Utah, BYU Receiving Votes In 2021 USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll
Aug 10, 2021, 1:23 PM | Updated: 5:28 pm
Head coach Kalani Sitake, (L) of the Brigham Young Cougars and head coach Kyle Whittingham, (R) of the Utah Utes talk to each other before the start of their college football game at Rice Eccles Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sitake is in his first year as BYU's coach and was the former Defensive Coordinator under Kyle Whittingham at Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The first USA Today Coaches Poll of the 2021 college football season was released on Tuesday morning with Utah and BYU on the outside looking in.
Throughout each season, the USA Today Sports AFCA Board of Coaches, which is made up of 65 head coaches at the FBS level vote on the top 25 poll. This is separate from what the Associated Press releases and the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
Among the 65 FBS head coaches that vote in the coaches poll include Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and Blake Anderson from Utah State.
Utah received the most votes outside of the top 25 with 145, putting them at No. 26. BYU received 53 votes which is good for No. 31.
Fresh faces join No. 1 Alabama in preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
But yeah, it's still 'Bama at the top. https://t.co/91SECZ52jn pic.twitter.com/BUhDbP1nXT
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 10, 2021
Three Pac-12 programs reached the top 25, including Oregon (12), USC (14) and Washington (21).
Here is the preseason USA Today Top 25 ranking:
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Clemson Tigers
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Iowa State Cyclones
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Florida Gators
- Oregon Ducks
- LSU Tigers
- USC Trojans
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Texas Longhorns
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Washington Huskies
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- UL Lafayette Ragin Cajuns
- Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
- Ole Miss Rebels
Others receiving votes:
Utah 145; Northwestern 120; Arizona State 90; Auburn 84; Liberty 68; BYU 53; TCU 48; Michigan 30; UCF 29; NC State 27; Boise State 27; Kentucky 20; San Jose State 18; Army 13; Virginia Tech 9; Missouri 8; UCLA 7; Tulsa 6; Pittsburgh 6; Boston College 6; Houston 5; Ball State 5; West Virginia 4; SMU 4; Appalachian State 4; UAB 3; Arkansas 3; Nevada 2; Mississippi State 2; Air Force 2; Stanford 1; Marshall 1; Florida State 1; California 1.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
