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Texas just made college football history. The Longhorns grabbed the top spot in Monday’s AP Poll Top 25 for the first time ever, collecting 25 of 65 first-place votes ahead of the 2025 season.
This milestone comes on the heels of Texas landing at No. 1 in the preseason Coaches Poll last week — another program first. The Horns have never before been the unanimous preseason No. 1 in both major polls, signaling massive expectations for Steve Sarkisian’s squad.
Penn State surprisingly edged into the No. 2 position with 23 first-place votes. The Nittany Lions — with veteran quarterback Drew Allar returning to lead an experienced roster — start the season ranked ahead of their Big Ten rival and defending national champion Ohio State.
The Buckeyes couldn’t hold onto the top spot despite bringing back plenty of talent from last year’s championship team.
The SEC flexed its muscles with four teams in the top 10, while the Big Ten placed three programs among the elite. Together, these two conferences dominated the rankings — combining for 16 of the 25 ranked teams. The SEC alone placed 10 of its 16 members in the poll, showing its continued strength as college football’s premier conference.
Clemson (4 first-place votes) and Georgia (1) rounded out the top five, with Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama, LSU and Miami completing the top 10. The Ducks picked up a single first-place vote as they prepare for their first season in the Big Ten.
Complete AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
- Texas (25)
- Penn State (23)
- Ohio State (11)
- Clemson (4)
- Georgia (1)
- Notre Dame
- Oregon (1)
- Alabama
- LSU
- Miami (FL)
- Arizona State
- Illinois
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- Florida
- SMU
- Kansas State
- Oklahoma
- Texas A&M
- Indiana
- Ole Miss
- Iowa State
- Texas Tech
- Tennessee
- Boise State
Others receiving votes: BYU 156, Utah 144, Baylor 132, Louisville 90, Southern Cal 64, Georgia Tech 63, Missouri 33, Tulane 23, Nebraska 23, UNLV 21, Toledo 13, Auburn 10, James Madison 9, Memphis 9, Florida St. 8, Duke 6, Liberty 5, Navy 5, Iowa 5, TCU 4, Pittsburgh 3, Army 2, Colorado 1, Louisiana-Lafayette 1
The Big 12 made a strong showing with six ranked teams — Texas, Arizona State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Iowa State. That’s impressive considering the conference lost Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC after last season.
SMU’s No. 16 ranking marks their highest preseason position in decades as they enter their first ACC season.
Michigan, last year’s national runner-up, finds itself at No. 14 after losing head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL and seeing significant roster turnover.
BYU just missed the cut at 26th, followed closely by Utah and Baylor. Southern Cal’s fall from preseason expectations continues as the Trojans received only 64 votes despite Lincoln Riley entering his third season at the helm.
The rankings set up several early-season matchups between ranked opponents that could dramatically reshape the poll by mid-September.
