College football latest: AP Top 25 preseason rankings drop with Texas on top

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Aggies earn seventh straight preseason poll appearance

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.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, right, is pressured out of the pocket by the Texas defense during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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 ends 40-year drought

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.

A fan in stands holds a sigh during the first half of an NCAA college football game between California and SMU Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Illinois is no longer an underdog

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.

What days and times will the AP Top 25 be updated?

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.

Competition will be hot from the jump

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.

Arizona State’s highest rank since 1998

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.

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, center, celebrates with his team after their win in the Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game against Iowa State, in Arlington, Texas, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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.

Alabama has plenty to prove

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer leads his team onto the field before Alabama’s A-Day NCAA college football scrimmage, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

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.

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.

No. 6 Notre Dame hopes to keep momentum rolling

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.

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr (13) throws during NCAA college football practice in South Bend, Ind., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) throws during NCAA college football practice in South Bend, Ind., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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.

Eyes on Clemson

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.

Penn State beats out Ohio State

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.”

Conference breakdown

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.

Ohio State vs. Texas debate will be settled soon

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.

Texas live Longhorn mascot Bevo is led onto the field before an NCAA college football game, Oct. 7, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

Ohio State mascot Brutus Buckeye performs during an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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 makes history, Penn State comes closest in decades

Texas tight end Jordan Washington (84), coach Steve Sarkisian, defensive back Barryn Sorrell (88) and quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) celebrate with their team after defeating Arkansas in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods, File)

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.

AP Top 25 college football poll rankings:

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

Can SEC powerhouses Georgia and Alabama bounce back from disappointing seasons?

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.

Heisman hopefuls: Early favorites to win the award

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 12-team playoff bracket is in place for a second year

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.

Coaches’ college football poll is still hanging in there

The preseason coaches poll was 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? It often is, stay tuned!

Who topped last year’s preseason poll?

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.

Poll sets the stage for Big Ten rivalry vs. SEC

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!

Why bother with preseason rankings?

There is a school of thought that preseason rankings for any sport are a waste of time; after all, 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.

What is the AP Top 25?

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 college football season.