Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2021 college football season

The 2020 season is in the books, which means it is time to start turning our attention to what college football’s preseason Top 25 will look like in 2021.

When Alabama walloped Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game in Miami on January 11, it closed the door on one of the most fractious, disjointed seasons in college football history. The Crimson Tide won their sixth national championship under Nick Saban, running the table in a 13-0 campaign that left no doubt among official NCAA selectors as to who the best team was in 2020.

Others Receiving Votes

• Utah (Pac-12/3-2 in 2020)
• TCU (Big 12/6-4 in 2020)
• Louisiana (SBC/10-1 in 2020)
• Liberty (IND/10-1 in 2020)
• Auburn (SEC/6-5 in 2020)

But after losing three of the top five Heisman candidates from their offense and a slew of defensive starters, will Alabama open up the 2021 campaign as the top-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25? Or will it be another top-recruiting team that swoops in and pips the defending national champs for the top spot in the rankings?

The news cycle never sleeps on the sport that dominates the focus and the revenue generation of college athletic departments. Even as crews continue to clean up Hard Rock Stadium after the culminating contest of the year between the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide, outlets across the country are already starting to project what the rankings might look like in August.

Saturday Blitz is no exception, as we already turn our gaze toward what will hopefully be a more normal season next fall. Keep reading for our way-too-early projections of how the AP Top 25 will look when the organization releases its preseason batch of rankings.