The wait is over. The AP dropped its preseason Top 25 and Ohio State grabbed the No. 1 spot with 40 first-place votes, followed by Oregon at No. 2 with 14. Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas and Indiana rounded out the top 6, and CFB Home had the full poll up within minutes of the reveal.
🚨 AP TOP 25 PRESEASON POLL (1st place votes) 1 Ohio State (40) 2 Oregon (14) 3 Georgia 4 Notre Dame (6) 5 Texas 6 Indiana (8) 7 Miami FL (1) 8 Texas A&M 9 Ole Miss 10 Oklahoma 11 LSU 12 Texas Tech 13 Alabama 14 BYU 14 USC 16 Michigan 17 Washington 18 Penn State 19 SMU 20 Tennessee 21 Utah 22 Iowa 23 Houston 24 Louisville 25 Mizzou
This is the first time Ohio State has opened a season at No. 1 since 2015, and the Buckeyes did it with a resounding 40 of 69 first-place votes. Oregon wasn't far behind with 14, and between the two of them plus Indiana's 8, the Big Ten combined for 62 first-place votes — the SEC, despite landing 9 teams in the poll, got exactly zero.
Then there's Alabama. The Tide checked in at No. 13, marking the first time in 18 years Alabama has opened a season outside the top 10 — their lowest preseason ranking since 2008, when they started at No. 24. Brett McMurphy flagged the number himself, and it's a stark visual for a program that's been a preseason fixture at the top of the polls for nearly two decades.
For 1st time in 18 years, Alabama is ranked outside Top 10 in @AP_Top25 preseason poll. Tide’s No. 13 ranking is lowest since 2008 when they started No. 24
Naturally, the internet reminded everyone that preseason polls are basically vibes. Hayes Fawcett pulled up last year's version as Exhibit A: preseason No. 2 Penn State and No. 4 Clemson both finished unranked, while preseason No. 20 Indiana went 16-0 and won the whole thing. Preseason No. 1 Texas finished at No. 12. So Ohio State fans celebrating today should know the history isn't exactly on their side — McMurphy notes that of the last 22 AP preseason No. 1 teams, only 2 actually went on to win the national title, and Alabama in 2017 was the last one to pull it off.
There is a more encouraging stat buried in there too, though it comes with an asterisk. McMurphy also points out that in 19 of the past 22 years, the eventual national champion came from somewhere in the preseason top 7 — which this year means Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, Indiana or Miami. So don't overreact to the No. 1 tag itself, but do circle those 7 teams as your realistic championship field.
As for the rest of the board, Miami (1st-place vote and all), Texas A&M and Ole Miss round out the top 9, with LSU, Texas Tech and Alabama filling out 11-13. Down the ballot, Boise State picked up the most votes among Group of Five programs, while Clemson led all unranked teams in the 'others receiving votes' category. Preseason polls always look silly by December — but for one day in August, Columbus and Eugene get to enjoy the view.