What will the 2021 preseason AP Poll potentially look like? It’s our predicted best guess on the early college football rankings.
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Before getting started, note that below is NOT the actual 2021 Preseason AP Poll – it’s our prediction and projection of what it might be.
The AP college football rankings are still a very big deal, even in the College Football Playoff era.
Throughout the year the AP rankings are a great indication of how the rest of college football – at least the media types – views what’s happening. They’re a terrific measuring stick, especially before the College Football Playoff rankings come out.
The AP Poll and Coaches Pool both had the same preseason top four rankings last year – Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia – and they both had Notre Dame No. 10 and Texas A&M 13. The only difference in the top 14 was 5/6 with the AP putting Oklahoma 5 and LSU 6, and the Coaches going the other way around.
In other words, the AP and Coaches are both about the same. This year, though, after a crazy 2020 with a whole lot of new teams in the mix, expect more changes and differences than ever.
Again, this is just a prediction and not the real preseason AP top 25 poll, so don’t get mad or too happy – we’re making the best educational guess possible on a projection. Once the 2021 preseason AP top 25 poll is released, we’ll break it all down and do a deep dive analysis.
2021 Preseason AP Poll Prediction
Click each team for the CFN 2021 preview. Number in parentheses is where each team finished in final 2020 rankings.
25. Miami Hurricanes (22)
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (20)
23. Liberty Flames (17)
22. Michigan Wolverines (NR)
21. Arizona State Sun Devils (NR)
20. Iowa Hawkeyes (16)
19. Washington Huskies (NR)
18. Indiana Hoosiers (12)
17. Penn State Nittany Lions (NR)
16. Texas Longhorns (19)
– CFN 2021 Preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll Prediction
15. USC Trojans (21)
14. Wisconsin Badgers (NR)
13. LSU Tigers (NR)
12. Florida Gators (13)
11. Oregon Ducks (NR)
– CFN Preview 2021: All 130 Team Previews
10. North Carolina Tar Heels (18)
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5)
8. Cincinnati Bearcats (8)
7. Iowa State Cyclones (9)
6. Texas A&M Aggies (4)
– CFN 2021 Preseason Rankings 1-130
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (2)
4. Georgia Bulldogs (7)
3. Clemson Tigers (3)
2. Oklahoma Sooners (6)
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1)
Coaches Poll College Football Rankings
All-Time Coaches Poll Rankings | AP All-Time Rankings