The USA Today/Coaches poll, the lesser of the college football polls was released this morning. Alabama leads the way at #1, and four Big Ten squads (Ohio State is #2) are ranked among the top 25. The Big Ten leads all conferences with four teams ranked in the top 15 and the conference joins the Big 12 and SEC in featuring multiple teams in the top 10. The SEC has six teams in the top 25, the Big 12 has three, and the ACC four. Florida, Texas and Boise St. round out the top 5.
Rose Bowl winning Ohio State enters the 2010 season ranked second overall after finishing with an 11-2 record and securing its fifth straight Big Ten Championship last season. Ohio State knocked off Oregon (ranked 11th in the 2010 preseason poll) in last year’s Rose Bowl Game and was voted as the preseason favorite to win the 2010 Big Ten title. The Buckeyes aim to match the record of six straight conference crowns, first accomplished by Ohio State from 1972-77.
Ranked 10th in this year’s preseason poll, Iowa finished last season with an 11-2 mark and a victory over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Hawkeyes return 16 starters from a year ago and are in search of their first conference championship since sharing the crown with Michigan in 2004. Iowa was voted to finish second in the conference by the attending media at Big Ten media days.
Wisconsin appears at No. 12 in the preseason USA Today poll, having recorded 10 wins last season, including a victory over Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl to end the year. With 18 starters returning, led by reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year running back John Clay, the Badgers were voted to finish third in the conference.
Checking in at No. 14 is Penn State, the fourth Big Ten team featured in the preseason USA Today top 25. Penn State was the third conference team to finish 2009 with 11 victories, highlighted by a win over Louisiana State in the Capital One Bowl. The Nittany Lions return 13 starters from last season and look to win their second conference championship in the past three seasons.
Michigan State and Northwestern also received votes in the first USA Today poll of 2010.
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1.
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Alabama (55)
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14-0
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1,469
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1
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2.
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Ohio State (4)
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11-2
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1,392
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5
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3.
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Florida
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13-1
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1,245
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3
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4.
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Texas
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13-1
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1,240
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2
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5.
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Boise State
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14-0
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1,215
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4
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6.
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Virginia Tech
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10-3
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1,052
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10
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7.
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TCU
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12-1
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1,051
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6
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8.
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Oklahoma
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8-5
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1,035
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NR
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9.
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Nebraska |
10-4
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1,001
|
14
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10.
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Iowa
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11-2
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952
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7
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11.
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Oregon |
10-3
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940
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11
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12.
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Wisconsin
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10-3
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778
|
16
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13.
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Miami (Fla.)
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9-4
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728
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19
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14.
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Penn State
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11-2
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508
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8
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15.
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Pittsburgh
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10-3
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492
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15
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16.
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LSU
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9-4
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476
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17
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17.
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Georgia Tech |
11-3
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455
|
13
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18.
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North Carolina |
8-5
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445
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NR
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19.
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Arkansas
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8-5
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438
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NR
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20.
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Florida State
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7-6
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374
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NR
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21.
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Georgia |
8-5
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312
|
NR
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22.
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Oregon State |
8-5
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263
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NR
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23.
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Auburn
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8-5
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260
|
NR
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24t.
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Utah |
10-3
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169
|
18
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|
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24t.
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West Virginia |
9-4
|
169
|
22
|
|
| Others receiving votes | |||||
| Cincinnati (12-1) 135; Houston (10-4) 76; Brigham Young (11-2) 66; Arizona (8-5) 65; Mississippi (9-4) 48; Clemson (9-5) 44; Stanford (8-5) 41; Connecticut (8-5) 40; Notre Dame (6-6) 38; South Carolina (7-6) 38; Washington (5-7) 26; Missouri (8-5) 23; Navy (10-4) 12; Oklahoma State (9-4) 11; Boston College (8-5) 10; Michigan State (6-7) 10; Arizona State (4-8) 6; California (8-5) 6; Texas Tech (9-4) 5; South Florida (8-5) 4; Texas A&M (6-7) 3; Northwestern (8-5) 2; Temple (9-4) 2; Central Michigan (12-2) 1; Mississippi State (5-7) 1; Nevada (8-5) 1; Northern Illinois (7-6) 1; Southern Methodist (8-5) 1. | |||||