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Preseason Coaches Poll: Surprise team included among 4 receiving first-place votes for 2022

Michael Daly

By Michael Daly

Published:

The preseason coaches poll for USA TODAY had four teams receive first place votes and one of those teams surprised many people.

Alabama had 64 votes, Georgia secured 6 votes, and Ohio State received 5 first place votes. Ohio State was the lone B1G school that received a first place vote in the preseason coaches poll. Those three teams were expected to be at the top of the poll, but the fourth team to receive a first place vote was Texas.

Texas’ presence on this list surprised many in college football. Texas was the clear outlier on the list of teams that received first place votes. Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State all played in either a College Football Playoff or a New Year’s Six game in 2021.

In 2021, Texas finished the season with a 5-7 overall record. While the coach who gave Texas a first place vote will not be revealed until after the College Football Playoff, the vote caused a commotion in college football. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian heads into his second season as Texas’ head coach.

Each college football season has surprises and if Texas can finish the season in the College Football Playoff, that would be impressive for Sarkisian’s program.