Clemson University’s defending national champion football team will enter the 2017 season ranked No. 5 in the nation, according to the 2017 preseason Associated Press poll.
Perennial national championship contender Alabama – which has won four of the last eight national titles – was ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press voters and receive 52 of the 61 first place votes in the poll. Ohio State is ranked second and Florida State is third.
Alabama will face Florida State in its season opener on September 2, one of three Top 25 matchups on tap the first week of the season.
Worth noting? Clemson defeated both of those teams last year – although they did so with the incomparable Deshaun Watson under center and deep ball threat Mike Williams at wide receiver.
Both Watson and Williams were taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.
The Tigers’ top running back from last year’s championship squad – Wayne Gallman – will also be playing on Sundays this fall, having been selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the New York football Giants. Tight end Jordan Leggett won’t be in Tigertown this year, either, having been chosen by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the draft.
Can head coach Dabo Swinney’s team duplicate its remarkable run without all of that offensive firepower?
We’ll find out soon …
Clemson faces four Top 25 opponents – including Auburn (#12), Louisville (#16) and Virginia Tech (#21) – in the first month of the season.
Anyway, here’s the AP poll …
1. Alabama(52) 0-0, 1513 — 9/2 vs #3 Florida State
2. Ohio State(3) 0-0, 1414 — 8/31 @ Indiana
3. Florida State(4) 0-0, 1396 — 9/2 vs #1 Alabama
4. USC(2) 0-0, 1325 — 9/2 vs Western Michigan
5. Clemson 0-0, 1201 — 9/2 vs Kent State
6. Penn State 0-0, 1196 — 9/2 vs Akron
7. Oklahoma 0-0, 1170 — 9/2 vs UTEP
8. Washington 0-0, 1150 — 9/1 @ Rutgers
9. Wisconsin 0-0, 926 — 9/1 vs Utah State
10. Oklahoma State 0-0, 889 — 8/31 vs Tulsa
11. Michigan 0-0, 881 — 9/2 vs #17 Florida
12. Auburn 0-0, 880 — 9/2 vs Georgia Southern
13. LSU 0-0, 784 — 9/2 vs BYU
14. Stanford 0-0, 695 — 8/26 vs Rice
15. Georgia 0-0, 690 — 9/2 vs Appalachian State
16. Louisville 0-0, 629 — 9/2 vs Purdue
17. Florida 0-0, 624 — 9/2 vs #11 Michigan
18. Miami 0-0, 492 — 9/2 vs Bethune-Cookman
19. South Florida 0-0, 327 — 8/26 @ San José State
20. Kansas State 0-0, 317 — 9/2 vs Central Arkansas
21. Virginia Tech 0-0, 240 — 9/3 vs #22 West Virginia
22. West Virginia 0-0, 207 — 9/3 vs #21 Virginia Tech
23. Texas 0-0, 173 — 9/2 vs Maryland
24. Washington State 0-0, 133 — 9/2 vs Montana State
25. Tennessee 0-0, 114 — 9/4 vs Georgia Tech
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