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The college football season is just 12 days away, and voters believe Alabama is likely to repeat as champions according to the AP Preseason Poll.
The Tide lost plenty of players on both offense and defense, including starting quarterback Mac Jones and talented skill-position players such as Najee Harris and Devonta Smith, but the depth the program has via recruiting puts them back on top once again.
While the Coaches Poll had Clemson as the No. 2 team in the country, the media puts Spencer Rattler and the Oklahoma Sooners as the second-best team. The Sooners have been to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff four times, but are 0-4 in those games and have yet to play for the national championship.
Coming in at No. 3 are the Clemson Tigers, who replace quarterback Trevor Lawrence with DJ Uiagalelei, but still have outstanding depth on both sides of the ball. Clemson opens the season with a neutral-site game in Atlanta against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, Alabama is the +250 favorite to repeat, with Clemson at +380 and Ohio State at +550. Georgia comes in at +600, with No. 2 Oklahoma fifth on the betting board at +750.
Here is the AP Preseason College Football Poll for 2021:
AP Preseason College Football Poll
| Rank | Team | Previous | Conference | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Previous | Conference | Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1 | SEC | 1,548 (47) |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 6 | Big 12 | 1,462 (6) |
| 3 | Clemson | 3 | ACC | 1,447 (6) |
| 4 | Ohio State | 2 | Big Ten | 1,393 (1) |
| 5 | Georgia | 7 | SEC | 1,364 (3) |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 4 | SEC | 1,223 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 9 | Big 12 | 1,160 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 8 | American Athletic | 1,014 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 5 | ACC | 1,009 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 18 | ACC | 999 |
| 11 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 968 | |
| 12 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 743 | |
| 13 | Florida | 13 | SEC | 728 |
| 14 | Miami (FL) | 22 | ACC | 663 |
| 15 | USC | 21 | Pac-12 | 660 |
| 16 | LSU | SEC | 631 | |
| 17 | Indiana | 12 | Big Ten | 549 |
| 18 | Iowa | 16 | Big Ten | 513 |
| 19 | Penn State | Big Ten | 456 | |
| 20 | Washington | Pac-12 | 449 | |
| 21 | Texas | 19 | Big 12 | 350 |
| 22 | Coastal Carolina | 14 | Sun Belt | 232 |
| 23 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 15 | Sun Belt | 208 |
| 24 | Utah | Pac-12 | 176 | |
| 25 | Arizona State | Pac-12 | 125 |