Ohio State and Oregon have secured the top two spots in the Associated Press preseason college football rankings ahead of the new season.
The result gives the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in the preseason poll for the first time in 65 years, and for only the second time in history. It is also the first time any conference has held the top two positions since Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight Conference were ranked first and second in 1987.
Ohio State received 40 first-place votes from a panel of 69 media members who cover college football. Oregon picked up 14 first-place votes to earn its highest preseason ranking in program history, having previously opened at number three on four occasions.
This marks the ninth time that Ohio State enters a season ranked number one, and its first time in the top spot since 2015. The Buckeyes are now tied with Alabama for the second-most preseason number one rankings, trailing only Oklahoma, which has held the top spot 10 times.
Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas round out the top five in the preseason rankings. Notre Dame received six first-place votes, while defending national champion Indiana earned eight first-place votes to start at number six. Miami received one first-place vote and sits at number seven.
Texas A&M, Mississippi, and Oklahoma complete the top 10 teams in the poll.
Top Five Contenders and Program Milestones
The Georgia Bulldogs, led by head coach Kirby Smart, are in the preseason top five for the ninth consecutive year. The two-time defending Southeastern Conference champion Bulldogs are favored to play in a sixth straight conference title game and reach the College Football Playoff for the sixth time in 10 years.
Texas, led by quarterback Arch Manning, opens in the top five for the third straight year after being the preseason number one last year. Number eight Texas A&M enters the preseason top 10 for the first time since it was ranked sixth in 2022, a year that marked the start of the end for former head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Mississippi head coach Pete Golding enters his first full season with the ninth-ranked Rebels in the preseason top 10 for the second time in three years, and just the third time since 1970. Number 10 Oklahoma is in the preseason top 10 for the first time since 2022, when the program was still competing in the Big 12 Conference.
Conference Standings and Championship Trends
The Big Ten Conference has won three consecutive College Football Playoff national championships with titles from Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana. The conference will attempt to win an unprecedented fourth straight national title this season.
The Southeastern Conference leads all leagues with nine teams in the preseason top 25, marking the third consecutive year it has placed at least nine teams in the poll. Five of the top 10 teams belong to the Southeastern Conference, the first time that has happened since 2013.
Four teams from the Big 12 Conference earned spots in the top 25, with conference champion Texas Tech leading the group at number 12. The Atlantic Coast Conference features three ranked teams, with seventh-ranked Miami joined by Southern Methodist University at number 19 and Louisville at number 24.
The Associated Press college football poll has been published annually since 1936 to rank the top university teams in the United States. Compiled through votes from nationwide sportswriters and broadcasters, the poll serves as one of the primary benchmarks in collegiate athletics throughout the regular season.
Defending Champions and Upcoming Tests
Defending national champion Indiana starts the season at number six, becoming the seventh returning national champion in 40 years to be ranked outside the top five in the preseason poll. Michigan was the previous team to do so when it entered the 2024 season ranked ninth after winning the national championship.
Indiana became the first team in the modern era of college football to finish a season with a 16-0 record. Although the Hoosiers return significant talent and signed a top-10 transfer class, their transition at quarterback has created uncertainty among voters. The team is moving from Heisman Trophy winner and number one NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza to Texas Christian University transfer Josh Hoover.
Top-ranked Ohio State faces a challenging path ahead. The Buckeyes visit Texas on September 12, and five of their nine conference games come against teams ranked in the preseason top 25, including a road game at Indiana and a home matchup against Oregon.
