RANKINGS: Ohio State, Oregon top 2026 AP Preseason Top 25

Ohio State edges Oregon for the top spot; Reigning National Champ Indiana lands at No. 6; USC tied at No. 14

The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 is officially here.

Ohio State received 40 first-place votes and 1,672 points to open the 2026 season as the clear No. 1, the program’s first preseason top ranking since 2015. Oregon sits at No. 2 with 14 first-place votes and 1,597 points. The Big Ten holds the top two spots for the first time since 1961.

Georgia, Notre Dame (six first-place votes), and Texas round out the top five. Defending national champion Indiana checks in at No. 6 with eight first-place votes. Miami is No. 7 and received the final first-place vote.

The SEC leads all conferences with nine ranked teams. The Big Ten has eight.

USC is tied with BYU at No. 14 (839 points each). The Trojans will face a tough early stretch that includes home games against Ohio State, Oregon, and Washington, plus road trips to Indiana and Penn State.

2026 AP Preseason Top 25 (First-place votes in parentheses)

1. Ohio State (40) — 1,672

2. Oregon (14) — 1,597

3. Georgia — 1,513

4. Notre Dame (6) — 1,510

5. Texas — 1,483

6. Indiana (8) — 1,440

7. Miami (1) — 1,379

8. Texas A&M — 1,131

9. Ole Miss — 1,102

10. Oklahoma — 1,047

11. LSU — 988

12. Texas Tech — 983

13. Alabama — 904

14. USC — 839

14. BYU— 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.