Alabama tops preseason coaches poll

Coach Nick Saban and Alabama are looking for another national championship in 2018, and the Crimson Tide seemingly are the favorites heading into the season.

In the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, released Thursday, the Crimson Tide received 61 of the 65 first-place votes.

Alabama has topped the poll for three consecutive seasons and was named by the coaches as the preseason favorite for the fifth time since 2010.

Under Saban, the Crimson Tide have won five national championships since he took over the program in 2007. They have been in the College Football Playoff three times, as has Clemson. The Tigers, who received three first-place votes, were No. 2 in the coaches poll.

Ohio State, facing uncertainty over the future of coach Urban Meyer a day before fall camp opens, received the final first-place vote and the No. 3 spot. Meyer was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday while the university investigates whether or not he knew about 2015 domestic violence allegations against recently fired receivers coach Zach Smith.

Georgia, which lost in the national title game to Alabama in January, and Oklahoma rounded out the top five.

Here is the complete Top 25 from the Amway Coaches Poll:

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Ohio State

4. Georgia

5. Oklahoma

6. Washington

7. Wisconsin

8. Miami

9. Penn State

10. Auburn

11. Notre Dame

12. Michigan State

13. Stanford

14. Michigan

15. USC

16. TCU

17. Virginia Tech

18. Mississippi State

19. Florida State

20. West Virginia

21. Texas

22. Boise State

23. Central Florida

24. LSU

25. Oklahoma State

--Field Level Media