CBS Sports 130: Alabama tops preseason college football rankings of every FBS team
The Crimson Tide may have finished as the runner-up in 2016, but they top our preseason poll
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No preseason poll is as inclusive or expansive as the CBS Sports 130, the only longtime weekly college football rankings you will find with all 130 FBS teams represented and sorted in order against their peers.
Just because the CBS Sports 130 has 105 more places than your normal rankings doesn't mean we've got wildly different opinions on the No. 1 team in college football entering 2017. Just like the Coaches Poll and presumably the AP Top 25 (not released yet), we've got Alabama on top.
The Crimson Tide are a worthy preseason favorite with a talent level that seems to stand alone save for Urban Meyer's 2017 Ohio State squad, which checks in at No. 2. Florida State, USC and Penn State round out the top five, and outside of a surging belief in Auburn (No. 9), you'll see a top-10 that looks very similar to the way things finished at the end of the 2016 season.
See, that's the thing about the CBS Sports 130. College football doesn't exist in a 25-team league. That little number next to a team's name, while a method of bragging for fans on Saturday, doesn't ultimately mean that much. Depending on the season, there really might not be that big of a difference between No. 13 and No. 30 or No. 14 and No. 41. By viewing the college football landscape through a 130-team lens -- with the addition of Coastal Carolina and return of UAB this season -- we can get a more accurate view of the movement and distribution of strength in the sport.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week during the regular season. You can see the top-25 below, and 26-130 on our rankings page.
Preseason CBS Sports 130
| Rank | Team | 2016 Record | End of 2016 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 14-1 | 2 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 11-2 | 6 |
| 3 | Florida State | 10-3 | 8 |
| 4 | USC | 10-3 | 3 |
| 5 | Penn State | 11-3 | 7 |
| 6 | Clemson | 14-1 | 1 |
| 7 | Washington | 12-2 | 5 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 11-2 | 4 |
| 9 | Auburn | 8-5 | 22 |
| 10 | Oklahoma State | 10-3 | 11 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | 10 |
| 12 | LSU | 8-4 | 15 |
| 13 | Michigan | 10-3 | 9 |
| 14 | Stanford | 10-3 | 17 |
| 15 | Georgia | 8-5 | Outside top 25 |
| 16 | Florida | 9-4 | 14 |
| 17 | Louisville | 9-4 | 18 |
| 18 | Miami | 9-4 | 20 |
| 19 | South Florida | 11-2 | 19 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 9-4 | Outside top 25 |
| 21 | Texas | 5-7 | Outside top 25 |
| 22 | Virginia Tech | 10-4 | 16 |
| 23 | NC State | 7-6 | Outside top 25 |
| 24 | Washington State | 8-5 | Outside top 25 |
| 25 | TCU | 6-7 | Outside top 25 |
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 130: Teams ranked 26-130
