PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The preseason AP Top 25 college football poll has two-time defending champion Georgia at the top and Pitt receiving votes.
Maybe what is as surprising with the poll is Alabama is fourth. The Bulldogs got 60 of the 63 first place votes, a pair went to number two Michigan and one to third-ranked Ohio State. After the Crimson Tide at four is LSU, USC, Penn State, Florida State, Clemson and Washington. Half of the top 10 will eventually be Big 10 teams.
The Seminoles are coming off a first 10-win season in nearly a decade including a win in the Cheez-It Bowl. It was FSU’s first winning season since 2017. The Tigers have had 12 consecutive double-digit win seasons and finished 8-0 in the ACC regular season last year. The Nittany Lions are coming off a best season since 2019 (11-2) and James Franklin returns a lot of starters to the Rose Bowl winning team.
Texas starts the second ten at number 11 followed by Tennessee, Notre Dame, Utah, Oregon, Kansas State, TCU, Oregon State, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. The third ACC team is 21st, North Carolina with Ole Miss-22, then Texas A&M, Tulane and Iowa.
The teams that received more votes than the Panthers in the ‘others receiving votes’-Texas Tech (101), South Carolina (73), UCLA (66), Texas-San Antonio (64), Arkansas (22), Boise State (17).
Panthers play five teams receiving votes in the initial Top 25 poll of the season.