The 2026 AP Top 25 preseason poll is officially out, giving college football fans an early look at the teams expected to compete for national prominence this season.
Released Monday, Aug. 17, the AP poll has Ohio State at No. 1, with Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas completing the top five. The rankings share plenty of similarities with the US LBM Coaches Poll, but several notable differences stand out.
The biggest changes involve first-place votes, the order of several teams and the programs receiving votes outside the AP Top 25.
Ohio State Leads the AP Top 25
Ohio State enters the season as the AP’s preseason No. 1 team, collecting 40 first-place votes. Oregon is second with 14 first-place votes, while Georgia sits third.
Notre Dame comes in at No. 4 with six first-place votes, followed by Texas at No. 5. Indiana is sixth and received eight first-place votes, while Miami rounds out the top seven with one first-place vote.
The complete AP preseason Top 25 is:
- Ohio State (40 first-place votes)
- Oregon (14)
- Georgia
- Notre Dame (6)
- Texas
- Indiana (8)
- Miami (1)
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- Alabama
- BYU
- USC
- Michigan
- Washington
- Penn State
- SMU
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Iowa
- Houston
- Louisville
- Missouri
AP Poll vs. Coaches Poll: Key Differences
The US LBM Coaches Poll, released Aug. 4, also selected Ohio State as its preseason No. 1. However, the Buckeyes received 38 first-place votes from coaches compared with 40 in the AP poll.
Oregon is No. 2 in both rankings, but the Ducks received 14 first-place votes in the AP poll compared with six in the coaches poll.
Georgia remains third in both polls, although coaches gave the Bulldogs seven first-place votes. Notre Dame moved up to No. 4 in the AP poll after being fifth in the coaches poll, while Texas dropped from fourth to fifth.
Indiana is sixth in both rankings, but the Hoosiers received 14 first-place votes in the coaches poll compared with eight from AP voters.
Ole Miss Moves Ahead of Oklahoma
One of the notable differences comes at Nos. 9 and 10.
The AP ranks Mississippi, commonly known as Ole Miss, ninth, followed by Oklahoma at No. 10. The coaches poll has Oklahoma ninth and Ole Miss 10th.
LSU also received a higher ranking from AP voters. The Tigers are No. 11 in the AP poll compared with No. 13 in the coaches poll.
Alabama is 13th in the AP rankings but 11th in the coaches poll. Texas Tech is No. 12 in both polls.
USC sits at No. 15 in the AP rankings compared with No. 14 among coaches, while BYU moves to No. 14 in the AP poll after being No. 15 in the coaches poll.
Clemson Misses the AP Top 25
One of the biggest differences is Clemson’s position.
The Tigers are No. 23 in the US LBM Coaches Poll but failed to make the AP Top 25. Clemson received 112 votes from AP voters, making it the highest-ranked team outside the top 25 based on voting support.
Louisville moves into the AP Top 25 at No. 24, while the Cardinals are outside the coaches’ top 25 despite collecting 153 votes.
Florida also received substantial support without entering the AP rankings. The Gators earned 51 AP votes and 147 votes in the coaches poll.
Teams Receiving Votes
Several programs narrowly missed the AP Top 25.
After Clemson and Florida, Boise State received 43 votes, while Arizona collected 32. TCU received 11 votes, with Navy and South Carolina each receiving 10.
Illinois earned nine votes, followed by Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt with eight apiece. Pittsburgh received seven, while Virginia Tech received six.
Other teams receiving AP votes include Minnesota, UNLV, New Mexico, Georgia Tech, Louisiana, James Madison, Auburn, Memphis, California, Liberty, Western Michigan, Tulane and Virginia.
Preseason Rankings Are Not Guarantees
The AP Top 25 provides an important snapshot of preseason expectations, but August rankings rarely tell the complete story of a college football season.
Injuries, transfers, quarterback development, schedule strength and unexpected results can quickly change the national picture once games begin.
The previous season offered a reminder of that uncertainty, with 12 teams from the preseason AP Top 25 eventually finishing the year unranked.
That makes the 2026 AP poll a starting point rather than a prediction of the final College Football Playoff picture.
What to Watch in the 2026 AP Poll
Ohio State begins the season with the strongest position at No. 1 and 40 first-place votes. Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas follow as the other top-five teams.
Indiana’s presence at No. 6 is also notable, particularly because the Hoosiers received eight first-place votes from AP voters and 14 from coaches.
Meanwhile, Clemson, Florida, Boise State and Arizona are among the leading teams outside the AP Top 25 and could quickly enter the rankings with strong early-season performances.
The differences between the AP Top 25 and US LBM Coaches Poll demonstrate that preseason evaluations are not unanimous. However, both polls agree on the most important point: Ohio State enters the 2026 college football season as the No. 1 team.
As the season gets underway, the AP rankings will begin to change based on what happens on the field rather than preseason expectations.
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