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The preseason Coaches' Poll is out, and the SEC is a major presence throughout:
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1ST PLACE VOTES | PREV | CHANGE | HI/LOW |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ohio State | 14-1 | 1598 | 62 | NR | – | |
2 | TCU | 12-1 | 1487 | 1 | NR | – | |
3 | Alabama | 12-2 | 1452 | 1 | NR | – | |
4 | Baylor | 11-2 | 1365 | NR | – | ||
5 | Oregon | 13-2 | 1260 | NR | – | ||
6 | Michigan State | 11-2 | 1230 | NR | – | ||
7 | Auburn | 8-5 | 1103 | NR | – | ||
8 | Florida State | 13-1 | 1057 | NR | – | ||
9 | Georgia | 10-3 | 1026 | NR | – | ||
10 | USC | 9-4 | 1014 | NR | – | ||
11 | Notre Dame | 8-5 | 883 | NR | – | ||
12 | Clemson | 10-3 | 838 | NR | – | ||
13 | LSU | 8-5 | 727 | NR | – | ||
14 | UCLA | 10-3 | 697 | NR | – | ||
15 | Ole Miss | 9-4 | 668 | NR | – | ||
16 | Arizona State | 10-3 | 577 | NR | – | ||
17 | Georgia Tech | 11-3 | 573 | NR | – | ||
18 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | 470 | NR | – | ||
19 | Oklahoma | 8-5 | 407 | NR | – | ||
20 | Arkansas | 7-6 | 377 | NR | – | ||
21 | Stanford | 8-5 | 365 | NR | – | ||
22 | Arizona | 10-4 | 299 | NR | – | ||
23 | Missouri | 11-3 | 229 | NR | – | ||
24 | Boise State | 12-2 | 190 | NR | – | ||
25 | Tennessee | 7-6 | 166 | NR | – |
The conference has eight teams in, with three of them coming in the top ten. The West put five in with Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas, while the East provides three of them with Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee. The first two teams out of the poll in the Also Receiving Votes category are the other two West teams. Mississippi State is at hypothetical No. 26, while Texas A&M is one spot after hypothetical No. 27.
Strangely, every East team but Vandy got at least one vote. I haven't looked at the voters to know if, say, Mark Stoops might be the guy who put UK at No. 25 on a ballot, but coaches have been known to vote for friends or future opponents.
The conference came close to getting ten teams in to the ranking here, which shows that at least among the coaches, there is no lack of respect for the league in 2015.