SEC starts on top

Alabama stands atop the college football world after the first Associated Press Top 25 poll was released earlier today.
The defending champion Crimson Tide returning most of their nucleus from last year’s squad, including Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

Florida opens the post Tim Tebow-era at No. 4, while Arkansas is ranked No. 17 and LSU is 21st in the poll, followed by Georgia at 23.
The first preseason rankings bode well for the Southeastern Conference, ranked among the top football conferences in the nation.

Team Record Pts Pv
1. Alabama (54) 14-0 1,491 1
2. Ohio St. (3) 11-2 1,400 5
3. Boise St. (1) 14-0 1,336 4
4. Florida 13-1 1,237 3
5. Texas (1) 13-1 1,223 2
6. TCU 12-1 1,160 6
7. Oklahoma (1) 8-5 1,104 —
8. Nebraska 10-4 1,033 14
9. Iowa 11-2 1,007 7
10. Virginia Tech 10-3 973 10
11. Oregon 10-3 870 11
12. Wisconsin 10-3 822 16
13. Miami 9-4 785 19
14. Southern Cal 9-4 590 22
15. Pittsburgh 10-3 516 15
16. Georgia Tech 11-3 511 13
17. Arkansas 8-5 496 —
18. North Carolina 8-5 397 —
19. Penn St. 11-2 382 9
20. Florida St. 7-6 379 —
21. LSU 9-4 300 17
22. Auburn 8-5 296 —
23. Georgia 8-5 206 —
24. Oregon St. 8-5 198 —
25. West Virginia 9-4 184 25

Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 108, Stanford 81, Utah 80, South Carolina 71, Houston 66, Connecticut 32, Notre Dame 31, Missouri 27, BYU 19, Arizona 15, Clemson 15, Texas Tech 14, Navy 12, Washington 8, Texas A&M 7, Mississippi 6, Oklahoma St. 3, Cent. Michigan 2, Middle Tennessee 2, Temple 2, Boston College 1, SMU 1, UCF 1.