The Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 on Monday, August 17, with less than two weeks to go before Week 0 kicks off the college football season. Ohio State claimed the top spot for the first time since 2015, receiving 40 of a possible 69 first-place votes, while the Big Ten placed eight teams in the poll — tied with the SEC for the most of any conference.
Here’s a look at where every ranked team stands heading into the season.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
The defending national runner-up opens at No. 1 with a commanding share of first-place votes. Ohio State finished 12-1 last year, earning a first-round playoff bye before falling to Indiana in a physical Big Ten title game. With one of the sport’s most talented and expensive rosters, the Buckeyes carry the biggest target in the country into a schedule widely regarded as one of the toughest in the nation.
2. Oregon Ducks
Oregon returns as a legitimate national title contender, buoyed by a returning quarterback who enters the season in the Heisman conversation. The Ducks picked up 14 first-place votes and are viewed as Ohio State’s closest challenger out of the gate.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia remains a fixture near the top of the poll, though the Bulldogs haven’t returned to the CFP title game since winning back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. Kirby Smart’s program is once again expected to be an SEC and playoff factor.
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Irish picked up six first-place votes and sit comfortably in the top five, continuing their run as one of independent football’s most consistent playoff contenders.
5. Texas Longhorns
After debuting at No. 1 last season and stumbling to a 10-3 finish following an opening loss to Ohio State, Texas enters 2026 looking to prove last year was the outlier rather than the standard.
6. Indiana Hoosiers
Curt Cignetti’s defending national champions enter the year ranked sixth after an historic 16-0 run and title-game win. Indiana picked up eight first-place votes and has bolstered its roster with a large transfer class as it looks to prove last season wasn’t a fluke.
7. Miami Hurricanes
Miami snagged a first-place vote and heads into the season as one of the ACC’s clear playoff hopefuls, part of a deep top tier of teams within a few points of each other.
8. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies debut in the top 10, reflecting rising confidence in the program under its current staff as it looks to build on recent momentum in a crowded SEC.
9. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss enters the season with one of the league’s most talked-about quarterback situations and is viewed as a returning-production darling after a strong offseason.
10. Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners round out the top 10, looking to take another step forward as they continue to settle into SEC play.
11. LSU Tigers
LSU enters the year amid plenty of offseason noise but still carries enough talent to be viewed as a top-15 team nationally.
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders have used aggressive roster building in recent cycles to climb into the preseason top 15, a sign of how thoroughly the transfer portal and NIL era have reshuffled the sport’s hierarchy.
13. Alabama Crimson Tide
Kalen DeBoer enters his second season under pressure to toughen up the Crimson Tide after a difficult playoff loss to Indiana. A major quarterback question looms after last year’s starter departed.
14 (tie). BYU Cougars
BYU cracks the top 15 for the first time in years, riding momentum from a strong recent stretch under its current coaching staff.
14 (tie). USC Trojans
Lincoln Riley gets quarterback Jayden Maiava back for another season, along with defensive coordinator Gary Patterson tasked with fixing a unit that has held the Trojans back. USC enters the year with real pressure on Riley to deliver a breakthrough.
16. Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines remain a fringe top-15 team, still searching for the offensive identity that made them national champions two years ago.
17. Washington Huskies
Washington cracks the rankings as one of the Big Ten’s trendy pick-to-rise programs this preseason.
18. Penn State Nittany Lions
After a disappointing collapse last season, Penn State brings in new coach Matt Campbell along with a wave of transfer additions, including a new starting quarterback, as the program looks to reset.
19. SMU Mustangs
SMU continues to prove its ACC move was no fluke, landing in the rankings again after developing into a consistent, well-coached program.
20. Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers round out the SEC’s large ranked contingent, aiming to build on recent bowl and playoff appearances.
21. Utah Utes
Utah returns to the rankings as the Big 12’s depth continues to be tested across a wide-open conference race.
22. Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa’s defense-first identity keeps the Hawkeyes in the conversation, even as questions about offensive production persist.
23. Houston Cougars
Houston debuts in the poll, a sign of the program’s continued rise since joining the Big 12.
24. Louisville Cardinals
Louisville rounds out the rankings’ back half, looking to build on recent ACC success.
25. Missouri Tigers
Missouri closes out the poll behind the return of the SEC’s most accomplished running back a year ago, though his availability is in question after an offseason injury. The Tigers will need to replace other key pieces lost to the transfer portal.
Just missing the cut
Several teams fell just outside the poll, headlined by Clemson (112 points) and Florida (51), followed by Boise State, Arizona, TCU, Navy, South Carolina, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, and others receiving votes.
Notably, no Group of Six program cracked the preseason top 25 — Boise State came closest at No. 28. Last season, both James Madison and Tulane made the College Football Playoff despite starting outside the rankings, a reminder that preseason polls are, at best, an early guess rather than a finished picture. History backs that up: a good half of last year’s preseason-ranked teams didn’t even finish in the final poll, and Ohio State remains the only team since 2017 (Alabama) to go preseason No. 1 and finish as national champion.
Leave a Reply