AP Top 25 Preseason College Football Rankings Projection, 2016

Projecting the AP top 25 preseason college football rankings for 2016. How will voters view teams heading into next season?

The AP preseason rankings are relatively easy. Normally, the voters go chalk and choose the obvious. If they can name the star player – particularly the quarterback – they’ll like that team more. That doesn’t mean they’re wrong, but it usually means they won’t go all that deep and will normally go by the preseason magazines and websites.

The AP only got one of the playoff teams right in the 2015 preseason top four, ranking Alabama third, with Ohio State first, TCU second, and Baylor fourth. But it didn’t miss by much with Michigan State ranked fifth and Clemson a not-that-bad – considering the key losses – 12th. Oklahoma? 19th.

The 2014 preseason rankings were as right as reasonably possible with the top three teams – Florida State, Alabama and Oregon – all making the playoff, and No. 5 Ohio State winning it all. Oklahoma was fourth.

2013? No one anywhere had Auburn doing anything, and eventual national champion, Florida State, was 11th. But to be fair, no one knew that Jameis Winston was going to turn into a Heisman winner and the defense was going to replace all the key starters up front.

The AP poll doesn’t mean anything anymore since it’s nothing more than a grand exercise, but it’s still a fun indicator and it’s still the one ranking that has the history.

So assuming the AP goes by the obvious and takes the teams that 1) closed out great, 2) returns stars and 3) have a lot of key players back, the 2016 AP top 25 preseason college football rankings should be …

Projected AP Top 25 Preseason Poll

1. Clemson
2. Oklahoma
3. LSU
4. Tennessee
5. Baylor
6. Ohio State
7. Alabama
8. Houston
9. Florida State
10. Michigan
11. Stanford
12. Michigan State
13. Iowa
14. TCU
15. Oklahoma State
16. Notre Dame
17. Florida
18. Oregon
19. USC
20. Arkansas
21. UCLA
22. Wisconsin
23. Ole Miss
24. Georgia
25. Nebraska

MORE: 2016 Preseason College Football Rankings, No. 1-128