2026 AP Preseason Top 25
Aug. 17, 2026
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1 | Ohio State (40) | 1672 |
| 2 | Oregon (14) | 1597 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1513 |
| 4 | Notre Dame (6) | 1510 |
| 5 | Texas | 1483 |
| 6 | Indiana (8) | 1440 |
| 7 | Miami (Fla.) (1) | 1379 |
| 8 | Texas A&M | 1131 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 1102 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 1047 |
| 11 | LSU | 988 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | 983 |
| 13 | Alabama | 904 |
| t-14 | BYU | 839 |
| t-14 | USC | 839 |
| 16 | Michigan | 718 |
| 17 | Washington | 501 |
| 18 | Penn State | 482 |
| 19 | SMU | 434 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 394 |
| 21 | Utah | 304 |
| 22 | Iowa | 260 |
| 23 | Houston | 252 |
| 24 | Louisville | 194 |
| 25 | Missouri | 117 |
Others receiving votes:
Clemson 112, Florida 51, Boise State 43, Arizona 32, TCU 11, Navy 10, South Carolina 10, Illinois 9, Oklahoma State 8, Vanderbilt 8, Pittsburgh 7, Virginia Tech 6, Minnesota 5, UNLV 4, New Mexico 4, Georgia Tech 4, Louisiana 4, James Madison 3, Auburn 3, Memphis 2, California 2, Liberty 1, Western Michigan 1, Tulane 1, Virginia 1.