UCF ranked No. 17 in Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll

Knights finished 12-1 last year

Central Florida linebacker Gabriel Luyanda, left, and linebacker Nate Evans celebrate after the team recovered a fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Navy Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Orlando, Fla.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cross off another milestone for Clemson, college football's newest superpower.

For the first time, the defending national champion Tigers are No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 presented by Regions Bank .

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Last year, Clemson, led by freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence, won its second national title in three seasons.

The Crimson Tide, coming off a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff championship, is No. 2. Clemson received 52 first-place votes and Alabama received the other 10. Clemson snaps a record-tying string of three straight years in which Alabama was the preseason No. 1.

Georgia, Alabama's Southeastern Conference rival, is No. 3, followed by No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Ohio State.

The Top 25 teams in the AP preseason college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 2018 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and 2018 final ranking:

                        Record    Pts  Pvs
 1. Clemson (52)        15-0   1,540   1
 2. Alabama (10)        14-1   1,496   2
 3. Georgia             11-3   1,403   7
 4. Oklahoma            12-2   1,331   4
 5. Ohio St.            13-1   1,261   3
 6. LSU                 10-3   1,199   6
 7. Michigan            10-3   1,164  14
 8. Florida             10-3   1,054   7
 9. Notre Dame          12-1   1,044   5
10. Texas               10-4   1,005   9
11. Oregon               9-4     860   -
12. Texas A&M        9-4     852  16
13. Washington          10-4     786  13
14. Utah                 9-5     772   -
15. Penn St.             9-4     651  17
16. Auburn               8-5     578   -
17. UCF                 12-1     410  11
18. Michigan St.         7-6     377   -
19. Wisconsin            8-5     370   -
20. Iowa                 9-4     330  25
21. Iowa St.             8-5     302   -
22. Syracuse            10-3     209  15
23. Washington St.      11-2     200  10
24. Nebraska             4-8     154   -
25. Stanford             9-4     141   -

Others receiving votes: Missouri 117, Army 94, Mississippi St. 87, Miami 70, Northwestern 63, TCU 57, Virginia 44, Boise St. 38, Cincinnati 16, South Carolina 15, Virginia Tech 12, Fresno St. 8, Utah St. 8, Minnesota 7, Memphis 6, Appalachian St. 5, UAB 3, West Virginia 3, Oklahoma St. 3, Arizona St. 3, Arizona 1, Southern Cal 1.


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