Since it's August, that means college football is right around the corner. One of the biggest signs of the approaching season is the release of the preseason poll, and the first major one is out.
The USA Today Amway Coaches poll has Alabama as the No. 1 team in the country. The Crimson Tide, which lost to Clemson in last season's national championship game, received 49 first-place votes and 1,603 points to outdistance No. 2 Ohio State (five first-place votes, 1,512 points). Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Southern California and No. 5 Clemson.
The Big Ten flexed its muscles in the poll, with No. 6 Penn State, No. 9 Michigan and No. 10 Wisconsin joining Ohio State in the top 10. No other Big Ten team made the top 25.
The Gophers received six votes, good for a tie for 50th. Other Big Ten teams receiving votes were: Northwestern (35th with 25 votes), Nebraska (36th, 23), Iowa (52nd, five) and Michigan State and Maryland (one vote each).
Minnesota's 2017 schedule has only two teams -- Michigan and Wisconsin -- in the preseason top 25.
Western Michigan, former employer of new Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, received eight votes.
The complete poll can be found at:
http://sportspolls.usatoday.com/ncaa/football/polls/coaches-poll/
