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          Stats & Info

          Stats to Know: Way-Too-Early Top 25

          Ohio State has claimed the top spot on Mark Schlabach's Way-Too-Early Top 25. The Buckeyes have been No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll eight times. Joe Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports
          • Jason Starrett
          May 1, 2017, 03:57 PM ET

          College football season is getting closer. Mark Schlabach released his latest version of the Way-Too-Early Top 25 on Monday.

          Here are the biggest takeaways from ESPN Stats & Information:

          Ohio State is No. 1, up from No. 4 in Schlabach’s post-signing day top 25. The Buckeyes have been No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll eight times, second-most since the preseason poll debuted in 1950 (Oklahoma, 10). Ohio State was most recently the preseason No. 1 in 2015 after winning the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship.

          Alabama and Florida State are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, and they will meet on opening weekend in Atlanta. Since the preseason AP Poll debuted in 1950, there has never been a meeting of top-three teams on opening week.

          Clemson is No. 6 after losing a lot of playmakers to the NFL draft, including Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, and Wayne Gallman. That would be the worst preseason AP rank by the defending national champions since 2011 when Auburn opened the year No. 23.

          At No. 19, South Florida (and new head coach Charlie Strong) is Schlabach’s highest-ranked team from a Group of 5 conference. The Bulls won a school-record 11 games last season and return quarterback Quinton Flowers, the reigning American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Last season, Flowers became the fourth QB in FBS history to rush for at least 1,500 yards in a single season. South Florida has been ranked in the preseason AP Poll once in program history (No. 19 in 2008).

          Texas (and new head coach Tom Herman) has high hopes for 2017 and is No. 23 in Schlabach’s Top 25. The Longhorns have been unranked in the preseason AP Poll each of the past three years, the school’s longest drought since a six-season run from 1985-90.

          Coming off its first 10-win season since 2013 and a victory in the Rose Bowl, USC is No. 4 in Schlabach’s Top 25. The Trojans have the longest active win streak in the FBS (nine straight wins) and they return quarterback Sam Darnold, who is the 5-to-1 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.