The Texas Longhorns have taken the top spot in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in the program’s history, defeating No. 2 Penn State by a mere five points in the closest preseason voting since 1998. Georgia, No. 5, Clemson, and No. 3 Ohio State complete the top five.
The full AP Top 25 preseason poll is available here:
Preseason AP Top 25 Poll rankings
| Rank | School (1st place votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (25) | 1552 |
| 2 | Penn State (23) | 1547 |
| 3 | Ohio State (11) | 1472 |
| 4 | Clemson (4) | 1398 |
| 5 | Georgia (1) | 1331 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 1325 |
| 7 | Oregon (1) | 1236 |
| 8 | Alabama | 1179 |
| 9 | LSU | 1174 |
| 10 | Miami (Fla.) | 889 |
| 11 | Arizona State | 791 |
| 12 | Illinois | 713 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 667 |
| 14 | Michigan | 662 |
| 15 | Florida | 626 |
| 16 | SMU | 565 |
| 17 | Kansas State | 512 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 463 |
| 19 | Texas A&M | 434 |
| 20 | Indiana | 423 |
| 21 | Ole Miss | 370 |
| 22 | Iowa State | 309 |
| 23 | Texas Tech | 274 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 192 |
| 25 | Boise State | 191 |
Additional votes were cast for BYU 156, Utah 144, Baylor 132, Louisville 90, Southern Cal 64, Georgia Tech 63, Missouri 33, Tulane 23, Nebraska 23, UNLV 21, Toledo 13, Auburn 10, James Madison 9, Memphis 9, Florida State 8, Duke 6, Liberty 5, Navy 5, Iowa 5, TCU 4, Pittsburgh 3, Army 2, Colorado 1, Louisiana 1.
Most Weeks in the Top Spot
According to www.collegepollarchive.com, these ten FBS programs have been at the top of the AP poll for the most weeks since 1936.
| SCHOOL | WEEKS RANKED NO. 1 | Last Time Ranked No. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 141 | 2024 |
| Ohio State | 106 | 2024 |
| Oklahoma | 101 | 2011 |
| Notre Dame | 98 | 2012 |
| Southern Cal | 91 | 2012 |
| Florida State | 72 | 2014 |
| Nebraska | 70 | 2000 |
| Miami (Fla.) | 68 | 2002 |
| Georgia | 54 | 2024 |
| Texas | 50 | 2025 |
Alabama was the only preseason No. 1 to win the national championship since the College Football Playoffs began in 2014. In the CFP era, four preseason top teams have placed second.
Conference-by-conference AP Poll rankings
The Big Ten and SEC have three and four top-10 teams, respectively, and lead all conferences. The complete list of the top 25 by conference is as follows:
| NO. OF PRESEASON TOP 25 TEAMS | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|
| 10 | SEC |
| 6 | Big Ten |
| 4 | Big 12 |
| 3 | ACC |
| 1 | Independent |
| 1 | Mountain West |
Analyzing the preseason poll
With all of the excitement surrounding redshirt sophomore Arch Manning, Texas took first place. It is now Manning’s chance to lead the Longhorns in Austin as they attempt to win a championship for the first time since 2005, after trailing Quinn Ewers for two years.
Penn State obtains its highest preseason ranking since the Nittany Lions were named No. 1 in 1997 by taking the second slot. Under center, James Franklin’s team brought back veteran Drew Allar, who was joined in the backfield by both top running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
In a similar situation to Penn State, No. 4 Clemson is bringing back quarterback Cade Klubnik along with all three of his top receivers from 2024. Despite having established rosters around them, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Oregon, and No. 8 Alabama all start quarterbacks with no experience.
Under the leadership of Georgia transfer Carson Beck, Miami completes the top 10.
No. 11 Arizona State and No. 12 Illinois are two unusual teams to keep an eye on, at least according to preseason rankings. The Fighting Illini have their best preseason rating since 1990, while the Sun Devils receive their highest since 1998. Luke Altmyer at Champaign and Sam Leavitt in Tempe both return starters under center.
Matchups to watch that are nonconference and have early rankings
As the defending national champions host the top-ranked Longhorns in a battle that sets the tone for both blue-chip teams, all eyes will be on No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State in a packed Week 1 schedule.
Here are some other games to watch featuring top 25 teams:
- Week 0: No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 22 Iowa State (Dublin, Ireland) | Saturday, Aug. 23 | 12 p.m. | ESPN
- Week 1: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State | Saturday, Aug. 30 | 12 p.m. | FOX
- Week 1: No. 8 Alabama at Florida State | Saturday, Aug. 30 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
- Week 1: No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson | Saturday, Aug. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
- Week 1: No. 13 South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.) |Sunday, Aug. 31 | 3 p.m. | ESPN
- Week 1: No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Fla.) | Sunday, Aug. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Watch out for two other top-10 matchups in addition to the top-3 matchup in Columbus. The duel of Death Valley pits No. 9 LSU against No. 4 Clemson, while Week 1 concludes on Sunday night with No. 10 Miami against No. 6 Notre Dame.
Here’s how the 2024 preseason poll turned out
These are the results of the 2024 preseason AP Top 25 teams from the previous season.
| Rank | School (1st place votes) | 2024 Final Ap Top 25 ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (46) | 6 |
| 2 | Ohio State (15) | 1 |
| 3 | Oregon (1) | 3 |
| 4 | Texas | 4 |
| 5 | Alabama | 17 |
| 6 | Ole Miss | 11 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 2 |
| 8 | Penn State | 5 |
| 9 | Michigan | NR |
| 10 | Florida State | NR |
| 11 | Missouri | 22 |
| 12 | Utah | NR |
| 13 | LSU | NR |
| 14 | Clemson | 14 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 9 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | NR |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | NR |
| 18 | Kansas State | NR |
| 19 | Miami (FL) | 18 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | NR |
| 21 | Arizona | NR |
| 22 | Kansas | NR |
| 23 | Southern Cal | NR |
| 24 | NC State | NR |
| 25 | Iowa | NR |
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