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Preseason Amway Coaches Poll released, Buckeyes sit at the top

By Jonathan Bass

Nov 29, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus Buckeye celebrates near the end of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 42-28. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus Buckeye celebrates near the end of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 42-28. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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The preseason Amway Coaches Poll was released on Thursday, and a familiar face sits atop the heap.

In the latest sign that we’re standing on the precipice of a new college football season, the preseason Amway Coaches Poll was released on Thursday. To little surprise, the Ohio State Buckeyes are far-and-away ranked No. 1 (though not quite unanimous).

The reigning Big Ten and College Football Playoff champion Buckeyes return an ungodly amount of talent for the 2015 season. Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett anchor a talented quarterback stable, Ezekiel Elliott might be the nation’s best running back, and with Braxton Miller now shifting to H-back, the team now has yet another explosive, multi-faceted weapon to take the field. And that’s just the offense. On defense, Joey Bosa, Raekwon McMillan and Tyvis Powell all return to anchor what was a top-20 total defense just one year ago. It’s an embarrassment of riches in Columbus.

Elsewhere toward the top of the heap are a slew of familiar faces. Alabama, TCU, Baylor and Oregon are all expected to once again vie for one of the top-four slots in the second annual College Football Playoff.

Guidelines for the Coaches Poll are as follows:

"The Amway Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football Coaches Association their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th."

Below is a look at the preseason top-25.

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes (62)
  2. TCU Horned Frogs (1)
  3. Alabama Crimson Tide (1)
  4. Baylor Bears
  5. Oregon Ducks
  6. Michigan State Spartans
  7. Auburn Tigers
  8. Florida State Seminoles
  9. Georgia Bulldogs
  10. USC Trojans
  11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  12. Clemson Tigers
  13. LSU Tigers
  14. UCLA Bruins
  15. Ole Miss Rebels
  16. Arizona State Sun Devils
  17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
  18. Wisconsin Badgers
  19. Oklahoma Sooners
  20. Arkansas Razorbacks
  21. Stanford Cardinal
  22. Arizona Wildcats
  23. Missouri Tigers
  24. Boise State Broncos
  25. Tennessee Volunteers

The top five teams also receiving votes were: Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and Utah.

The first regular season Coaches Poll of the year will be released on Tuesday, September 8, following all of the Week 1 contests.

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