished 2014 8-5 and ranked No. 23.

The Longhorns visit Notre Dame Stadium in primetime September 5. Baylor returns 17 starters (eight on offense, nine on defense), including all five of its starting offensive linemen and two All-America candidates on the defensive line (DE Shawn Oakman, DT Andrew Billings).

Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Arkansas round out the top 20.

Defending national champion Ohio State was the overwhelming choice for No. 1 with 62 of the 64 first-place votes. The last preseason No. 1 in the poll to win the national championship was USC in 2004. Two more, Mississippi State and Texas A&M, lead the group of others receiving votes.

Florida was last ranked in a preseason poll prior to the 2013 season, having just missed the top 25 both the coaches poll and the AP Poll – neither of which directly factors into the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s rankings – in 2014.