Sports Illustrated has become one of the most recent publications to release their Top 25 preseason rankings, and to little surprise, Alabama took the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
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It was after Alabama where things started to get interesting, though. ACC squads Clemson and Florida State came next at Nos. 2 and 3, and they were followed by Michigan at No. 4. Clearly the people over at SI.com are high on the Wolverines, as they hope to build on their 10-win 2015 season under Jim Harbaugh.
The another big surprise in the Top 10 was Washington at No. 7. Some people have been high on the Huskies for this season, including ESPN's Phil Steele. Washington does return 15 starters, but there are some concerns since they only won seven games in 2015. They will have to deal with very good Stanford, Oregon, and Washington State teams in the Pac-12 North at the very least. If they get through those games, though, then yes, they should have a fantastic season.
Houston cracked the Top 10 at No. 8, which is a lot high than many others have them so far. For comparison, they ranked No. 30 in Phil Steele's full preseason rankings. Houston was 13-1 last season, and there is little reason to believe they can't be as good on the field this year.
The full Top 10 from SI.com:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Florida State
4. Michigan
5. LSU
6. Oklahoma
7. Washington
8. Houston
9. Ohio State
10. Tennessee
