NEW YORK — Penn State will open the season ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released Monday.
Georgia is No. 1, a year after its two-year run as national champion ended.
The Bulldogs received 46 of the 55 first-place votes from college football coaches. Preseason No. 2 Ohio State got seven votes at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Texas and Alabama.
The Associated Press preseason college football poll is scheduled to be released next Monday.
Texas and defending national champion Michigan each got a first-place vote. The Wolverines will open ranked No. 8 after losing coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback JJ McCarthy to the NFL.
Mississippi’s No. 6 ranking represents the highest preseason ranking for the Rebels in the coaches poll since 1970. Notre Dame is No. 7, followed by Michigan, Penn State and Florida State.
The Nittany Lions, coming off a 10-3 season that ended with a loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, open the year Aug. 31 at West Virginia.
The SEC’s Missouri (11) and LSU (12) were just outside the top 10.
The SEC had nine teams in the poll, including half of the top 12. It’s the highest starting spot for Texas since 2010 and the lowest for the Crimson Tide since 2009.
The Big Ten also had four teams in the top 10 and six ranked overall, while the Big 12 opens with five ranked teams.
Independent Notre Dame was the only team outside the Power 4 conferences ranked.
National runner-up Washington just missed the top 25.
West Virginia was listed eighth among “others receiving votes.”
