The preseason Associated Press (AP) poll has been released and the LSU Tigers football team finds themselves ranked in the #3 spot in the poll.

The Tigers were the #1 ranking in the USA Today/Coaches poll.  Did the loss of Tyrann Mathieu from the LSU football team cause them to drop in the rankings?

The LSU Football team will begin the 2012 season ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press, as the writers voted USC No. 1 followed by Alabama.

Only twice in school history have the Tigers been ranked higher in the AP Top 25 to start the season: No. 1 1959 and No. 2 2007.

Source: LSUsports.net

Here is the official AP top 25 preseason poll:

 

Rank, Team (First-Place Votes), 2011 Record, Points, Previous
1. Southern Cal (25), 10-2, 1,445, 6
2. Alabama (17), 12-1, 1,411, 1
3. LSU (16), 13-1, 1,402, 2
4. Oklahoma (1), 10-3, 1,286, 16
5. Oregon, 12-2, 1,274, 4
6. Georgia, 10-4, 1,107, 19
7. Florida St. 9-4, 1,093, 23
8. Michigan (1), 11-2, 1,000, 12
9. South Carolina, 11-2, 994, 9
10. Arkansas, 11-2, 963, 5
11. West Virginia, 10-3, 856, 17
12. Wisconsin, 11-3, 838, 10
13. Michigan St. 11-3, 742, 11
14. Clemson, 10-4, 615, 22
15. Texas, 8-5, 569, NR
16. Virginia Tech, 11-3, 548, 21
17. Nebraska, 9-4, 485, 24
18. Ohio St. 6-7, 474, NR
19. Oklahoma St. 12-1, 430, 3
20. TCU, 11-2, 397, 14
21. Stanford, 11-2, 383, 7
22. Kansas St. 10-3, 300, 15
23. Florida, 7-6, 214, NR
24. Boise St. 12-1, 212, 8
25. Louisville, 7-6, 105, NR

Source: LSU

The Tigers football season kicks off two weeks from today on September 1st  at home in Tigers Stadium when they face North Texas 7:00 p.m.

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