Top 25 rankings show strength of SEC

We didn’t exactly need evidence that the SEC rules college football.

The past two national champions (Florida and LSU) have come from the SEC. LSU and Georgia both won blowouts in BCS bowl games last season.

USA Today’s Top 25 rankings, released Friday morning, demonstrated that the coaches voting in the poll expect the SEC’s domination to continue.

Georgia is the preseason No. 1. Florida (No. 5) and LSU (No. 6) are in the top 10. The Big 12 also has three top-10 teams, but the SEC has Auburn checking in at No. 11.

The ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10 each have one representative in the top 10.

It’s unusual for the coaches to agree with the media on anything, but both groups chose the same ACC favorite. Clemson, picked as champion in the ACC preseason media poll last month, is the coaches’ top ACC team at No. 9.

Coastal Division favorite Virginia Tech is at No. 15, and Wake Forest (No. 23) is ranked in a preseason poll for the first time.

The poll wasn’t terrible news for the ACC as a whole, but it didn’t place the ACC among the top conferences. The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 all have five teams in the top 25. The ACC and Pac-10 have three apiece, and the Big East has two.

- Ken Tysiac

You can see the full rankings here: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm