Clemson will start the 2020 season ranked #1 in both major polls. Earlier this month the coaches voting in their pre-season poll made the Tigers #1, and today the media participating the AP poll followed suit. The AP directed its voters to include all teams in the pre-season ranking, even those not playing in the fall. Future polls will include only those teams playing this fall. Clemson received 38 of the 61 first place votes. Ohio State received 21 votes, Alabama two and LSU the remaining one. Georgia and Oklahoma round out the top five.
Clemson is scheduled to play just one other Top 25 team in the regular season. That’s the trip to #10 Notre Dame in November. USC is scheduled to face six of the Top 25 teams in the regular season…#4 Georgia, #6 LSU, #8 Florida, #11 Auburn, #13 Texas A&M and #25 Tennessee.
AP Pre-Season Top 25
- Clemson (38)
- Ohio State (21)
- Alabama (2)
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- LSU (1)
- Penn State
- Florida
- Oregon
- Notre Dame
- Auburn
- Wisconsin
- Texas A&M
- Texas
- Oklahoma State
- Michigan
- USC
- North Carolina
- Minnesota
- Cincinnati
- UCF
- Utah
- Iowa State
- Iowa
- Tennessee
Others receiving votes: Memphis 86, Virginia Tech 85, Boise State 68, Arizona State 66, Miami (FL) 42, Louisville 32, Appalachian State 26, Washington 21, Kentucky 20, Indiana 19, Baylor 15, California 11, TCU 9, Virginia 7, Navy 6, Florida State 6, SMU 3, Mississippi State 3, Air Force 3, Northwestern 1, UAB 1
