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A sure sign of football season being around the corner? The preseason Amway Coaches Poll being released. See below, and then scroll below that for observations:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1ST PLACE VOTES | PREV | CHANGE | HI/LOW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 14-1 | 1598 | 62 | NR | – | |
| 2 | TCU | 12-1 | 1487 | 1 | NR | – | |
| 3 | Alabama | 12-2 | 1452 | 1 | NR | – | |
| 4 | Baylor | 11-2 | 1365 | NR | – | ||
| 5 | Oregon | 13-2 | 1260 | NR | – | ||
| 6 | Michigan State | 11-2 | 1230 | NR | – | ||
| 7 | Auburn | 8-5 | 1103 | NR | – | ||
| 8 | Florida State | 13-1 | 1057 | NR | – | ||
| 9 | Georgia | 10-3 | 1026 | NR | – | ||
| 10 | USC | 9-4 | 1014 | NR | – | ||
| 11 | Notre Dame | 8-5 | 883 | NR | – | ||
| 12 | Clemson | 10-3 | 838 | NR | – | ||
| 13 | LSU | 8-5 | 727 | NR | – | ||
| 14 | UCLA | 10-3 | 697 | NR | – | ||
| 15 | Ole Miss | 9-4 | 668 | NR | – | ||
| 16 | Arizona State | 10-3 | 577 | NR | – | ||
| 17 | Georgia Tech | 11-3 | 573 | NR | – | ||
| 18 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | 470 | NR | – | ||
| 19 | Oklahoma | 8-5 | 407 | NR | – | ||
| 20 | Arkansas | 7-6 | 377 | NR | – | ||
| 21 | Stanford | 8-5 | 365 | NR | – | ||
| 22 | Arizona | 10-4 | 299 | NR | – | ||
| 23 | Missouri | 11-3 | 229 | NR | – | ||
| 24 | Boise State | 12-2 | 190 | NR | – | ||
| 25 | Tennessee | 7-6 | 166 | NR | – |
--Eight SEC teams (Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mizzou and Tennessee) are in the poll. Four of those teams are on the Gamecocks' schedule this year: the Dawgs between the hedges on September 19, back-to-back against the Tigers (at Mizzou on October 3 and versus LSU on October 10) and at the Vols on November 7. Speaking of the Vols, looks like the coaches are buying what Butch Jones and company are selling.
--CLARIFICATION: The USC that is in tenth IS NOT South Carolina. That is Southern Cal, clear on the other side of the country.
--The door's open for the Gamecocks to make some noise early. IF and only if they take care of business against North Carolina in Charlotte on September 3 and get revenge on Kentucky on September 12, a win in Athens could get them into the top 25.
--The team from the Upstate region of South Carolina is twelfth, which could set up beautifully for a win-and-get-into-the-playoffs scenario for the Tigers at Williams-Brice on November 28. That is, of course, unless Clemson gets smoked by some inferior team long before that.
--The Gamecocks got eighteen votes. THE GAMECOCKS RECEIVED VOTES. ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST.
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