Ohio State Leads AP Poll Preseason Top 25 as Big Ten Holds Top Two Spots

On Monday, August 17, 2026, the Associated Press released its first AP Top 25 college football poll of the season — the preseason benchmark fans and programs use to frame the year ahead. Ohio State sits at No. 1, Oregon at No. 2, and Georgia at No. 3, giving the Big Ten the top two spots for the first time since 1961 and only the second time in poll history.

The Buckeyes collected 40 of 69 first-place votes from AP voters who cover college football nationwide. Oregon received 14, Notre Dame six, Indiana eight, and Miami one. No SEC team earned a No. 1 vote, though the conference placed nine teams in the poll — the third straight year with at least that many — and five programs in the top 10, a mark not seen since 2013.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from The Associated Press, FOX Sports, The Independent, and Football Scoop, August 17, 2026.

Full AP Top 25 preseason rankings

Rank	Team	Conference	First-place votes
1	Ohio State	Big Ten	40
2	Oregon	Big Ten	14
3	Georgia	SEC	—
4	Notre Dame	Independent	6
5	Texas	SEC	—
6	Indiana	Big Ten	8
7	Miami (Fla.)	ACC	1
8	Texas A&M	SEC	—
9	Ole Miss	SEC	—
10	Oklahoma	SEC	—
11	LSU	SEC	—
12	Texas Tech	Big 12	—
13	Alabama	SEC	—
14	BYU	Big 12	—
15	USC	Big Ten	—
16	Michigan	Big Ten	—
17	Washington	Big Ten	—
18	Penn State	Big Ten	—
19	SMU	ACC	—
20	Tennessee	SEC	—
21	Utah	Big 12	—
22	Iowa	Big Ten	—
23	Houston	Big 12	—
24	Louisville	ACC	—
25	Missouri	SEC	—

Defending national champion Indiana opens at No. 6 — one spot behind where the Hoosiers finished the 2025 regular season after winning the College Football Playoff title. Miami, the team Indiana defeated in the championship game, checks in at No. 7.

Why Ohio State is No. 1

Ohio State enters the 2026 season atop the AP poll for the ninth time in program history and the first since 2015. The Buckeyes are now tied with Alabama for the second-most preseason No. 1 rankings, trailing only Oklahoma’s 10.

The program has opened inside the AP top five for 10 consecutive years — a school record — and has ranked in the top six for 14 straight seasons. Ohio State has started a season ranked in the AP Top 25 in 21 of the last 24 years and has not opened unranked since 1988.

Ohio State will try to become only the 12th team since the AP preseason poll debuted in 1950 to start and finish at No. 1. Alabama was the last to do it in 2017.

Big Ten at the top, SEC in depth

The Big Ten’s 1-2 pairing is historic. The last time any conference held the top two preseason slots was 1987, when Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight led the poll. Before that, the Big Ten’s only other 1-2 preseason start came in 1961.

Beyond Ohio State and Oregon, the Big Ten placed seven teams in the poll: Indiana, USC, Michigan, Washington, Penn State, and Iowa join the top two.

The SEC’s strength runs deeper in the middle of the ballot. Georgia opens in the top five for the ninth straight year — the Bulldogs’ 25th consecutive season beginning inside the AP Top 25. Kirby Smart’s program is favored to reach a sixth straight SEC championship game and a sixth College Football Playoff appearance in 10 years.

Ole Miss under Pete Golding starts at No. 9, the Rebels’ second top-10 preseason ranking in three years and third since 1970. Oklahoma, in its second season in the SEC, is back in the preseason top 10 for the first time since 2022, when the Sooners were still in the Big 12.

Georgia and the national picture

Georgia slots at No. 3 in the AP poll, matching its position in the coaches poll released earlier in August. The Bulldogs are the highest-ranked SEC team despite receiving no first-place votes in either poll.

Georgia’s 2026 schedule includes ranked opponents Oklahoma (No. 10), Alabama (No. 13), Ole Miss (No. 9), and Missouri (No. 25). The Bulldogs finished 12-2 in 2025, won the SEC, and climbed to No. 2 in the final regular-season AP poll before postseason play.

The program held its first scrimmage on Saturday, August 16, with another scheduled the following weekend. Georgia opens the season on September 5 against Tennessee State.

What the poll means for Week 1

The preseason AP Top 25 is the final major mile marker before kickoff. Rankings will shift weekly once games begin, but the August release sets expectations for broadcast slots, playoff conversation, and the pressure on programs carrying preseason hype.

Ohio State’s path includes matchups against several ranked Big Ten foes, including No. 2 Oregon, No. 6 Indiana, No. 15 USC, and No. 16 Michigan — a schedule that will test whether the Buckeyes can hold the No. 1 line through December.

For Oregon, sitting second represents validation of a program that has climbed steadily under its current regime. For Georgia, third is familiar territory — but the lack of first-place votes signals that voters see the national title race as a Big Ten-led fight at the top.

---

Discussion

The AP preseason poll is a snapshot, not a forecast — but it shapes how the entire season is narrated from September through January.

1. Ohio State has not finished a season at No. 1 since 2015 despite opening atop the poll. Does this Buckeyes roster have what it takes to end the year where it starts, or does the Big Ten schedule make that unrealistic?

2. Indiana won the national championship in 2025 but opens at No. 6. Is that a fair placement for a defending title winner, or does the AP poll undervalue continuity after a CFP run?

3. The SEC placed nine teams in the poll but none at No. 1. Does conference depth matter more than a single flagship program when voters pick the preseason favorite?

Where do you think the AP Top 25 will look by Thanksgiving — and which ranked team is most likely to fall out entirely?

---