Even Georgia winning the national championship last season didn't keep Alabama from its seemingly annual perch atop the AL.com Preseason SEC football poll. The Crimson Tide was the pick by 11 of the SEC's 14 football information directors to win the league championship in 2022, in voting compiled by AL.com/The Birmingham News for the 76th straight year. Alabama - which, we must remember, beat Georgia for the SEC title last year before falling to the Bulldogs in the national championship game - is the preseason favorite in this poll for the 10th consecutive year.Saban's Alabama machine is predicted to continue its historic championship run, getting named first on 11 ballots and second on the other two. That gives the Crimson Tide 167 points, ahead of Georgia's 158 (three first-place votes, nine seconds and one third). Points were awarded in reverse order of voting (13 for first, 12 for second, 11 for third...on down to one point for a 13th-place vote). Again, because voters were instructed to ignore their own teams, there were only 13 votes per ballot. Alabama returns the Heisman Trophy winner this year in quarterback Bryce Young, and arguably the country's most-dominant player in outside linebacker Will Anderson. As usual, the Crimson Tide's roster is populated with all-star candidates, from Young and guard Emil Ekiyor on the offensive side of the ball to Anderson, fellow linebacker Henry To'oTo'o and safety Jordan Battle on defense. - Birmingham News