The college football season remains uncertain this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, there are still those who are staying optimistic .
Clemson comes out as the No. 1 preseason ranking in the The Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports, released Thursday, for the second year in a row.
The Tigers, who lost the College Football Playoff championship game to LSU in January, gained 38 of the 65 first-place votes from the voting panel.
They will be led by junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is expected to be a Heisman Trophy favorite entering the 2020 season.
Second is Ohio State, who received 17 first-place votes. The Buckeyes’ junior quarterback, Justin Fields, is likely to join Lawrence atop the list of Heisman candidates.
The remaining first place votes went to No. 3 Alabama (four) and No. 5 LSU (six). Georgia garnered the No. 4 spot.
The top 10 was rounded out by Oklahoma, Penn State, Florida, Oregon and Notre Dame.
Ohio State and Oklahoma joined Clemson and Oklahoma as the four College Football Playoff teams following the 2019 season.
The voting panel is made up of the head coaches of 65 FBS programs.
–Field Level Media
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 0-0 | 1589 | 38 | NR | — | 1/1 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 1555 | 17 | NR | — | 2/2 |
| 3 | Alabama | 0-0 | 1495 | 4 | NR | — | 3/3 |
| 4 | Georgia | 0-0 | 1345 | 0 | NR | — | 4/4 |
| 5 | Louisiana State | 0-0 | 1330 | 6 | NR | — | 5/5 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 0-0 | 1315 | 0 | NR | — | 6/6 |
| 7 | Penn State | 0-0 | 1199 | 0 | NR | — | 7/7 |
| 8 | Florida | 0-0 | 1176 | 0 | NR | — | 8/8 |
| 9 | Oregon | 0-0 | 1164 | 0 | NR | — | 9/9 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 1012 | 0 | NR | — | 10/10 |
| 11 | Auburn | 0-0 | 898 | 0 | NR | — | 11/11 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 887 | 0 | NR | — | 12/12 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | 807 | 0 | NR | — | 13/13 |
| 14 | Texas | 0-0 | 703 | 0 | NR | — | 14/14 |
| 15 | Michigan | 0-0 | 687 | 0 | NR | — | 15/15 |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | 0-0 | 524 | 0 | NR | — | 16/16 |
| 17 | Southern California | 0-0 | 521 | 0 | NR | — | 17/17 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 0-0 | 494 | 0 | NR | — | 18/18 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 415 | 0 | NR | — | 19/19 |
| 20 | Utah | 0-0 | 241 | 0 | NR | — | 20/20 |
| 21 | Central Florida | 0-0 | 232 | 0 | NR | — | 21/21 |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 0-0 | 229 | 0 | NR | — | 22/22 |
| 23 | Iowa | 0-0 | 204 | 0 | NR | — | 23/23 |
| 24 | Virginia Tech | 0-0 | 143 | 0 | NR | — | 24/24 |
| 25 | Iowa State | 0-0 | 135 | 0 | NR | — | 25/25 |
Also receiving votes:
Tennessee 111; Boise State 111; Arizona State 88; Kentucky 73; Memphis 71; Baylor 66; Washington 65; Louisville 62; Miami 58; Appalachian State 31; Navy 17; Virginia 13; Air Force 12; Mississippi State 9; Texas Christian 7; Washington State 6; Tulane 5; California 5; UL Lafayette 3; Southern Methodist 3; Nebraska 3; Stanford 2; Pittsburgh 1; Kansas State 1; Indiana 1; Duke 1.
