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Georgia football in top 5 in coaches poll
FCN TOP25 0802013 web
Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide start the season where they left off with a No. 1 ranking in the USA TODAY preseason coaches' poll released Thursday. - photo by MCT

Alabama led the way in the first USA TODAY preseason coaches’ poll that was released on Thursday.

The Crimson Tide will begin the 2013 season where they left off in January, as the top-ranked team in college football after garnering 58 of 62 first-place votes.

Ohio State was ranked second followed by Oregon at No. 3, Stanford at No. 4, and Georgia to round out the top five. The Bulldogs enter the season in the top five for the first time since 2008, when they started the season atop the poll.

Johnny Manziel’s Texas A&M squad is No. 6, as South Carolina, Clemson, Louisville and Florida followed suit, which gave the SEC five schools in the top 10 for two years in a row.

Georgia Tech was absent from the list and didn’t receive any votes. The Yellow Jackets will start the season at home against (FCS) Elon on August 31 at noon, while the Bulldogs will play at Clemson at 8 p.m.