Wisconsin football is included in AP preseason poll while Big Ten foe Ohio State is right behind No. 1 Alabama

Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Paul Chryst's team is ranked 18th in The AP poll after being 20th in the coaches' poll.
Paul Chryst's team is ranked 18th in The AP poll after being 20th in the coaches' poll.

MADISON – A week ago, the coaches gave the University of Wisconsin a nod as one of the nation’s top college football teams.

Monday it was the media’s turn.

The Badgers debuted in the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 18. That is two spots better than where they debuted in the USA Today coaches poll.

The 18th spot, coincidently, is where we last saw UW in the rankings last Nov. 21 before it was relegated to the realm of receiving votes following a loss to Minnesota in the regular-season finale.

Wisconsin is one of four Big Ten teams in the poll. It is joined by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 8 Michigan and No. 15 Michigan State. Five other teams from the conference received votes: Iowa, Penn State, Minnesota, Purdue and Nebraska, although none were close to making the top 25.

There are also five West Division teams in the poll with UW scheduled to play Iowa (Nov. 12) and Nebraska (Nov. 19) on the road. The Badgers, who were 9-4 last season and tied for second in the Big Ten West, will also face Big Ten East rivals Ohio State (Sept. 24) and Michigan State (Oct. 15) on the road.

The top five of the AP poll – Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson and Notre Dame – mirrors the coaches poll.

Alabama’s No. 1 preseason ranking is its seventh in Nick Saban’s 15 seasons. The Crimson Tide received 54 of 63 first-place votes. Ohio State (six) and Georgia (three) also received votes for the No. 1 

The Southeastern Conference has the most ranked teams with six followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference (five) and Big Ten (four).

The preseason polls are only a precursor to the one that matters most, the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings. Those rankings, which determine the field for the college football playoff, will debut Nov. 1 and will be updated weekly until the final poll on Dec. 4.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football tabbed in AP preseason poll; Alabama ranked No. 1