Full Breakdown
Ohio State Leads 2026 AP Preseason Top 25 as SEC and Big Ten Dominate Rankings
8/17/2026, 9:21:23 PM
Core Event: Release of the 2026 AP Preseason Poll
The Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 on Monday, positioning Ohio State at No. 1 with 40 first-place votes. Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas complete the top five. The poll lists 25 teams plus additional programs that received votes.
Background & Context
The AP poll, founded in 1936 by former sports editor Alan J. Gould, has been the longest-running college-football ranking system. Indiana entered the 2025 season as the unanimous No. 1 team after a perfect 16-0 record and a national-championship win, but the new poll reflects a shift toward the traditional power conferences. The SEC fields nine ranked teams, while the Big Ten contributes eight, underscoring the continued conference-centric hierarchy.
Data & Statistics
- Top five – Ohio State (1,672 points, 40 first-place votes), Oregon (1,597 points, 14 first-place votes), Georgia (1,513 points), Notre Dame (1,510 points, 6 first-place votes), Texas (1,483 points).
- Conference representation – SEC: nine teams (Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee). Big Ten: eight teams (Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota).
- Betting odds – Ohio State entered the season with the best odds to win the national championship at +600; Notre Dame and Texas were each listed at +650; Indiana and Oregon at +800.
- First-place votes – Only Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame and Indiana received first-place votes; no SEC program earned a first-place vote.
- Historical note – This is the first time since 2015 that Ohio State has topped the preseason poll, and Oregon’s No. 2 ranking marks the highest preseason placement in program history.
Official Statements & Responses
- Ryan Day, Ohio State head coach – Day noted a defensive overhaul after losing key starters and highlighted the hiring of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, emphasizing that the team’s talent depth remains its strongest asset.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We've played as good of football as anybody in the last few years outside of the team that won the national championship,” — Dan Lanning, oregon and coach
What’s Next
- Week 1 (Sept. 5) – Florida opens at home against FAU; the Gators sit just outside the Top 25.
- Week 2 (Sept. 12) – Ohio State travels to Austin to face Texas, while Oklahoma visits No. 16 Michigan, marking the first high-profile SEC-Big Ten clashes of the season.
- Early-season outlook – Analysts project that the outcomes of these September matchups will shape the early power-ranking narrative and could influence CFP seedings before conference play intensifies.
The poll’s composition signals a continued SEC-Big Ten dominance, while the elevated odds for Ohio State and the historic rise of Oregon suggest a potentially competitive race for the College Football Playoff.
