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 | | Nick Saban, who turns 71 on Halloween, is leading another Alabama charge to a potential championship. | | Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports | |
| In less than three weeks, another college football season starts, leading up to crowning a national champion on Jan. 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. |
| But before then, the argument over which teams will actually play in the game starts with the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. The 65 head coaches at the Football Bowl Subdivision schools who actually vote in the poll have the task of selecting the best 25 teams each week even though they have no chance of watching every game. |
| In Athens, Georgia, the defending champions have to look at three numbers: 14 and 15. They lost 14 starters and had 15 players selected in the NFL draft. But Kirby Smart has always reloaded with four-and five- star talent to make sure the Bulldogs are again going to be a force to be reckoned with. |
Starting No. 1 is no guarantee |
| Alabama again starts at the top of the heap in the preseason poll, taking 54 of 66 first-place votes to finish ahead of Ohio State and defending champion Georgia. |
| Clemson and Notre Dame round out the top five. Big Ten champ Michigan is No. 6, with Texas A&M, armed with the nation's top recruiting class, checks in at No. 7. Utah, Oklahoma and Baylor close out the top 10. |
| For Alabama, it's the seventh time in the past 13 seasons it has started the season at No. 1. But only once have the Crimson Tide hoisted the championship trophy after receiving the preseason's top ranking. |
| The SEC leads with six ranked teams, the ACC has five and the Big Ten and Big 12 each having four ranked teams. |
More Top 25 breakdowns |
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Overrated ... overrated |
| Each season, the overrated chant is heard loud and clear and this season will be no different. The most intriguing teams with that bullseye on its back are Texas A&M and USC. |
| A&M recruits well and head coach Jimbo Fisher is bound and determined to get the Aggies at least to the SEC Championship Game, which they haven't reached in the decade since joining the league. As usual, playing in the SEC West has its own issues with the likes of Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss on the schedule, plus this season's home games against Florida in November and a primetime matchup with Miami on Sept. 17. |
| For USC and new head coach Lincoln Riley, his late-night departure from Oklahoma last December still has people talking. On the field, he will rely on transfer quarterback Caleb Williams, who started the last two months of the 2021 season for the Sooners. The Trojans went 4-8 last season, and have multiple questions to answer at offensive line and defense. With winnable games the first month of the season, USC has a chance to be the season's biggest surprise if things break their way. |
 | | Southern California coach Lincoln Riley during the spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | | Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports | |
| Here is more college football from USA TODAY's college football staff to whet your appetite before the season starts: |
For subscribers: |
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 | | Brigham Young quarterback Jaren Hall (3) passes the ball as Baylor defensive lineman TJ Franklin (90) chases during the second quarter at McLane Stadium. | | Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports | |
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