Associated Press Releases Preseason Top 25 for 2020 Season; UCF Ranked 21st, Florida 8th
By UCF Knights // August 24, 2020
Knights ranked 24th at the end of 2019 season
ORLANDO, FLORIDA– The Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 Poll for the upcoming 2020 season on Monday, and UCF was ranked 21st in the nation.
The Knights had previously been slotted 21st in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll.
At the conclusion of the 2019 season, UCF was ranked 24th in the final AP Poll and the final Coaches Poll after going 10-3 and winning the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
It was the third straight year that the Knights finished the season in the Top 25.
UCF has now been ranked in the AP Top 25 three consecutive preseasons, the only program in the state of Florida to do so. The Knights improved three spots on last season’s final ranking with 229 total points.
Like in the Coaches Poll, UCF is one of two American Athletic Conference teams in the Top 25, as Cincinnati polled 20th in the AP Poll.
Clemson topped the poll with Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma rounding out the top five.
When considering only the teams that are currently planning to play football this fall, UCF is ranked 14th overall.
AP Preseason Poll: Top 25 rankings for 2020 preseason
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS |
| 1 | Clemson (38) | 1,520 |
| 2 | Ohio State* (21) | 1,504 |
| 3 | Alabama (2) | 1,422 |
| 4 | Georgia | 1,270 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 1,269 |
| 6 | LSU (1) | 1,186 |
| 7 | Penn State* | 1,147 |
| 8 | Florida | 1,125 |
| 9 | Oregon* | 1,119 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 995 |
| 11 | Auburn | 852 |
| 12 | Wisconsin* | 840 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 764 |
| 14 | Texas | 703 |
| 15 | Oklahoma State | 672 |
| 16 | Michigan* | 611 |
| 17 | USC* | 534 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 496 |
| 19 | Minnesota* | 451 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | 234 |
| 21 | UCF | 229 |
| 22 | Utah* | 211 |
| 23 | Iowa State | 199 |
| 24 | Iowa* | 134 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 133 |
Others receiving votes: Memphis 86, Virginia Tech 85, Boise State 68, Arizona State 66, Miami (FL) 42, Louisville 32, Appalachian State 26, Washington 21, Kentucky 20, Indiana 19, Baylor 15, California 11, TCU 9, Virginia 7, Navy 6, Florida State 6, SMU 3, Mississippi State 3, Air Force 3, Northwestern 1, UAB 1
