AP Preseason Poll Released for College Football

The first AP Preseason poll for college football this year is out, and Oklahoma is the king of the land for now. The AP poll is designed as a predictor for what will take place during the regular season, at times coming away with a pretty accurate prediction, but at other times missing the mark.

The poll was released today and the "experts" feel that Oklahoma is ready to win the NCAA Championship. Oklahoma received 36 of the 60 first-place votes, far outdistancing defending champion Auburn. Auburn is ranked No. 23, showing the voters have very little faith the school can continue doing well without Cam Newton at quarterback anymore.

Alabama is second, receiving 17 first-place votes, and Oregon is third ranked with four first-place votes. Those teams are followed by LSU and Boise State, which have one and two first-place votes, respectively. Florida State is the highest school in the poll without a first place vote (No. 6), and the top 10 is finished up with Stanford, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Nebraska.

Seeing Stanford all the way down at No. 7 is a bit of a surprise, especially since quarterback Andrew Luck is returning. He could very likely be the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft and should lead Stanford to another successful year. In the newly constructed Pac-12 North, he will receive a lot of attention for games against Oregon and Washington. USC was the third Pac-12 team to be ranked, finishing No. 25 in this first poll.

In the first year without Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State comes into the poll ranked No. 18, but surprisingly, that is far ahead of the unranked Michigan Wolverines. Notre Dame also returns to the poll, ranked No. 16. It seems the SEC is getting the most early-season support from voters, with two teams in the top four. Other SEC teams include Arkansas at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 20, Florida at No. 22, and Auburn at No. 23.

The college football season is just days from beginning, but the debate has already started about which teams have the best chance to get to the BCS Championship this year.