Texas, Penn State and reigning national champions Ohio State sit atop the AP Top 25 poll, which was released on Monday.
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It’s the first time the Longhorns have been No. 1 in the preseason poll. Texas was also the No. 1 ranked team in the coaches poll.
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The Longhorns edged out the Nittany Lions for the No. 1 ranking after receiving 25 first-place votes to Penn State’s 23 from a panel of 65 media members. It’s the closest preseason vote since 1998, according to the Associated Press.
The SEC has the most teams ever by a conference in the preseason Top 25 with 10, one more than 2024 and feature four teams in the top 10 for the second consecutive year. There’s plenty of Big Ten love as well as for the third straight year the conference has two of the top three teams and six in the Top 25.
The last team to begin the season No. 1 in the AP preseason poll and win a national title was Alabama in 2017.
The 2025 college football season begins on Aug. 23. The first premier matchup of the season will take place on Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium when Ohio State hosts Texas in a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal.
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The Buckeyes finished last season in the No. 1 spot after winning the national championship over Notre Dame. The Irish ended up at No. 2, their highest post-season ranking since 1993. Oregon landed at No. 3 after losing to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
2025 preseason coaches poll (1st-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Texas (25)
2. Penn State (23)
3. Ohio State (11)
4. Clemson (4)
5. Georgia (1)
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon (1)
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
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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.