Oklahoma, Ohio State and Miami, teams that have won the last three national championships, top the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 preseason poll.

Oklahoma, which hasn't been ranked as the preseason No. 1 in any poll since 1987, earned 29 first-place votes to edge Ohio State (28 first place votes) and No. 3 Miami (five). Texas and Kansas State round out the top five, marking the first time in the history of the coaches' poll that three teams from the same conference are ranked in the top five.

The Sooners had 1,514 points to Ohio State's 1,495. The Buckeyes beat Miami in double overtime in last season's national championship game, preventing the Hurricanes from a repeat.

Auburn, which received the only other No. 1 vote, is sixth, followed by Michigan, Southern California, Georgia and Virginia Tech.

This marks the first time since 1985 that Florida State -- ranked No. 12 -- did not start the season in the top 10 and the first time since 1990 that Florida -- No. 21 -- didn't make the top 10 cut. The Seminoles were in the 2000 national championship game, their last of three straight appearances, which they lost to Oklahoma.

Pittsburgh is No. 11, followed by the Seminoles, Maryland, North Carolina State, LSU, Tennessee, Virginia, Notre Dame, Washington and Wisconsin. The Gators are followed by Purdue, Arizona State and Oklahoma State, with Colorado State and Penn State tied for 25th.

Noticeably absent from the rankings is Nebraska, which is fifth among others receiving votes. The lowest the Huskers had been ranked in a preseason coaches' poll since USA Today first headlined the rankings in 1991 was 15th that same year. Since it is unlikely Nebraska will be ranked in The Associated Press preseason writers' poll, this might be the first time since 1969 the Huskers will be unranked in the preseason.

Schools that were ranked at the end of last season but are unranked to start 2003 are Iowa (No. 8), Washington State (No. 10), Boise State (No. 12), Marshall (No. 19), West Virginia (No. 20), Colorado (No. 21) and TCU (No. 22).