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The Associated Press just released their pre-season Top 25 poll, and the West Virginia Mountaineers will start the season out ranked No. 17 in the country. The poll mostly falls in line with what the Amway Coaches poll indicated earlier this month, with West Virginia and the Virginia Tech Hokies swapping spots.
West Virginia is again the third ranked Big 12 team, behind the Oklahoma Sooners and the TCU Horned Frogs. The Mountaineers will have plenty of opportunities to move up the poll as the season advances with two key Power 5 opponents scheduled before conference play begins.
The AP Top 25 poll is voted on by a panel of 61 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country, all of whom have an extensive background covering college football.
2018 Preseason AP Poll
| Ranking | Team | 2017 Record | Points | Previous Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Team | 2017 Record | Points | Previous Ranking |
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 13-1 | 1505 (42) | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson Tigers | 12-2 | 1476 (18) | 4 |
| 3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 13-2 | 1350 | 2 |
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 13-1 | 1271 (1) | 7 |
| 5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 12-2 | 1256 | 6 |
| 6 | Washington Huskies | 10-3 | 1215 | 16 |
| 7 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12-2 | 1173 | 6 |
| 8 | Miami Hurricanes | 10-3 | 1027 | 13 |
| 9 | Auburn Tigers | 10-4 | 1013 | 10 |
| 10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 11-2 | 1012 | 8 |
| 11 | Michigan State Spartans | 10-3 | 877 | 15 |
| 12 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 10-3 | 804 | 11 |
| 13 | Stanford Cardinal | 9-5 | 778 | 20 |
| 14 | Michigan Wolverines | 8-5 | 773 | NR |
| 15 | USC Trojans | 11-3 | 543 | 12 |
| 16 | TCU Horned Frogs | 11-3 | 533 | 9 |
| 17 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 7-6 | 511 | NR |
| 18 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 9-4 | 450 | 19 |
| 19 | Florida State Seminoles | 7-6 | 384 | NR |
| 20 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 9-4 | 351 | 24 |
| 21 | UCF Golden Knights | 13-0 | 312 | 6 |
| 22 | Boise State Broncos | 11-3 | 292 | 22 |
| 23 | Texas Longhorns | 7-6 | 216 | NR |
| 24 | Oregon Ducks | 7-6 | 148 | NR |
| 25 | LSU Tigers | 9-4 | 106 | NR |