Defending national champion Florida State will wear the nation’s biggest bulls eye heading into 2014 as the Seminoles will begin the year ranked first in both major polls. Upon the release of the Associated Press’ college football preseason rankings on Sunday, Florida State again found itself in the top spot.
Florida State actually received more first place votes in the AP Poll and topped the poll over second-ranked Alabama by a wider margin than in the Amway Coaches Poll. FSU received 57 of the 60 total first place votes as opposed to 56 of a possible 62 in the Coaches Poll, which was released on July 31st.
Behind Florida State and second-ranked Alabama in the AP Poll is Oregon, Oklahoma and Ohio State respectively. Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma each received one first place vote.
As was the case in the Coaches Poll, the Seminoles were the only team from the Sunshine State to begin the year ranked. UCF and Florida however, were the top two leading vote-getters for schools that did not crack the top 25.
Florida State is also one of three ACC teams that will begin the season ranked. Clemson and North Carolina were ranked 16th and 23rd respectively in each of the preseason polls. Defending Coastal division champion Duke received 71 votes while the ACC’s preseason pick to win the Coastal, Miami, received just 16.
The Seminoles had not been ranked preseason #1 in either poll since going wire-to-wire to win the national championship in 1999. That year, Florida State topped both preseason polls.
