The 2021 college football season is almost here.
The Coaches Poll was released last week, and the AP Preseason Top 25 was released Monday. Sporting News released its Preseason Top 25 earlier in the spring. All three polls follow a similar pattern.
The top five is full of the usual suspects. Alabama is ranked No. 1 in all three polls. The defending national champions are looking for a seventh national championship under Nick Saban.
Clemson is ranked No. 2 in the Coaches Poll and the SN Preseason Poll. The Tigers are looking for a seventh straight ACC championship under coach Dabo Swinney. Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. The Sooners are seeking a seventh straight Big 12 championship under Lincoln Riley.
Ohio State is ranked No. 3 in the SN Preseason Poll. The Buckeyes are looking for their fifth straight Big Ten championship. Georgia was ranked No. 5 in all three polls.
Sporting News takes a closer look at the AP Top 25, the Coaches Poll and a composite poll that includes the SN Preseason Top 25:
AP Preseason Top 25
| Rank | Team | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,548 (47) |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 1,462 (6) |
| 3 | Clemson | 1,447 (6) |
| 4 | Ohio State | 1,393 (1) |
| 5 | Georgia | 1,364 (5) |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1,223 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 1,160 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 1,014 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 1,009 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 999 |
| 11 | Oregon | 968 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 743 |
| 13 | Florida | 728 |
| 14 | Miami | 663 |
| 15 | USC | 660 |
| 16 | LSU | 631 |
| 17 | Indiana | 549 |
| 18 | Iowa | 513 |
| 19 | Penn State | 456 |
| 20 | Washington | 449 |
| 21 | Texas | 350 |
| 22 | Coastal Carolina | 232 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 208 |
| 24 | Utah | 176 |
| 25 | Arizona State | 125 |
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2
USA Today/AMWAY Coaches Preseason Poll
| Rank | Team | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,621 (63) |
| 2 | Clemson | 1,508 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 1,481 (2) |
| 4 | Ohio State | 1,435 |
| 5 | Georgia | 1,386 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1,286 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 1,139 |
| 8 | Iowa State | 1,131 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 999 |
| 10 | Cincinnati | 979 |
| 11 | Florida | 870 |
| 12 | Oregon | 842 |
| 13 | LSU | 664 |
| 14 | USC | 655 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 654 |
| 16 | Miami | 575 |
| 17 | Indiana | 573 |
| 18 | Iowa | 554 |
| 19 | Texas | 427 |
| 20 | Penn State | 422 |
| 21 | Washington | 404 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 216 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 153 |
| 24 | Coastal Carolina | 150 |
| 25 | Ole Miss | 149 |
Receiving votes: Utah 145; Northwestern 120; Arizona State 90; Auburn 84; Liberty 68; BYU 53; TCU 48; Michigan 30; UCF 29; N.C. State 27; Boise State 27; Kentucky 20; San Jose State 18; Army 13; Virginia Tech 9; Missouri 8; UCLA 7; Tulsa 6; Pitt 6; Boston College 6; Houston 5; Ball State 5; West Virginia 4; SMU 4; Appalachian State 4; UAB 3; Arkansas 3; Nevada 2; Mississippi State 2; Air Force 2; Stanford 1; Marshall 1; Florida State 1; Cal 1.
Composite Preseason Top 25
A look at the AP, Coaches and SN Polls in composite fashion. Schools were given points based on 1-25 ranking (25 points for a first-place vote):
| RANK | SCHOOL | AP | COACHES | SN | TOTAL |
| 1 | Alabama | 1 | 1 | 1 | 75 |
| 2 | Clemson | 3 | 2 | 2 | 71 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 2 | 3 | 4 | 69 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 4 | 4 | 3 | 67 |
| 5 | Georgia | 5 | 5 | 5 | 63 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 6 | 6 | 7 | 59 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 9 | 7 | 6 | 56 |
| 8 | Iowa State | 7 | 8 | 9 | 54 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 8 | 10 | 10 | 50 |
| 10 | Florida | 13 | 11 | 8 | 46 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 10 | 9 | 14 | 45 |
| 12 | Oregon | 11 | 12 | 16 | 39 |
| 13 | LSU | 16 | 13 | 11 | 38 |
| 14 | USC | 15 | 14 | 12 | 37 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 12 | 15 | 20 | 31 |
| 16(t) | Miami | 14 | 16 | 19 | 29 |
| 16(t) | Indiana | 17 | 17 | 15 | 29 |
| 18 | Texas | 21 | 19 | 13 | 25 |
| 19 | Iowa | 18 | 18 | 18 | 24 |
| 20 | Penn State | 19 | 20 | 25 | 14 |
| 21 | Washington | 20 | 21 | NR | 13 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | NR | 22 | 17 | 11 |
| 23 | Coastal Carolina | 22 | 24 | 23 | 9 |
| 24(t) | Louisiana | 23 | 23 | NR | 6 |
| 24(t) | Ole Miss | NR | 25 | 21 | 6 |
Others receiving votes: Auburn 4, Army 2, Utah 2, Arizona State 1
