CFB Insider reveals AP Top 25 Poll ballot: Alabama, Ohio State miss Top 3
The 2023 preseason AP Top 25 Poll will be released on Monday, August 14, at 12:00 p.m. EST.
Ahead of the release, Brett McMurphy of The Action Network revealed his ballot, which did not include the Alabama Crimson Tide or Ohio State Buckeyes in the top three.
The CFB Insider tweeted:
"My @AP_Top25 ballot 1 UGA 2 Michigan 3 Florida St 4 Ohio St 5 Bama 6 LSU 7 Washington 8 Penn St 9 Oregon 10 Clemson 11 Texas Tech 12 Notre Dame 13 Oregon St 14 USC 15 Tennessee 16 Louisville 17 Ole Miss 18 UNC 19 UCLA 20 Texas 21 Tulane 22 Utah 23 Wisconsin 24 Auburn 25 Illinois"
Check out Brett McMurphy's AP Top 25 preseason ballot below:
My @AP_Top25 ballot
1 UGA
2 Michigan
3 Florida St
4 Ohio St
5 Bama
6 LSU
7 Washington
8 Penn St
9 Oregon
10 Clemson
11 Texas Tech
12 Notre Dame
13 Oregon St
14 USC
15 Tennessee
16 Louisville
17 Ole Miss
18 UNC
19 UCLA
20 Texas
21 Tulane
22 Utah
23 Wisconsin
24 Auburn
25 Illinois
The Crimson Tide have not ranked outside of the top three of the preseason AP Poll since 2009, the year which Nick Saban won his first national championship with the program.
Both Alabama and Ohio State have question marks entering the new season, particularly under center after 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young and two-time Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud were selected as the top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Despite this, it remains difficult to envision both programs falling out of the top three of the preseason poll.
While the Georgia Bulldogs will likely be the top-ranked team in the nation, and the Michigan Wolverines could very well be second, either the Crimson Tide or Buckeyes could find themselves ranked third overall.
Were there any other surprises from Brett McMurphy's AP Top 25 Poll ballot?
Perhaps the biggest surprise from Brett McMurphy's AP Top 25 Poll ballot was the exclusion of the TCU Horned Frogs. While TCU will be one of the hardest teams to rank due to their roster turnover, they are coming off of a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
No team that reached the postseason entered the following season ranked lower than last year's Cincinnati Bearcats, who were ranked No.23.
Furthermore, while the Pac-12 is set to lose at least eight of their 12 schools in 2024, largely due to their inability to land a long-term media rights deal, McMurphy expects the on the field product to remain strong in 2023. The conference is tied with the SEC for the most schools, with six, in his AP Top 25 Poll ballot.
The Big Ten has just two schools in McMurphy's AP Top 25 Poll ballot while the AAC has one. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who remain independent, come in 12th place on his list.