CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami is ranked No. 16 to begin the 2022 college football season.
The Hurricanes, led by first-year head coach Mario Cristobal, are ranked one spot higher in The Associated Press preseason poll released Monday than they are in the preseason coaches poll, which was released last week.
Miami is one of five Atlantic Coast Conference teams to earn a spot in the preseason rankings, but rival Florida State wasn't one of them.
No. 4 Clemson is the highest-ranked ACC school, followed by No. 13 North Carolina State, Miami, No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 22 Wake Forest.
That's the second-most behind the Southeastern Conference, with six teams.
Alabama is the top-ranked team in the preseason for a second straight year. It's also the seventh time in 15 years under Nick Saban that the Crimson Tide begin a season as the No. 1-ranked team.
The SEC has three teams in the top 10 of the preseason poll. Defending national champion Georgia is No. 3 and Texas A&M is No. 6.
No. 19 Arkansas, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 Mississippi are the other three ranked SEC teams.
AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
| Ranking | Team | 2021 Record |
| 1 | Alabama | 13-2 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 11-2 |
| 3 | Georgia | 14-1 |
| 4 | Clemson | 10-3 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 11-2 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 8-4 |
| 7 | Utah | 10-4 |
| 8 | Michigan | 12-2 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 11-2 |
| 10 | Baylor | 12-2 |
| 11 | Oregon | 10-4 |
| 12 | Oklahoma State | 12-2 |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 9-3 |
| 14 | Southern California | 4-8 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 11-2 |
| 16 | Miami | 7-5 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh | 11-3 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 9-4 |
| 19 | Arkansas | 9-4 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 10-3 |
| 21 | Mississippi | 10-3 |
| 22 | Wake Forest | 11-3 |
| 23 | Cincinnati | 13-1 |
| 24 | Houston | 12-2 |
| 25 | Brigham Young | 10-3 |
Alabama received 54 of 63 first-place votes. No. 2 Ohio State (6) and Georgia (3) were the only teams to receive first-place votes.
The Hurricanes were 7-5 last season, winning five of their final six games after a 2-4 start. But a crushing loss to Florida State last November signaled the end of the Manny Diaz era.
Sophomore quarterback Tyler Van Dyke returns for Miami after throwing for 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. He capped the year by winning Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year honors.
Cristobal was hired away from Oregon to restore his alma mater to its glory days, when the Hurricanes won five national championships between 1983 and 2001.
Miami enters the season as the only ranked school in the Sunshine State.
Florida and Florida State are both unranked to start the season, which has not happened since 1974.