The poll, released Thursday morning, has Alabama voted No. 1 with the Seminoles at No. 3. The teams meet at the Chik-fil-A Kickoff Classic on Sept. 2 in Atlanta. Alabama finished 14-1 last year and was the national runner-up, while Florida State finished 10-3.
Ohio State, which was 11-2 and a national semifinalist last year, is ranked in between the two programs. Southern Cal (10-3 last season) is No. 4. Defending national champion Clemson (14-1), which beat Alabama 35-31 in last year’s title game, is fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 is Penn State (11-3), national semifinalist Washington (12-2), Oklahoma (11-2), Michigan (10-3) and Wisconsin (11-3).