AP Top 25, Coaches Poll
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The 2026 college football season kicks off from Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 29, with North Carolina and TCU squaring off as part of an eight-game slate for Week 0.
The preseason AP top 25 college football rankings may not be the most scientific way to predict the national championship in a given year, but they do help give fans an early barometer to see how teams stack up against each other in the eyes of experts.
I went through last year’s preseason ballot and graded each slot on how my evaluation/projection played out. I used letter grades with no pluses or minuses and no set criteria. Generally, the closer my preseason ranking came to a team’s final ranking in the actual Top 25, the better the grade.
The Texas A&M Aggies came in at No. 8 on the AP preseason college football rankings, a favorable position for Mike Elko's squad that they should enjoy while it lasts.
From Texas sitting too low at No. 5 to USC looking highly overrated at No. 14, we break down the biggest misses in the preseason Associated Press poll
USA TODAY College Sports Wire on MSN
Are people out on Dabo Swinney after Clemson’s unranked in AP Poll?
On3 analysts recently discussed what Clemson being unranked might mean for Dabo Swinney heading into the 2026 season.
Indiana enters the 2026 season as the reigning national champion. Yet somehow, the Hoosiers still can’t shake the underdog tag.