August 10, 2012

LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Oregon Round Out Top Five

The USC Trojans are the number one team in ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com’s preseason college football “Power Rankings,” part of a comprehensive look at the upcoming season in The Mag’s College Football Preview Issue on newsstands today.

Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Barkley at quarterback and an offense built around standout wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, were tops in the voting among ESPN The Magazine’s and ESPN.com’s panel of college football analysts, columnists and reporters. LSU ranks number two overall, with Alabama, Oklahoma, and Oregon rounding out the “Power Rankings” top five.  Power rankings will be updated weekly throughout the season.

The top 25 college football teams in ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com’s “Power Rankings” is listed below with additional narrative available at https://es.pn/PHf1Oo and in ESPN The Magazine:

1. USC
2. LSU
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Oregon
6. Georgia
7. Florida State    
8. Michigan
9. West Virginia
10. South Carolina
11. Arkansas
12. Michigan State
13. Stanford
14. Ohio State
15. Wisconsin
16. Clemson
17. Texas
18. TCU
19. Virginia Tech
20. Kansas State
21. Nebraska
22. Oklahoma State
23. Florida
24. Boise State
25. Notre Dame

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Media Contact: Carrie Kreiswirth carrie.b.kreiswirth@espn.com 860-766-6042