My AP preseason All-American team: Clemson’s Klubnik, Ohio State’s Smith lead the way as two Oregon players make the cut

Only three teams from the western third of the country were included Monday in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 rankings.

The AP’s preseason All-American team is expected to be released early next week and could reflect similar skepticism over the quality of talent across the region.

The Hotline encountered that very issue last week when crafting our ballot.

We spent hours examining rosters across the Football Bowl Subdivision to produce a 27-man team (see below). A few selections were easy, like Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. Other choices were difficult. Several were tougher than trigonometry.

And for 22 of the 27 spots, we picked players from teams on the eastern side of the Rockies.

The exceptions were Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson, Utah offe