AP Top 25 Preseason Poll 2026: Ohio State Claims No. 1 as Big Ten Locks Down the Top Two Spots

The Associated Press Preseason Poll Has Landed

The Associated Press released its 2026 preseason Top 25 on Monday, and the message is unmistakable: the Big Ten is the new center of gravity in college football. Ohio State opens the season as the unanimous No. 1 with 1,522 points and all 61 first-place votes — the first time a team has been a unanimous preseason No. 1 since Alabama in 2018. Oregon sits at No. 2, giving the Big Ten the top two spots for the first time in AP poll history.

Georgia (No. 3), Texas (No. 4), and Notre Dame (No. 5) complete a top five that could not be more different in style or path, and the pollsters' largest debate — whether Texas or LSU should be ranked higher — is already reshaping the conversation entering Week 0.

The Complete 2026 AP Preseason Top 25

Why Ohio State Earned Every First-Place Vote

Ohio State brings back the core of a team that finished No. 2 in last season's AP poll and reached the CFP semifinals. Quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and a defensive line that returns four starters combine with the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class to make the Buckeyes the most complete roster in the country. The only questions surround the offensive line, which must replace three starters, and the secondary, where new faces will be tested early against Oregon in Week 1.

The Buckeyes' schedule is demanding — road games at Penn State and USC, plus a season-ending trip to Michigan — but the AP voters were not deterred. Ohio State's margin over Oregon is the largest between the top two teams in a preseason AP poll since the 2017 season.

The Big Ten's Two-Spot Lock: What It Means

The Big Ten occupying the top two spots is historic, but the conference's depth is even more striking. Michigan checks in at No. 16, Penn State at No. 14, USC at No. 13, and Iowa at No. 22 — five Big Ten teams in the top 22, echoing the coaches poll's eight-team presence in the top 25. The conference's combination of elite top-end talent and middle-class depth is the defining feature of this preseason cycle.

For the SEC, the poll is a mirror of its own anxieties. Georgia at No. 3 and Texas at No. 4 are the league's frontrunners, but with LSU at No. 12 — a spot many analysts consider too low given the Tigers' loaded transfer class — and Alabama at No. 11, the SEC's nine ranked teams represent a deep but unsettled middle.

The Voters' Biggest Debates

The most contentious decisions in the poll are fueled by LSU's placement. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel and several other voters argued Texas should be higher than No. 4, while a vocal group pushed LSU into the top 10. The Tigers' transfer haul, headlined by quarterback Michael Van Buren, was the most-discussed roster story of the summer. Analysts covering the poll release consistently named LSU the most likely team to outperform its preseason ranking.

Clemson, at No. 19, represents the other end of the debate. The Tigers have not won a College Football Playoff game since 2019 and open the season at LSU — a game that will immediately test whether the preseason rank or the skeptics are right.

What This Means for CFB 27

In College Football 27, the AP poll does not drive the game's playoff selection the way it does in real life — the CFP committee's independent rankings take over in November — but the preseason AP Top 25 does shape the game's narrative systems. In Dynasty mode, the AP poll is part of the weekly rankings feed that determines which matchups are flagged as 'Top 25 clashes' for broadcast and momentum purposes. Starting a Dynasty with Ohio State means opening as the No. 1 team with all the pressure that entails: the game's momentum system makes top-ranked teams more vulnerable to upsets. For players who prefer a rebuild path, Colorado at No. 25 offers a Coach Prime-flavored challenge with a high ceiling.