Alabama ranked No. 8 in preseason coaches poll; Auburn just outside Top 25

There are less than three weeks until the first official college football game of the season which means it’s time for preseason polls to fuel some early trash talk.

While the release of the preseason AP Poll is still a week away, USA Today released the first edition of the 2025 coaches poll. Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze are both voters in the poll although the ballots were not made immediately public.

For the 17th consecutive season, the Crimson Tide are ranked in the preseason top 10, this time coming in at No. 8. While the program’s streak continued, it is Alabama’s lowest preseason ranking since 2008.

Keep reading to see the complete rankings + how far outside the Top 25 Auburn sits.

USA Today Coaches Poll

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For the first time in program history, Texas will open the season at No. 1 in the coaches poll. The Longhorns earned 28 of the 67 first-place votes.

Ohio State sits at No. 2, receiving 20 first-place votes. The Buckeyes will host No. 1 Texas in Week 1 on Aug. 30.

Alabama was the third highest ranked SEC team, behind Texas and No. 4 Georgia. Other conference teams in the top 25 include:

• No. 9 LSU
• No. 13 South Carolina
• No. 15 Ole Miss
• No. 17 Florida
• No. 18 Tennessee
• No. 21 Texas A&M

To no surprise, the SEC’s 9 teams in the top 25 were the most of any conference. The Big Ten has six teams in the top 25.

Five other SEC teams received votes in the preseason poll including Auburn, which had 50 total points. The Tigers have not been ranked in the preseason since 2020.

Auburn officially sits at 32nd overall and is the 12th highest ranked SEC team. It is also just one spot behind Baylor, the team’s opening opponent.

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