Clemson tops preseason AP college football poll before Big Ten, Pac-12 will be removed

The 2020 college football season will be considerably different from recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but we will still get weekly rankings if football happens.

On Monday, the Associated Press posted their first rankings for the preseason. The Clemson Tigers — last year’s national title runner-up — claimed the top spot with 38 first place votes. They’re followed by Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma.

You might be asking yourself why Ohio State is ranked after the Big Ten postponed their season. The AP had voters consider all teams in the preseason poll, but all subsequent polls will only factor in teams that are playing games.

“The preseason poll has always been a speculative ranking of teams based on last year’s results and knowledge about the new makeup of teams,” said Michael Giarrusso, AP’s global sports editor. “This year, we think it is crucial to give all the teams and all their fans a snapshot look at what the Top 25 would have been to open the season.”

When the next poll comes out, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, Wisconsin, Michigan, USC, Minnesota, Utah, and Iowa will not be included.