Dennis Dodd is one of multiple members of the media who believe there’s a distinct gap between Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia, and the rest of college football this season. He outlined his explanation after the Preseason AP Top 25 was released with those teams at the top.

“I think the gap is from the top 3 to the field,” Dodd said after the Preseason AP Top 25 was released. “I’ve said this the whole offseason. You can easily pick those top 3 in whatever order you want and Alabama probably deserves to be No. 1.”

Beyond those 3, Dodd believes there’s a considerable gap in the field.

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press agrees with Dodd, and shared his thoughts on social media.

“We often in jest say the poll should jump from 2 or 3 to 12 because none of the teams look worthy of being so highly ranked. But hey somebody has to be No. 4. This season that is more true than ever. I am not particularly confident in any of teams 4-10 finishing Top 10. But I see the case for Clemson at 4 if you’re looking for safest bet among those others based on a combo of pure talent and reasonable schedule. Would not surprise me at all if out of 4-10, no more than 2 end up top 10 at the end of the year.”