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The Louisville Cardinals will begin the 2016 football season ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25. This is the first time the Cards have been ranked in the AP's preseason poll since 2013.
U of L will face three teams ranked in the top 15 of the poll -- No. 2 Clemson, No. 4 Florida State, and No. 15 Houston. ACC Coastal Division favorite North Carolina also appears in the poll at No. 22.
Here's the complete poll:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0-0 | 1469 | 33 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson Tigers | 0-0 | 1443 | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 1352 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Florida State Seminoles | 0-0 | 1325 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | LSU Tigers | 0-0 | 1269 | 1 | 16 |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 1224 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 1147 | 1 | 12 |
| 8 | Stanford Cardinal | 0-0 | 1029 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0-0 | 1021 | 0 | 22 |
| 10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0-0 | 1006 | 1 | 11 |
| 11 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0-0 | 718 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 710 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0-0 | 707 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Washington Huskies | 0-0 | 651 | 0 | NR |
| 15 | Houston Cougars | 0-0 | 644 | 0 | 8 |
| 16 | UCLA Bruins | 0-0 | 496 | 0 | NR |
| 17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0-0 | 484 | 0 | 9 |
| 18 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0-0 | 448 | 0 | NR |
| 19 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 447 | 0 | NR |
| 20 | USC Trojans | 0-0 | 344 | 0 | NR |
| 21 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0-0 | 316 | 0 | 20 |
| 22 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0-0 | 283 | 0 | 15 |
| 23 | Baylor Bears | 0-0 | 280 | 0 | 13 |
| 24 | Oregon Ducks | 0-0 | 218 | 0 | 19 |
| 25 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 180 | 0 | 25 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Miami 159, Texas A&M 81, Utah 74, Washington St. 68, Boise St. 49, San Diego St. 46, Wisconsin 42, Auburn 22, Pittsburgh 15, Arkansas 14, Texas 12, Nebraska 11, Navy 8, Northwestern 5, W. Kentucky 4, South Florida 2, Toledo 2. | |||||