Coaches Poll top 25: Texas is No. 1 over Ohio State, SEC has most spots in preseason college football rankings

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).

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.

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.