The SEC is the top conference in most folks' eyes, and it certainly appears to retain that status as far as the coaches are concerned. The conference placed five teams in the top ten of the preseason Coaches' Poll, and it has seven in the poll as a whole.

Here is how each SEC team ended up in the rankings:

1. LSU

2. Alabama

6. Georgia

9. South Carolina

10. Arkansas

23. Florida

25. Auburn

If you take the Others Receiving Votes section out, then Texas A&M is No. 30, Mississippi State is No. 33, and Missouri and Tennessee are tied at No. 43.

LSU being on top is not surprising, and Bama being right behind is certainly less than a shock as well. USC is your third-ranked team, with Oklahoma and Oregon rounding out the top five. After UGA in seventh is Florida State (they're BACK, baby!) with Michigan in the No. 8 spot. What is notable is the fact that LSU actually got the fewest number of first place votes among the three teams that got some. The Tigers have 18, Alabama has 20, and USC has 19.

The SEC has the most schools of any conference with seven. The Big 12 is right behind with six. The Big Ten has four, the ACC and Pac-12 each have three, the Mountain West has one, and the independents have one with Notre Dame.