The first Associated Press Top 25 of the season is always the hardest. Who really knows how good these teams will be?
Following is one reporter’s crack at it.
A little bit of background: Last year’s version of this had Clemson No. 1, and the Tigers went on to win the national championship. It also had Tennessee No. 2, UCLA No. 8 and Notre Dame No. 10, so … yeah.
Following are snapshots of each of team, focusing on the challenges their schedules present and why they landed where they did. The top three are in a tier of their own. From there, it’s the usual crapshoot that makes college football such a delight.
