College football preseason poll rankings see differences between US LBM Coaches Poll and AP
The broader framework in each poll remains very similar, with both groups focusing on the same top contenders for the College Football Playoff followed by a predictable run of Power Four teams. Both polls feature just one Group of Five team in defending Mountain West champion Boise State.
But there are some notable changes. One is a change at the top of the Big Ten, previewing what should be a neck-and-neck battle for the conference crown and subsequent playoff seeding between Penn State and Ohio State.
The Coaches Poll and the AP Poll also had different points of view on some of the SEC teams battling for position after the league's top four. Here's how the two sets of Top 25 polls compared with the most intriguing differences of opinion:
Texas is the consensus No. 1
Media voters placed Texas at No. 1, mirroring the Coaches Poll. The big difference was the margin for the Longhorns. The coaches had them 41 points ahead of Ohio State. The media had them five points ahead of Penn State. After the Longhorns came in second in the SEC and reached the national semifinals last season, the national expectations are clear heading into the regular season: to win the program's first national championship in 20 years. Media members and coaches agree that Texas has the overall roster, the quarterback, the coaching and the experience to take that leap.
Penn State leads Ohio State in the Big Ten
One notable swap from the Coaches Poll finds a change atop the Big Ten. Coaches went with Ohio State, the defending national champions, at No. 2 behind the Longhorns; the media went with Penn State, believing in the Nittany Lions' clearer situation on offense and greater degree of carryover from last season. The Nittany Lions received 23 first-place votes in the AP poll - just two behind Texas. Another advantage for PSU is the addition of former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Clearly, coaches and the media believe both teams are good enough to win the Big Ten and deliver the league's third national championship in a row.
Media voters have faith in Oklahoma
Coaches were a little more skeptical of Oklahoma coming off a highly disappointing 6-7 season, picking the Sooners as the first team out of the field while putting four Big 12 teams in the final six spots of the Top 25. But the media has faith that 2025 will yield a resurgence, placing the Sooners at No. 18 overall and seventh in the SEC. While there is a drumbeat of support for OU after a lost year, this is clearly seen more among the media than with coaches.
A shuffle among the top six
The Coaches Poll top six: Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Clemson. The top six from the media: Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame. While there's a consensus over which teams should populate this top grouping, the slight differences – not just the flop of Penn State and Ohio State but also Clemson's rise to No. 4 – is maybe the best example of how preseason polls can vary just slightly while essentially reading from the same script. In other words, coaches and the media agree on which teams should lead the way heading into the start of the season, only with a few subtle changes in the pecking order. And behind the top six, the next eight spots were all the same - Oregon, Alabama, LSU, Miami, Arizona State, Illinois, South Carolina and Michigan.
Tennessee's drop in the AP Poll
Coaches were more willing to overlook Tennessee's offseason drama involving quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who was set to return as the Volunteers' starter before controversially exiting the program in the spring and landing at unranked UCLA. Media members were less forgiving. Ranked No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, Tennessee slid down to No. 24 in the AP Top 25, reflecting how the media is skeptical of the change from Iamaleava to former Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar.
That's an understandable take given Iamaleava's potential, Aguilar's lack of Power Four experience and life in the rough-and-tumble SEC. But coaches have a point, too. While there is an obvious question mark under center for the 2025 team, the Volunteers have gone 30-9 the past three seasons while starting three different quarterbacks – Iamaleava, Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker. It seems as if coaches are much more willing to give UT and coach Josh Heupel the benefit of the doubt.
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