College football Re-Rank 1-130: A preseason breakdown of the 2021 teams

Familiar faces lead the way but several surprise teams are lurking just beyond the top five in the first USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-130 of the 2021 college football season.

Last year's national champion, Alabama, remains in the top spot while breaking in new faces in key positions on its offense. The Crimson Tide are followed by No. 2 Clemson, now quarterbacked by DJ Uiagalelei after Trevor Lawrence's tenure ended; No. 3 Oklahoma, suddenly home to a very solid defense; No. 4 Ohio State, the unquestioned boss of the Big Ten; and No. 5 Georgia, the biggest threat to Alabama's ownership of the SEC.

While these five teams are again expected to stay one step ahead of the field, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Cincinnati and No. 8 North Carolina are legitimate contenders for the College Football Playoff. In fact, the Cyclones placed four players on the USA TODAY Sports' preseason All-America team, equaling the number of picks from the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes.

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The Bearcats are the first of five teams from the Group of Five in the re-rank's top 25, joining No. 21 Central Florida, No. 22 Louisiana, No. 23 Boise State and No. 25 Coastal Carolina. In all, eight different conferences and one independent program are represented inside the top 25, led by the SEC with five teams.

There's also a familiar face at the bottom of the list: Louisiana-Monroe begins 2021 at No. 130 after going the entire 2020 season without leading in any game. The bottom rung of the Power Five consists of No. 123 Kansas, No. 116 Arizona, No. 113 Vanderbilt and No. 106 Illinois.

The debut 1-130 includes 2020 records and each team's finish in the final re-rank of the season. (Three teams did not play during the pandemic season: Connecticut, Old Dominion and New Mexico State.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football NCAA Re-Rank: Alabama, Clemson lead preseason list