Amway Preseason Coaches' Poll Released: Florida State Tops Ranking, Auburn Slides to 5th
ByThe Amway preseason coaches' poll is in and the Florida State Seminoles are unsurprisingly ranked first overall.
According to USA Today, the defending National Champions received 56 of a possible 62 first place votes, easily edging out the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Auburn Tigers, the runners up in the BCS title game, landed at fifth overall in the poll.
The top 10 is as follows:
1. Florida State
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma Sooners
4. Oregon Ducks
5. Auburn
6. Ohio State
7. UCLA Bruins
8. Michigan State Spartans
9. South Carolina Gamecocks
10. Baylor Bears
"We're very excited about being No. 1 and happy to be No. 1, but we understand that we have to play like No. 1 and play great football," Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher told USA Today. "That's going to be our objective. We're proud to start there and now we just have to go play great football."
Fisher has said earlier in the offseason that he does not want his team to play like they are defending champions.
"There is no added pressure," he said. "Our goal every year is to win the national championship. That's why we're at Florida State."
This season will be the first of the four-team College Football Playoff. After Florida State ended the SEC's seven-year run of claiming the National Title, college football's top conference seems poised to make a comeback. Still, the Big 12 and Pac-12 were also well represented in the Amway poll.
Alabama has restocked with an impressive recruiting class, including the transfer of quarterback Jacob Coker. Auburn also figures to make another run, especially if they can replicate the unrelenting and lethal rushing attack their offense boasted last year.
The Pac-12 could be the sport's major sleeper conference, especially with the four-team playoff. Both UCLA and Oregon will benefit from their star quarterbacks returning for at least one more year in school.