David Jablonski: Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama my top four in Associated Press top 25 poll

There are threads on Reddit every week during the college football season titled “AP Poll Voter Consistency.”

As a voter in the Associated Press top-25 poll, I like to search for my name to see what people are saying about me.

Aug. 15, 2022: “David Jablonski is clearly the wisest of the AP voters.”

Sept. 25, 2022: “David Jablonski continuing to be my favorite voter.”

Nov. 20, 2022: “Low key worst ballot is David Jablonski.”

That’s the way it goes as a voter. They love you. They hate you. They love you again. This will be my fourth year experiencing that cycle.

The AP preseason poll came out today at noon. I voted defending national champion Georgia No. 1. Sixty of the 63 voters did the same. It’s the first time in 15 years Georgia has topped the preseason poll.

Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama rounded out my top four. The actual poll mirrored those choices.

Michigan received two first-place votes. The Buckeyes, who are ranked in the preseason for a record 35th straight year, received one first-place vote.

This is the first time since 2009 Alabama hasn’t ranked in the top three in the preseason.

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I voted Florida State No. 5, and the Seminoles were No. 8 in the poll. They are a top-10 team for the first time since 2017.

Last year, I had Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Utah in my top four in the preseason. Only three voters had Georgia, the eventual national champion, at No. 1 then.

There are always surprises. I could read the Phil Steele College Football Preview, the bible for any voter, back to front over and over again and not pick the right 25 teams at the start of the season. That’s the beauty of college football, though the top of the poll is more predictable.

Last year, I did not rank TCU, which finished 13-1 and lost to Georgia in the national championship game, in the preseason, but no one gave it a vote until Week 5 when only one voter, Brett McMurphy, had them ranked.

Last year, I took a chance on Pittsburgh, ranking it No. 9, higher than anyone else. The Panthers finished No. 22 in my final ranking, though one voter had them as high as No. 15.

I’m more likely than some voters to recognize teams from outside the power conferences. For me, the poll has always been about not honoring the best teams but also the teams haven’t the best season. That’s not the case in the preseason, of course, but I still went outside the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12 to vote for Tulane at No. 21, UTSA at No. 22, Boise State at No. 23, Troy at No. 24 and Toledo at No. 25. All of those schools received at least one vote from other voters.

I wasn’t the only one to vote for Tulane. The Green Wave ranked 24th in the preseason poll. It’s the first time they have ever been ranked in the preseason.

In all 49 of the 133 FBS schools received at least one vote.

Here’s my full poll and where voters ranked the same teams:

1. Georgia (1)

2. Michigan (2)

3. Ohio State (3)

4. Alabama (4)

5. Florida State (8)

6. Clemson (9)

7. Penn State (7)

8. USC (6)

9. LSU (5)

10. Texas (11)