College football latest: AP Top 25 preseason rankings drop with Texas on top
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 season.
Here's what to know:
1. Why Texas? The Longhorns don't have a major mandate for the No. 1 ranking, but they've been on an upward trajectory since going 5-7 in 2021. They've won 25 of their last 30 games and reached two straight CFP semifinals. With undisputed starting quarterback Arch Manning at the helm, 'Arch Mania' is at a fever pitch.
2. Who decides the rankings? The Top 25 voters are over 60journalists covering college football for AP-member news organizations. They're urged to base their votes on head-to-head results, not reputation, preseason speculation or regional bias.
3. When does the 2025 season start? The wait is almost over. Opening weekend begins Saturday, Aug. 23.
Here's the latest:
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.
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