AP Top 25 college football preseason poll ranks Texas No. 1, then Penn State

Syracuse certainly had a good run in 2024, one of four ACC teams with 10 wins. The 5-3 league record was both encouraging (beating Miami) and deflating (losing to Stanford).

Is it possible poll voters are more apt to rank the likes of Tennessee and Illinois (both had 10-3 records) because the ACC isn’t what it once was?

Maybe.

I know, I know, Syracuse beat the ‘Canes last year, but it would’ve been a different game without Kyle McCord, Trebor Pena and Jackson Meeks, each of whom departed in the offseason. The Orange have two good options after losing McCord, but it’s a quarterback transition nonetheless.

Syracuse will get a chance to win over voters right away with their opener against Tennessee and a trip to No. 4 Clemson in Week 4, part of a more challenging schedule this season than last.

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 streak 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 poll. USC came in at No. 23 and Iowa at No. 25 in the 2024 preseason.

Year 3 is where Rhule’s teams at Temple and Baylor made big jumps, and the stage is set for the same to happen in Lincoln after the Huskers had their first winning season and made a bowl for the first time since 2016.

Raiola should be more consistent in his second year as the starter, and his first full season with Dana Holgorsen as his play-caller.

The portal produced an upgrade at receiver, the offensive line added Notre Dame transfer Rocco Spindler, and RB Emmett Johnson is ready to break out. There should be no drop-off on defense. The schedule allows Nebraska to move up in the standings, but a conference title and playoff spot would be a tough ask.

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Every Top 25 voter has their own workflow to stay on top of how teams are doing across the country, from online outlets and results to highlights, fan boards and team and NCAA stats.

The general guidance from the AP: Votes should be based on performance, not reputation. Avoid regional bias and homerism. Pay attention to head-to-head results. We also support voters who decide to make significant changes from week to week if they feel those changes are warranted.

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There was a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda for Arizona State in that playoff game. How Michael Taafe wasn’t called for targeting on his hit against Melquan Stovall is the stuff of nightmares for Sun Devils fans.

The Sun Devils deserve to be the Big 12 favorite with Sam Leavitt the conference preseason offensive player of the year, and maybe they could be ranked a spot or two higher. On paper, there’s still a decent-sized gap between the Big 12 and the SEC/Big Ten. That doesn’t mean the Big 12 race won’t be just as entertaining as last year. ASU, K-State, Iowa State, Texas Tech and even BYU could be there at the end. The conference champ gets a playoff bid.

Can the Big 12 hope for more than one CFP berth? We’ll see.

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Boise State is the sole non-Power Four team to make the preseason poll, clocking in at No. 25.

The Broncos come off a strong 2024 campaign, going undefeated in conference play and 12-2 overall.

Ashton Jeanty moving on to the pros is a major loss for the Broncos. The do-it-all running back led all Division I running backs, with 2,601 rushing yards. That’s nearly 1,000 yards more than ASU’s Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 1,711 yards.

Maddux Madsen returns at quarterback after a strong 2024, throwing for 3,018 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. Boise State travels to the University of South Florida to open the season on Thursday, Aug. 28.

The AP voters apparently have more faith than the coaches that the Sooners will be able to turn around their offense with Washington State transfer John Mateer the new quarterback and Ben Arbuckle, his offensive coordinator in Pullman, taking over as play-caller. The defense has plenty of playmakers.

It just so happens that Brent Venables is on our hot seat watch for coaches this season.

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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.

Quarterback Marcel Reed is preparing to take full control of the offense after gradually surpassing Connor Weigman on the depth chart during the 2024 season.

Reed completed 61.3 percent of passes for 1,864 yards and 15 touchdowns. The dual-threat signal-caller added 547 yards and seven touchdowns on foot.

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.

The Mustangs last appeared on the list in 1985, earning the No. 3 spot. It’s been a long drought for SMU, but an 11-3 overall record, undefeated conference record and playoff berth have drawn attention to the team.

SMU opens the season against East Texas A&M on Aug. 30 before meeting No. 4 Clemson in mid-October and No. 10 Miami two weeks later.

The preseason poll does tend to feature more power conference teams but not always.

This year, Boise State is the only “outlier,” and in 2023, it was Tulane. There were more in 2022 (No. 23 Cincinnati, No. 24 Houston and No 25 BYU) and in 2021 (No. 8 Cincinnati, No. 22 Coastal Carolina, No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette).

As for this season, we won’t speak for all the Top 25 voters (AP just compiles the ballots), but food for thought: Army no longer has incredible QB Bryson Daily while Memphis has a ton of new transfers, including QB Brandon Lewis on an offense that lost 10 starters. UNLV is definitely a team to watch, including its mid-October visit to preseason No. 25 Boise State.

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Illinois sneakily crept up in Big Ten contention last season and finished fifth in the conference.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer’s limited turnovers to start the season helped the team gain confidence and earn a crucial overtime win against Nebraska. They have the gift of consistency this year as Altmyer returns for a final season.

The Fighting Illini turned heads last season and it’s reflected in the preseason poll. Illinois came in at No. 12 – the program’s first Top 25 preseason appearance since 2008 and the highest since 1990.

The AP Top 25 is released at 2 p.m. ET on most Sundays during the season. The preseason poll is earlier (today!), and the first regular-season poll is always the Tuesday after Labor Day. The final poll is sent the day after the national championship game in January.

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The 2025 college football season gets off to a hot start Week 1.

Three top 10 matchups are set for opening weekend: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State, No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson and No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami.

It’s a rare occurrence for three top 10 teams to square off during a week without conference championships or bowl games. It has only happened three times before: Week 11 of 2017, Week 5 of 2016 and Week 8 of 2002.

Coach Kenny Dillingham has brought new life to a once-overlooked Arizona State program.

Dillingham took over coming off a 3-9 season and in the past two years has transformed it into a championship-caliber team.

The Sun Devils topped the Big 12 with an 11-3 overall record and 7-2 conference record in 2024, earning a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs. They fell to Texas in a hard-fought overtime Peach Bowl battle.

Following an exciting season, the Sun Devils earned their second Top 25 preseason poll ranking in the past five seasons and their highest opening rank since 1998.

Hey, if QB Carson Beck can settle in and feel comfortable against ACC defenses after seeing all those SEC defenses when he was at Georgia, why not feel good about the Hurricanes? Good as in 10-3 last season? Maybe, though there are a number of games where a loss would be painful if not surprising (we see those visits to SMU, Florida State).

At least Miami is home for the early test against Notre Dame as well as Florida.

FYI: No. 10 Miami is in the preseason top 10 for only the second time since 2006. The Hurricanes were No. 8 in 2018.

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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 Tuscaloosa fans.

Finishing short of the College Football Playoff was a dagger for a program that prides itself in being one of the very best. This year, DeBoer and the Tide hope to re-emerge as a top threat.

The Crimson Tide is usually the poster child for the thinking that poll voters of every stripe have an SEC bias. But look, winning six national championships since 2009 tends to make Alabama a lightning rod of sorts, the team many use to measure excellence.

Coach Kalen DeBoer is expected — must? — do better than last year’s 9-4 finish and there is a lot of talent in the room, from star WR Ryan Williams to a defense that looks unlikely to give up three 200-yard rushing days as it did last season.

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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.

With quarterback Riley Leonard off to the pros and Steve Angeli transferring to Syracuse, South Bend has been home to a quarterback competition between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey.

Week 1 won’t necessarily be a walk in the park for the Fighting Irish. They’ll travel to No. 10 Miami for a night game on Aug. 30.

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 team will be tested right away with a home-opener against a competitive LSU team. It’ll be a showdown between two of the top quarterbacks this season: Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier.

The Tigers finished second in the ACC in 2024 with a 10-4 overall record and 7-1 conference record.

The second-ranked Nittany Lions are not only six points from No. 1, but they are 75 points ahead of the Buckeyes in what might be considered a slight to the reigning national champs.

The two teams last met on Nov. 2 and the Buckeyes came out on top with a 20-13 victory. Penn State will have Drew Allar back under center for what some consider a light schedule ahead of a late September matchup against Oregon.

Roughly a year after their last meeting, the Nittany Lions travel to Ohio State for a Nov. 1 showdown this year. The Buckeyes — in the preseason top five for the ninth straight year — will have a new look, with only five starters back on offense and three on defense.

“This team has its own identity,” Coach Ryan Day said. “It wants to have its own identity, but it also wants to be the first Ohio State team to win back-to-back national championships.”

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.

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.

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.

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

Year one without Nick Saban coaching Alabama was unremarkable for the historically dominant Crimson Tide, which finished No. 6 in the SEC with a 9-4 overall record and 5-3 conference record.

All eyes are on the Tide this year as Coach Kalen DeBoer enters year two in Tuscaloosa and Alabama prepares for a new offensive identity post-Jalen Milroe.

The Bulldogs, too, are entering a new era at signal caller with Gunner Stockton taking full reign of the offense. Georgia’s previous back-to-back title wins are far in the rearview mirror after more recent consecutive Big Ten national championship victories.

But unlike Alabama, Georgia has the stability that its longtime head coach Kirby Smart brings to the table.

It’s never too early to talk about the Heisman Trophy – the most coveted award in college sports.

Quarterbacks Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith headline early conversations.

Smith, the sole receiver on the list of favorites, is expected to have another huge season for the Buckeyes after leading the team with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns during his freshman campaign.

Klubnik finished the 2024 season with 3,639 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, the third-most in the FBS behind first-overall pick Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.

Nussmeier boasted a higher completion percentage (64.2), and threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The preseason coaches poll dropped last week with Texas at No. 1 and Ohio State at No. 2 ahead of their Aug. 30 showdown. Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame rounded out the top five.

Will the AP poll be different?

The 2024-2025 season marked the start of the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, giving eight additional teams a shot at the title and adding a new meaning to bowl games.

The five highest-ranked conference winners automatically qualified, and the next seven highest-ranked teams earned at-large bids.

Conference winners Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State received first-round byes, which prompted criticism and changes.

This year’s 12-team version will have straight seeding based on CFP rankings when the field is set in early December.

After two consecutive national titles won by Big Ten teams, the SEC is hungry to get back on top.

The Big Ten and SEC rivalry goes beyond the football field. Over the offseason, the two most powerful conferences struggled to nail down a new playoff format. The Big Ten wants a 16-team format, with four guaranteed spots for both the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 and ACC and 1 at-large bid. The SEC favors five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, which would presumably favor the top conferences most seasons.

Stay tuned!

Georgia was No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 a year ago, earning 1,532 points and 46 first-place votes.

Ohio State was second ahead of Oregon, Texas and Alabama.

The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship, and Georgia wound up sixth in the final Top 25.

There is a school of thought that preseason rankings for any sport are a waste of time; how do you accurately assess teams with new players from last season that have not played a game yet?

That argument has not and probably never will stop the proliferation of preseason guesswork, including media outlets with full-time journalists who provide analyses of just how good a team might be. After all, the conversation around the season isn’t limited to game days. And if a preseason ranking turns out to be wildly inaccurate — as they can often be — that’s part of the conversation, too.

The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings will be released today at 12 p.m. ET.

A tradition since 1936, no organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than the AP — and now you can follow live updates before and after the poll drops.

See where your team ranks and which teams and players to watch ahead of the 2025 season.