The first marquee game of the college football season will likely pit No. 1 versus No. 2 in all polls.
The Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the preseason Coaches Poll. There’s a good chance they are in the same positions in the preseason AP Top 25 as well.
A year ago, there was no change in the top seven programs in the preseason Coaches and AP polls.
If that trend holds for 2025, the Penn State Nittany Lions, Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will fill out the AP top five.
Preseason AP Top 25 Prediction
The preseason Coaches and AP polls are typically aligned.
A year ago, all 25 teams were the same in the preseason polls. The top seven programs were the same. The first change was at No. 8 and No. 9. Penn State was No. 8 in the AP and No. 9 in the Coaches and Michigan was No. 9 in the AP and No. 8 in the Coaches.
The same type of differences could occur with the 2025 preseason polls. The AP voters will likely have slightly different opinions than the coaches.
A potential swap could happen right outside the top 10 between Illinois and Arizona State. The Fighting Illini are the top team in the Big Ten’s second tier and could get a boost over the Sun Devils because of their returning core.
Arizona State will be the top Big 12 school in the preseason AP poll, but it could have some difference from the Coaches Poll due to the loss of running back Cam Skattebo to the NFL.
The Big 12 could benefit from a swap between Kansas State and Indiana. The Wildcats could be viewed as a preseason pick to win the Big 12, while the Hoosiers are expected to take a step back after last year’s surprising success.
One or two new entrants into the AP Top 25 are possible as well. It’s not uncommon for spots No. 21-25 to be different in the two preseason polls.
Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisville and USC all received over 100 votes in the Coaches Poll, but they did not make the top 25. One of them could replace BYU, Texas Tech or Boise State at the back end of the AP poll.
The preseason polls are usually good at predicting the top teams in the country. Six of the top 10 teams from the two preseason polls finished in the top 10 in 2024.
The surprises typically come from programs further down the preseason rankings. Arizona State and Indiana weren’t ranked in preseason in 2024 and finished in the top 10.
Source link
