The USAToday Top 25 Coaches' Poll has been released, and the Hokies are
ranked #7. Chick-fil-A Classic opponent Alabama is ranked #5, setting up a big
showdown between the Hokies and Tide in Atlanta on college football's first
weekend. The ACC has four teams in the top 25, with the Hokies easily being the
highest-ranked team in the league.
Here is the complete poll. ACC teams are highlighted in blue and white, and
VT opponents are highlighted in gray and black.
| 2009 USA Today Coaches' Preseason Poll |
||||
Rank |
Team (#1 votes) |
Points |
Final 2008 Record |
Final 2008 Ranking |
1 |
Florida (53) |
1,466 |
13-1 |
1 |
2 |
Texas (4) |
1,386 |
12-1 |
3 |
3 |
Oklahoma (1) |
1,358 |
12-2 |
5 |
4 |
USC (1) |
1,321 |
12-1 |
2 |
5 |
Alabama |
1,134 |
12-2 |
6 |
6 |
Ohio State |
1,126 |
10-3 |
11 |
7 |
Virginia Tech |
1,020 |
10-4 |
14 |
8 |
Penn State |
988 |
11-2 |
8 |
9 |
LSU |
917 |
8-5 |
NR |
10 |
Mississippi |
889 |
9-4 |
15 |
11 |
Oklahoma State |
861 |
9-4 |
18 |
12 |
California |
711 |
9-4 |
25 |
13 |
Georgia |
707 |
10-3 |
10 |
14 |
Oregon |
694 |
10-3 |
9 |
15 |
Georgia Tech |
559 |
9-4 |
22 |
16 |
Boise State |
542 |
12-1 |
13 |
17 |
TCU |
461 |
11-2 |
7 |
18 |
Utah |
404 |
13-0 |
4 |
19 |
Florida State |
371 |
9-4 |
23 |
20 |
North Carolina |
293 |
8-5 |
NR |
21 |
Iowa |
257 |
9-4 |
20 |
22 |
Nebraska |
236 |
9-4 |
NR |
23 |
Notre Dame |
194 |
7-6 |
NR |
24 |
Brigham Young |
178 |
10-3 |
21 |
25 |
Oregon State |
165 |
9-4 |
19 |
In the "also receiving votes" category, Miami is #33 with 46
points, Clemson is #36 with 30 points, NC State is #43 with 7 points, Wake
Forest is tied for #47 with 4 points, Boston College is tied for #49 with 3
points, and Maryland is tied for #53 with 2 points. East Carolina is tied with
BC and others with 3 points. In all, nine of Virginia Tech's opponents received
votes, with the exceptions being Marshall, Duke, and Virginia.
The SEC leads the way with five teams in the top 25, followed by the ACC, Big
12, and PAC-10 with four, and the Big Ten and Mountain West with three. Notre
Dame (independent) and Boise State (WAC) are the other two ranked teams.
The Big East has no teams ranked in the initial poll, though five BE teams
received votes, led by #29 Cincinnati. This is the first season since ACC
expansion in 2004 that the Big East has not had a team ranked in the top 25
preseason poll.