The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings are out: Texas took the No. 1 spot for the first time in an opening poll, narrowly edging out Penn State by just five points in the closest preseason vote since 1998. Defending champion Ohio State ranked No. 3.
Texas comes in at No. 1 in the preseason poll for the first time in AP Top 25 history, edging out Penn State in the closest preseason vote since 1998.
With 25 first-place votes and 1,552 points, Texas led the Southeastern Conference to its fifth-straight No. 1 spot in the AP preseason poll. Penn State trailed, with 23 first-place votes and 1,537 points.
It’s the Nittany Lions’ highest preseason ranking since 1997, when they ranked No. 1.
Expectations are sky high for the Longhorns with quarterback Arch Manning at the helm, undoubtedly the most talked-about quarterback heading into the 2025 season and nephew of gun-slinging prodigies, Peyton and Eli Manning.
Texas rose to the occasion in its inaugural season competing in the SEC, finishing first with a 7-1 conference record and 13-3 overall record.
Penn State finished third in the Big Ten behind Oregon and Indiana with a 13-3 overall record and 8-1 conference record. Their sole Big Ten loss was to the Buckeyes.
Manning and the Longhorns will be put to the test right off the bat, facing the defending-champion Ohio State Buckeyes for a Week 1 matchup in Columbus.
It’s a time of transition for both teams, despite high expectations heading into the season.
While the Longhorns gave Manning the keys to the offense, the Buckeyes are in the midst of a nail-biting quarterback competition. Will Howard’s successor has yet to be named, but it’s between sophomore Julian Sayin and junior Lincoln Kienholz.
The Buckeyes are accustomed to heavy turnover. Ohio State had 14 players drafted in 2025, tying the school’s previous record set in 2004. Still, a challenging Week 1 competition looms and adjustments must be made quickly.
The two teams last squared off in the College Football Playoff semifinal, when the Buckeyes ended the Longhorns’ championship dreams with a 28-14 Cotton Bowl victory. They could face each other a second time this year in the playoffs.
Several streaks ended with the release of the 2025 preseason poll.
Iowa was left unranked in the preseason Top 25 for the first time in two years. USC’s run ended after five years and Utah’s ended after six consecutive preseason poll appearances.
It’s a far fall for Utah, which ranked No. 12 in last year’s preseason survey. USC came in at No. 23 and Iowa at No. 25 in the 2024 preseason.
Boise State is the sole non-Power Four team to make the preseason poll, clocking in at No. 25.
Texas A&M came in at No. 19, marking the Aggies’ seventh straight appearance on the AP preseason poll. They finished ninth in the SEC last year and are one of 10 SEC teams to make the preseason poll.
The Aggies open the season at home against UTSA.
SMU broke into the preseason Top 25 for the first time in 40 years, landing at No. 16.
Illinois sneakily crept up in Big Ten contention last season and finished fifth in the conference.
Alabama debuts at its lowest preseason rank since 2008, coming in at No. 8.
And there’s little patience for a program with such storied excellence to have trouble navigating the waters under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer. The Tide finished sixth in the SEC last season, with a 9-4 overall record and 5-3 conference record — a devasting result for fans.
After an impressive season culminating in a hard-fought 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the national championship, Notre Dame ranks sixth in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.
It’s the program’s highest opening rank since 2022, when the Fighting Irish came in at No. 5. Notre Dame has been a frontrunner in recent years, earning a spot in the early Top 25 for the past eight seasons and coming in among the top 10 for six of the past seven preseason polls.
Clemson, led by early Heisman favorite Cade Klubnik, came in at No. 4 and received four first place votes.
It’s Clemson’s 14th-straight appearance in the preseason Top 25 and the program’s highest opening rank since coming in at No. 4 in 2022.
The SEC leads all conferences with 10 teams making the preseason AP Top 25: Texas (1), Georgia (5), Alabama (8), LSU (9), South Carolina (13), Florida (15), Oklahoma (18), Texas A&M (19), Mississippi (21), Tennessee (24).
The Big Ten has the second most teams ranked, with six breaking into the top 25: Penn State (2), Ohio State (3), Oregon (7), Illinois (12), Michigan (14) and Indiana (20).
The Big 12 finished with four schools in the rankings: Arizona State (11), Kansas State (17), Iowa State (22), and Texas Tech (23).
Clemson (4), Miami (10) and SMU (16) represent the ACC.
Notre Dame (6) is independent and Boise State (25) is the sole Mountain West school to crack into the preseason poll.
1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Georgia
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami (FL)
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Florida
16. SMU
17. Kansas State
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Indiana
21. Ole Miss
22. Iowa State
23. Texas Tech
24. Tennessee
25. Boise State
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