Texas Tops 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll for First Time

Texas has been ranked No. 1 in the 2025 preseason coaches poll for the first time in program history, earning 28 of 67 first-place votes, while defending champion Ohio State is second with 20. Penn State, Georgia, and Notre Dame round out the top five, each having participated in last season's College Football Playoff. The season opener on August 30 will see No. 1 Texas travel to No. 2 Ohio State, a highly anticipated matchup that could impact early rankings. The SEC leads all conferences with nine teams in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with five, though the Big 12 has no teams in the top ten. Oklahoma misses the preseason top 25 for the first time since 1999, landing at No. 26, while Oregon, ranked seventh, is seen as underrated by some analysts. The rankings have sparked debate over potentially overrated teams and the predictive value of preseason polls.