College football’s preseason AP Top 25 has arrived, and with Week 0 only 12 days away, the chase for a national championship is officially taking shape. There’s no overwhelming favorite, but the sport’s power center remains unmistakable: highest-spenders with the most lucrative rosters look the part with Ohio State opening at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas rounding out a heavyweight top 5.

The Buckeyes sit atop the poll with 40 first-place votes out of 69 ballots for the first time since 2015, carrying the sport’s biggest target into a campaign shaped by championship expectations and little margin for error against one of the nation’s toughest schedules. 

The Big Ten’s perceived title contenders combined for 62 first-place votes, followed by Notre Dame’s six and one for Miami. The SEC failed to have a single team with a first-place vote.

Being No. 1 in August guarantees nothing, of course, and recent history offers a warning for every team celebrated before the first snap. Alabama in 2017 is the most recent preseason top-ranked team to finish the year with a national title, while USC in 2004 is the only other program to accomplish that feat this century.

College football rankings: Ohio State tops Oregon as SEC teams shoot up in Preseason CBS Sports 138

Chip Patterson

Last fall, Texas was preseason No. 1 for the first time in program history before stumbling in the opener at Ohio State and finishing 10-3 overall.

Still, preseason rankings provide an early snapshot of the national hierarchy, from established playoff heavyweights to trendy breakthrough picks and programs facing immediate pressure. With Ohio State leading the way, debate now shifts to which contenders are built to stay there once the games begin later this month.

Curt Cignetti and defending national champion Indiana are ranked sixth, after appearing at No. 6 in the Coaches Poll earlier this month. The Hoosiers are one of eight Big Ten teams in the AP Poll, one behind the SEC’s nation-leading nine selections.

Since Georgia’s second straight national title to conclude the 2023 campaign, the SEC hasn’t gotten back to the CFP National Championship Game since.

No Group of Six program appeared in the preseason rankings. Boise State was the closest at No. 28, receiving the most votes. The Broncos face early-season tests this fall at Oregon and against Memphis before embarking on conference action. Clemson and Florida just missed the preseason poll with 112 and 51 total points, respectively.

Here’s a look at the early rankings as Week 0 approaches.

Preseason AP Top 25 poll

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