Clemson No. 1, LSU No. 5 in preseason coaches poll

USA Today has released its first Coaches Poll and for the second straight year, Clemson grabbed the no. 1 spot on the poll, while reigning national champion LSU landed at no. 5.

Clemson's top ranking is not surprising, as they made their second-straight National Championship game last season. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is returning for what will likely be his final year of college football. Lawrence has already won a National Championship and is expected to be the Heisman favorite heading into the season.

Meanwhile, LSU's drop in the poll is almost entirely due to losing quarterback and Heisman winner Joe Burrow, who was drafted first by the Bengals in this year's NFL draft. 

Ohio State landed at no. 2 in the Coaches Poll, with Georgia and Alabama grabbing the third and fourth spots. The rest of the top 10 is filled by Oklahoma, Penn State, Florida, Oregon and Notre Dame.

Of course, this entire exercise presumes that there will be a college football season, which is no sure thing, as the United States is still very much in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Several conferences have already opted to play their entire season in-conference in order to minimize the risk of the virus spreading, and Division II and III sports have already canceled championships in fall sports. Also on Thursday, Penn State announced that they would not be playing in front of fans this season.

If the season is able to start on time, it looks like Clemson will be the favorite heading into Week 1.