Ohio State Takes No. 1 Spot in Preseason AP Top 25

The first AP Top 25 of the 2026 CFB season is officially here, with Ohio State opening the year at No. 1.

The Buckeyes received 40 of 69 first-place votes, putting them ahead of No. 2 Oregon, which received 14.

This marks the first time Ohio State has opened a season at No. 1 in the AP Poll since 2015, and the first non-SEC school to be No. 1 since Clemson in 2020.

Georgia checks in at No. 3, followed by Notre Dame and Texas to complete the top 5.

Defending national champion Indiana opens at No. 6 and received 8 first-place votes. Miami is No. 7 and received the final first-place vote.

2026 Preseason AP Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas
6. Indiana
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Ole Miss
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU
15. USC
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Louisville
25. Missouri

The SEC leads all conferences with 9 teams inside the preseason Top 25, while the Big Ten is right behind with 8.

The Big Ten also owns the top two spots with Ohio State and Oregon, marking just the second time the conference has had the top two teams in the preseason AP Poll.

No preseason No. 1 has gone on to win the national championship since Alabama accomplished it during the 2017 season.

With Week 0 approaching, the first rankings of the 2026 season are officially set.