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College football is starting to feel like it's almost, maybe, kind of, sort of here. Along with Urban Meyer's first Ohio State camps of the young season set to open up tomorrow, USA Today released the inaugural 2012 Coaches Poll Thursday. Of course, with Ohio State ineligible for post-season consideration, the Buckeyes are not permitted for inclusion in the poll (which ultimately awards it's final first place vote to the BCS Championship Game winner).
Now whether or not there should be preseason polls all together in the first place is a far lengthier philosophical discussion for another day, but this is the world we live in. In the interest of feeding the hype machine (and generating synthetic conversation), let's gander into what sports information directors across the country think of college football's 2012 landscape, shall we?
|
Rank
|
Team (first-place votes) |
Record
|
Points
|
Final 2011 rank
|
|
1.
|
13-1
|
1,403
|
2
|
|
|
2.
|
Alabama (20)
|
12-1
|
1,399
|
1
|
|
3.
|
Southern California (19)
|
10-2
|
1,388
|
NR
|
|
4.
|
Oklahoma |
10-3
|
1,276
|
15
|
|
5.
|
Oregon |
12-2
|
1,258
|
4
|
|
6.
|
Georgia
|
10-4
|
1,061
|
20
|
|
7.
|
Florida State |
9-4
|
1,055
|
23
|
|
8.
|
Michigan |
11-2
|
1,023
|
9
|
|
9.
|
South Carolina
|
11-2
|
981
|
8
|
|
10.
|
Arkansas
|
11-2
|
948
|
5
|
|
11.
|
West Virginia
|
10-3
|
833
|
18
|
|
12.
|
Wisconsin |
11-3
|
743
|
11
|
|
13.
|
Michigan State
|
11-3
|
717
|
10
|
|
14.
|
Clemson |
10-4
|
598
|
22
|
|
15.
|
Texas |
8-5
|
549
|
NR
|
|
16.
|
Nebraska |
9-4
|
501
|
24
|
|
17.
|
TCU |
11-2
|
499
|
13
|
|
18.
|
Stanford |
11-2
|
497
|
7
|
|
19.
|
Oklahoma State |
12-1
|
476
|
3
|
|
20.
|
Virginia Tech |
11-3
|
461
|
17
|
|
21.
|
Kansas State |
10-3
|
398
|
16
|
|
22.
|
Boise State |
12-1
|
271
|
6
|
|
23.
|
Florida |
7-6
|
250
|
NR
|
|
24.
|
Notre Dame |
8-5
|
166
|
NR
|
|
25.
|
Auburn |
8-5
|
66
|
NR
|
At number eight, Michigan is the highest Big Ten ranked team. Joining them are 12th ranked Wisconsin, 13th ranked Michigan State, and 16th ranked Nebraska. No other Big Ten teams received votes.