From this article: Why Clemson winning the national championship would be good for college football | FOX Sports
Was the writer claiming that Alabama would be pre-season #1 next fall win or lose? Or by ‘top of the polls’ did he mean top 5?
Assuming Clemson wins tonight, has the defending National Champion ever entered the next season NOT ranked #1?
Yes
No, the defending champ isn’t always the #1 ranked team in the following pre-season. The pre-season rankings are a prediction of the upcoming season, not a reflection on the past season.
^ That. Seniors graduate, and next year’s team isn’t necessarily the same as the previous year’s champs.
I just hope Alabama can overcome the tremendous odds against them:
From ESPN: