Preseason Coaches Poll released in advance of college football season

ACTION 8 LACE UP SPORTS (WAKA) – The preseason college football coaches poll has been released, with Alabama in an unfamiliar position outside the top ten.

The 73 coaches who took part in the poll put the Crimson Tide at No. 11. Alabama is behind five other SEC teams.

There were nine SEC teams to make the Top 25. Auburn received votes, but not enough to make the list.

Ohio State is ranked No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame.

Defending national champion Indiana is ranked 6th, but the Hoosiers did receive 14 first-place votes, which is second only to Ohio State.

Interestingly, Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers are ranked 13th, which is three places behind his former team Ole Miss, which is No. 10.

The Associated Press will release its preseason poll on August 17.

2026 PRESEASON COACHES POLL (first-place votes in parentheses; SEC teams in bold):

1. Ohio State (38)
2. Oregon (6)
3. Georgia (7)
4. Texas (2)
5. Notre Dame (5)
6. Indiana (14)
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Oklahoma
10. Ole Miss
11. Alabama
12. Texas Tech
13. LSU
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Michigan
17. Penn State
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. SMU
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Clemson
24. Houston
25. Missouri

SEC teams receiving votes: Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Auburn

SEC teams receiving no votes: Mississippi State, Kentucky, Arkansas