STARKVILLE, Miss. — Defending national champion Alabama sits atop the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, released Monday.

The Crimson Tide received 47 of 63 first-place votes, placing them No. 1 in the preseason poll for the sixth time under head coach Nick Saban and eighth time overall.

Oklahoma is ranked No. 2, while Clemson is ranked No. 3. Both the Sooners and Tigers received six first-place votes. Ohio State, which lost to Alabama in last season’s national championship game, received one first-place vote and is ranked fourth. Georgia is ranked fifth after receiving three first-place votes to round out the top-five.

Though Mississippi State enters the season unranked, a total of five Southeastern Conference teams are ranked in the AP Top 25. Joining Alabama and Georgia are Texas A&M (No. 6), Florida (No. 13) and LSU (No. 16).

Ole Miss and Auburn both received votes.

Since the AP started the preseason poll in 1950, only 11 teams that began the season ranked No. 1 also finished the season at No. 1. Alabama was the last program to do so in 2017.

Mississippi State kicks off the 2021 season on Sept. 4 by hosting Louisiana Tech at 3 p.m. CT.

AP Top 25 Poll

1. Alabama

2. Oklahoma

3. Clemson

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Iowa State

8. Cincinnati

9. Notre Dame

10. North Carolina

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Florida

14. Miami (FL)

15. USC

16. LSU

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Penn State

20. Washington

21. Texas

22. Coastal Carolina

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Utah

25. Arizona State