Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll breakdown by conference
You know the start of a new college football season is just weeks away when the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll hits the wire. Perhaps to the surprise of nobody in this day and age, the Big Ten and SEC claimed a combined 15 of the 25 spots in this season's preseason ranking. With Notre Dame filling one of the spots, that left just nine additional spots in the preseason coaches poll to be filled by the other conferences.
Here is a look at how each conference was represented in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll for the 2025 season.
Mountain West Conference: 1 team
No. 25 Boise State
After representing the Mountain West Conference in the College Football Playoff last season, Boise State is looking to do so one more time before heading off to the Pac-12 next year. The Broncos are the only school from one of the non-power conferences to make an appearance in the preseason coaches poll.
ACC: 3 teams
No. 6 Clemson, No. 10 Miami, No. 16 SMU
The ACC landed three teams in this year's preseason coaches poll. The two teams that played for the ACC title last year, Clemson and SMU, and Miami all earned a preseason ranking from the coaches. Clemson, the defending ACC champion, leads the conference with the No. 6 ranking.
Big 12: 5 teams
No. 11 Arizona State, No. 20 Kansas State, 21 Iowa State, No. 23 BYU, No. 24 Texas Tech
The Big 12 comes in heavy toward the bottom of the top 25 ranking, but Arizona State comes just shy of a top-10 preseason ranking. The Sun Devils, the defending Big 12 champions, are coming off a surprise College Football Playoff appearance last season and are looking to prove it was no fluke in their second year in their new conference home.
Big Ten: 6 teams
No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Penn State, No. 7 Oregon, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Michigan, No. 19 Indiana
The Big Ten is well-represented in the preseason coaches poll with six members ranked, and three within the top-10. Ohio State and Penn State take two of the top-three spots in the poll, while defending Big Ten champion Oregon comes in at no. 7 to start the season. Indiana earned the respect of the voters after their run to a playoff spot last season. Illinois does not look like quite the under-the-radar team some may have counted on them being this season, with a very respectable preseason ranking in the top-15, a couple of spots ahead of Michigan.
SEC: 9 teams
No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Georgia, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 LSU, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 17 Florida, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 21 Texas A&M
The SEC leads all conferences with nine schools ranked in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll this season, with the Texas Longhorns leading the way at the top of the poll overall with 28 first-place votes. The SEC has made a habit of filling the most spots in the preseason rankings over the years, so it is no surprise to see that be the case this season as the conference came within 25 points of getting the 25th-ranked team at the bottom (Oklahoma was beat out by Boise State for the last spot).
Of course, the preseason rankings are one thing. The Big Ten had two semifinal teams in the playoff last year and has had the national champion each of the past two seasons. And the stage is officially set for a Week 1 battle between the top two teams in the country when Ohio State faces Texas. The Big Ten vs. SEC talk will be piping hot all week for that one.
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