The coaches have finished voting and the votes have been tailed, and 28 of the 63 first place votes go to Ohio State making them the #1 team in america. Coming off of a 10-2 season and a victory over Notre Dame in the fiesta bowl, the Buckeyes have the top ranking in the first preseason USA Today coaches poll despite the fact they only return 2 starters from their defense that was 5th in the country overall holding opponents to just 15.3 points per game. Ohio State’s defense also had the number 1 overall rush defense holding foes to under 75 yards per game.
Defending national champion Texas received 11 first place votes to take second in the poll, while high scoring Notre Dame received 9 first place votes to take the third spot. Other teams receiving first place votes in their poll order were USC (1), Oklahoma (13), and Auburn (1).
What is a little surprising is that Oklahoma received 13 first place votes but only claimed the 5th best ranking in the country. These votes for Oklahoma were made before the news on Wednesday that head coach Bob Stoops dismissed starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn from the team for being paid far in excess at a local car dealer in Norman.
West Virginia, Florida, LSU, and Florida State round out the top 10. Complete standings are below.
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Rank Team Record Pts Last Week
1. Ohio State (28) (0-0) 1487 NR
2. Texas (11) (0-0) 1378 NR
3. Notre Dame (9) (0-0) 1348 NR
3. USC (1) (0-0) 1348 NR
5. Oklahoma (13) (0-0) 1320 NR
6. Auburn (1) (0-0) 1206 NR
7. West Virginia (0-0) 1202 NR
8. Florida (0-0) 1054 NR
9. LSU (0-0) 1037 NR
10. Florida State (0-0) 874 NR
11. Miami (FL) (0-0) 839 NR
12. California (0-0) 798 NR
13. Louisville (0-0) 785 NR
14. Georgia (0-0) 784 NR
15. Michigan (0-0) 778 NR
16. Virginia Tech (0-0) 591 NR
17. Iowa (0-0) 519 NR
18. Clemson (0-0) 493 NR
19. Penn State (0-0) 406 NR
20. Oregon (0-0) 373 NR
21. TCU (0-0) 270 NR
22. Nebraska (0-0) 261 NR
23. Tennessee (0-0) 216 NR
24. Alabama (0-0) 210 NR
25. Texas Tech (0-0) 198 NR
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Personally I think ND is #1. Too much talent all around. For Ohio State, I think the loss of key defensive players is going to hurt. No way Texas is #2 after losing Young.