The 2022 college football season is less than two weeks away, and now we know which title contender enters the season with the coveted No. 1 ranking. The Preseason AP Top 25 was released Monday with Alabama entering the season as the top team in the nation for fifth time in the last seven years. The Crimson Tide boasts a Heisman Trophy winner in Bryce Young, star EDGE threat Will Anderson Jr. and the motivation to return to the top of the college football world after falling to Georgia in the national title game in January. Ohio State enters at No. 2 after missing the College Football Playoff last season. The Buckeyes are led by star quarterback CJ Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — perhaps the top wide receiver in the country. The biggest question facing coach Ryan Day’s team is the defense, even though he lured defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from Oklahoma State to fix the problems that plagued the team last season. Defending national champion Georgia, led by quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, enters the season ranked No. 3. The main question facing the Bulldogs is their defense, which lost five players in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Kirby Smart has turned the program into a recruiting powerhouse, but that will be tested this year after losing a total of 15 players to the next level. Clemson jumped from No. 14 in the final 2022 AP Top 25 to No. 4 entering this season, while Notre Dame rounded out the top five. Here’s a look at the full top 25 (first place votes in parentheses): Others receiving votes: Tennessee (180), Texas (164), Iowa (163), Penn State (160), LSU (55), Fresno State (32), Minnesota (31), UCF (27), Purdue (17) ), Mississippi State (15), Auburn (15), Florida (14), Kansas State (14), North Carolina (9), Boise State (5), Air Force (4), Appalachian State (4), South Carolina (2), UCLA (2), San Diego State (2), Utah State (2), Nebraska (1)
