The 2026 Preseason AP Top 25 Rankings
The latest preseason AP Top 25 college football poll has placed Ohio State at the summit, earning 40 first‑place votes and signaling the Buckeyes’ status as the early favorite.
Yet the poll also reflects a broader landscape in which five programs — Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas — each received at least one top vote, underscoring the competitive balance at the summit.
The Southeastern Conference asserts its dominance with nine teams represented, while the Big Ten follows with eight, a distribution that mirrors the conference‑centric nature of recent playoff selections.
Indiana’s eight first‑place votes hint at a program riding the momentum of a recent title run, positioning it as a potential repeat champion.
Historical data adds a cautionary note: only two teams in the past century have translated a preseason No.1 ranking into a national championship, and in the College Football Playoff era just four of the top‑ranked preseason squads have even reached the playoff.
The volatility of the poll is further illustrated by the exit of several last year’s playoff participants — Penn State, Clemson, LSU, and others — who failed to crack this year’s rankings, reminding observers that early standings are far from definitive.
Ohio State also holds the all‑time records for preseason appearances (73) and regular‑season appearances (1,016), a testament to its sustained relevance, though a top‑five finish remains the most statistically favorable launchpad for a title run.
For contenders outside the traditional power conferences, the Group of Six landscape offers a pathway, with Navy, Boise State and UNLV among the programs eyeing that slot, while the emergence of teams like James Madison and Tulane last season shows that upsets are possible.
What This Means for the Road Ahead
Analysts suggest that teams aiming for the championship should target a top‑five preseason position, as No.2 has produced the most playoff champions in the current era, while a No.4 ranking has not yielded a title since 2014.