The first Saturday of the 2018 college football season is less than a month away now, and on Thursday another benchmark of the approaching campaign arrived in the form of the Coaches' Poll.
Defending champion Alabama checked in at No. 1, earning 61 of the 65 available first-place votes. Clemson and Ohio State followed at Nos. 2 and 3.
On a per capita basis, coaches are higher on the Big 12 than any other league. Half of the Big 12's 10-team roster earned a spot in the initial top-25, joining the 14-team SEC and the 14-team Big Ten. Just one of the Big 12's five ranked teams (No. 5 Oklahoma) found its way in the top 10, however, while the SEC and Big Ten each placed three times, while the ACC placed two.
The full rankings:
1. Alabama -- (61 first-place votes)
2. Clemson -- (3)
3. Ohio State -- (1)
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Washington
7. Wisconsin
8. Miami
9. Penn State
10. Auburn
11. Notre Dame
12. Michigan State
13. Stanford
14. Michigan
15. USC
16. TCU
17. Virginia Tech
18. Mississippi State
19. Florida State
20. West Virginia
21. Texas
22. Boise State
23. UCF
24. LSU
25. Oklahoma State