AP Top 25 poll rankings: Key differences from US LBM Coaches Poll

The AP Top 25 Poll released on Monday, Aug. 17, representing another benchmark in the offseason before the college football season starts. How does it differ from the US LBM Coaches Poll?

While the two preseason polls are similar, there are a few differences.

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Preseason polls are important for expectation purposes, representing which teams are the consensus top contenders each season. However, they almost never predict how good each team will actually be, especially as there were 12 teams from last season's preseason AP Top 25 poll that finished the season unranked.

The US LBM Coaches Poll released on Aug. 4, and was led by Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame, respectively, to round out the top five.

Here's a look at the preseason AP Top 25 poll, along with the key differences from the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll:

Preseason AP Top 25

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Ohio State (40)
2. Oregon (14)
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame (6)
5. Texas
6. Indiana (8)
7. Miami (1)
8. Texas A&M
9. Mississippi
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU
15. Southern California
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Louisville
25. Missouri

Others receiving votes:Clemson 112; Florida 51; Boise State 43; Arizona 32; TCU 11; Navy 10; South Carolina 10; Illinois 9; Oklahoma State 8; Vanderbilt 8; Pittsburgh 7; Virginia Tech 6; Minnesota 5; UNLV 4; New Mexico 4; Georgia Tech 4; Louisiana 4; James Madison 3; Auburn 3; Memphis 2; California 2; Liberty 1; Western Michigan 1; Tulane 1; Virginia 1

Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Ohio State (38)
2. Oregon (6)
3. Georgia (7)
4. Texas (2)
5. Notre Dame (5)
6. Indiana (14)
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Oklahoma
10. Ole Miss
11. Alabama
12. Texas Tech
13. LSU
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Michigan
17. Penn State
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. SMU
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Clemson
24. Houston
25. Missouri

Others receiving votes: Louisville 153; Florida 147; TCU 63; Illinois 62; South Carolina 50; Arizona 50; Virginia 40; Vanderbilt 37; Auburn 29; Georgia Tech 26; Boise State 24; Oklahoma State 22; UNLV 17; North Carolina State 13; Florida State 13; Virginia Tech 12; Nebraska 12; Memphis 9; Arizona State 8; James Madison 6; Duke 6; Pittsburgh 4; New Mexico 4; Western Michigan 3; Navy 3; San Diego State 2; Kansas State 1; Jacksonville State 1; Hawaii 1; California 1;

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AP Top 25 poll rankings: Key differences from US LBM Coaches Poll