Defending national champion Ohio State overwhelmingly commanded the top spot in the initial Amway Coaches Poll, which was released Thursday morning.
With the bulk of last year's title team returning, the Buckeyes took 62 of 64 first-place votes from the coaches. Three proven quarterbacks return to the Buckeyes, plus running back Ezekiel Elliott, defensive end Joey Bosa, safety Vonn Bell, linebacker Darron Lee and other key performers.
TCU and Alabama ranked second and third, respectively, and each garnered one first-place vote.
Also of note: Texas is unranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 1998, per USA Today.
Casting votes in the poll are 64 FBS coaches, including OSU's Urban Meyer, Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, Alabama's Nick Saban, Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and Baylor's Art Briles.
The poll is purely for entertainment -- it's not used by the College Football Playoff selection committee to determine which four teams will be chosen for the playoff.
The entire order of the coaches' poll:
Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 164, Texas A&M 149, Oklahoma State 89, Virginia Tech 70, Utah 40, Kansas State 37, Louisville 27, Nebraska 27, Minnesota 25, Penn State 20, South Carolina 18, Miami (Fla.) 16, Texas 8, Illinois 7, Duke 6, Air Force 5, Louisiana Tech 5, Marshall 4, Utah State 4, West Virginia 3, North Carolina State 3, Brigham Young 3, Florida 2, Georgia Southern 2, North Carolina 2, Maryland 1, Michigan 1, Kentucky 1, Central Florida 1, Cincinnati 1, Washington 1.
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