Ohio State becomes first unanimous preseason AP No. 1 in college football history

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 23 (UPI) — For the first time in history, the Associated Press’ top 25 pollsters have chosen a unanimous preseason No. 1 in college football, which was released Sunday.

The poll, in which media members across the country rank the top 25 college football teams heading into the season, begins Sept. 3.

The Buckeyes received all 61 first-place votes Sunday — the first time that has ever happened since the poll’s introduction in 1934. In every instance before this year, at least one other team has received a first-place vote and kept the top-ranked team from being a unanimous choice.

Ohio State, which won the national championship last season, is considered a favorite to repeat as Big Ten conference and national champions this year.

TCU was ranked second, followed by Alabama, Baylor and Michigan State to round out the top 5. Auburn, Oregon, USC, Georgia and Florida State comprise the top 10.

The USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released last month, awarded 62 first-place votes to the Buckeyes — but Alabama and TCU each received one, also.

The coming season will be the second in the newly installed College Football Playoff system, which pits the nation’s top four teams against each other in a four-team bracket in January. Last year, the top four were Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and Florida State. Oregon and Ohio State advanced to the championship game.

The Southeastern Conference has the most teams included in the AP’s preseason poll, with eight. The Pac 12 is second with six. The Big Ten, Big XII and ACC each have three teams in the ranks. The other two slots are filled by independent Notre Dame and the Mountain West’s Boise State.

The 2015 season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 3. The first game features North Carolina at South Carolina.(ESPN) Other notable first-day matchups include TCU at Minnesota (ESPN) and Michigan at Utah (Fox), which will mark the debut of new Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh.