Preseason college football Coaches Poll: Biggest snubs and surprises
On Monday, the 2025-26 preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released based on the ballots of participating coaches from around the country, and to the surprise of no one, the Texas Longhorns claimed the No. 1 spot in the rankings ahead of the first campaign of the Arch Manning era.
While Texas claiming the top spot wasn't much of a shock, some choices on the coaches' ballot defied expectation. Here are the five biggest surprises and snubs from the initial release of the 2025 Coaches Poll on Monday.
1. Ohio State at No. 2
The Buckeyes are all set for their national title defense in 2025, and while they should once again contend for a College Football Playoff bid, it's a bit surprising to see them this high with how much they lost on both sides of the ball after last season, including starting quarterback Will Howard. Still, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs remain, so this isn't completely out of left field.
2. Clemson snubbed from the top 5
This one is tough for me to fathom. If I were filling out a preseason ballot, I'm not sure the Tigers would be outside of my top three. Cade Klubnik is back as a preseason Heisman favorite, Clemson has its best receiving corps in years and the defense has bona fide stars like Peter Woods and TJ Parker. Instead, the Tigers rank No. 6 here.
3. Florida cracks the top 20
The Gators certainly enter 2025 with momentum after ending the year with four straight wins under star true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, but Florida is the only team in the preseason top 20 that took five or more losses last season. Still, there's quite a bit of offseason hype, and it wouldn't be a major surprise to see the team inside the top 15 of the AP Top 25.
4. BYU ranked amid QB uncertainty
The Cougars won 11 games as one of the most surprising teams in the Big 12 last season, and while they should be competitive again, the offseason saw the late departure of quarterback Jake Retzlaff to Tulane. Without Retzlaff, BYU has an uncertain quarterback situation featuring transfers McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourget, along with true freshman Bear Bachmeier.
5. Where is Iowa?
While the Hawkeyes have become a bit of a running joke for their dismal offenses under Kirk Ferentz, this year's squad is actually intriguing. The addition of accomplished South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski could raise the ceiling quite a bit for Iowa's offense, and this team is coming off a 10-win season. Iowa doesn't play a flashy brand of football, but I would be pretty surprised if the Hawkeyes don't finish the season inside the top 25.
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