The 2025 college football season is fast approaching, and with less than three weeks until kickoff, anticipation is rising. Monday’s release of the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll provides the first official glimpse at how the projected top programs stack up entering another pivotal campaign.
Reigning national champion Ohio State opens the fall with sky-high expectations after a dominant postseason run, but it’s Texas, led by early Heisman Trophy candidate Arch Manning, that sits atop the rankings. For the first time in program history, the Longhorns claim the No. 1 spot in the preseason Coaches Poll, surpassing their highest preseason ranking since opening at No. 2 in 2009, the year they last contended for a national title.
Texas gets an early chance to prove it belongs. A showdown with the No. 2 Buckeyes in the season opener on Aug. 30 in Columbus looms large as a potential defining moment in the Longhorns’ pursuit of their first national title in two decades.
The SEC leads all Power Four conferences with nine teams in the preseason Coaches Poll, followed by the Big Ten with six. The Big 12 places five teams in the rankings, while the ACC rounds it out with three.
Below is the full Coaches Poll top 25 from the 67 coaches who vote (first-place votes in parentheses).
College football rankings: Texas leads the way, Penn State tops Ohio State in preseason CBS Sports 136
Chip Patterson
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Texas (28)
2. Ohio State (20)
3. Penn State (14)
4. Georgia (3)
5. Notre Dame
6. Clemson (2)
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami (FL)
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Ole Miss
16. SMU
17. Florida
18. Tennessee
19. Indiana
20. Kansas State
21(T): Texas A&M
21(T): Iowa State
23. BYU
24. Texas Tech
25. Boise State
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma (221); Missouri (142); Louisville (126); USC (116); Utah (86); Baylor (76); Auburn (50); Iowa (49); Memphis (34); Army (33); Tulane (31); Georgia Tech (27); TCU (24); Nebraska (19); Syracuse (16); Washington (15); Navy (14); Arkansas (14); Duke (12); Colorado (12); Minnesota (11); UNLV (8); Florida State (8); Kansas (6); Vanderbilt (3); Buffalo (1)
History not always kind to preseason No. 1 teams
Being ranked No. 1 in August hasn’t meant much when it comes to winning a title. In the past 10 seasons, only one preseason Coaches Poll No. 1 (2017 Alabama) has gone on to win the national championship. Two of the last three failed to make the College Football Playoff.
2024
Georgia
11-3
Lost in CFP quarterfinals
2023
Georgia
13-1
Missed CFP
2022
Alabama
11-2
Missed CFP
2021
Alabama
13-2
Lost in CFP National Championship
2020
Clemson
10-2
Lost in CFP semifinals
2019
Clemson
14-1
Lost CFP National Championship
2018
Alabama
14-1
Lost CFP National Championship
2017
Alabama
13-1
Won CFP National Championship
2016
Alabama
14-1
 Lost CFP National Championship
2015
Ohio State
12-1
Missed CFP
Looking back at how the 2024 CFP teams were ranked in last year’s preseason Coaches Poll reveals how quickly expectations — and fortunes — can shift. Georgia opened at No. 1 but fell short in the quarterfinals of the expanded 12-team field. Ohio State, ranked No. 2 last August, went on to win the national title, while Oregon (No. 3) and Texas (No. 4) both delivered on their top-five billing with playoff appearances.
Meanwhile, Arizona State, Boise State, Indiana and SMU were unranked — proof that the expanded playoff can still reward surprise contenders, even if preseason polls don’t see them coming.
Georgia
1
Ohio State
2
Oregon
3
Texas
4
Notre Dame
7
Penn State
9
Clemson
14
Tennessee
15
SMU
NR
Boise State
NR
Arizona State
NR
Indiana
NR