AP Preseason Top 25: Georgia Starts No. 3, Tennessee Ranked Ahead of KSU Visit
By faNILy Team ·
The Associated Press preseason Top 25 is out, and it lines up closely with what the coaches said two weeks ago. Ohio State is No. 1, Oregon is No. 2, and Georgia is No. 3.
The top 10
- 1. Ohio State
- 2. Oregon
- 3. Georgia
- 4. Notre Dame
- 5. Texas
- 6. Indiana
- 7. Miami (FL)
- 8. Texas A&M
- 9. Ole Miss
- 10. Oklahoma
The rest of the poll, per NBC Sports: LSU, Texas Tech, Alabama, BYU, USC, Michigan, Washington, Penn State, SMU, Tennessee, Utah, Iowa, Houston, Louisville, and Missouri.
The SEC leads the way
NBC Sports noted the SEC leads all conferences with nine ranked teams. The top of the sport is still heavily concentrated, and that's the same dynamic driving the fight in Washington over caps and conference size.
How it compares to the coaches
The US LBM Coaches Poll, released August 4, had the same top three: Ohio State, Oregon, and Georgia. USA TODAY Sports noted Ohio State earned the top spot in that poll for the first time since 2015. So both panels see the Bulldogs as a clear contender heading into the season.
The Georgia angle
For fans in the Peach State, there's plenty to watch. Georgia opens as a top-three team. And Kennesaw State, the defending Conference USA champion, heads to Tennessee on September 19, per KSU Athletics, to face a Volunteers team that starts the year ranked No. 20.
A ranked opponent on the road is the kind of matchup that puts a younger program in front of a bigger audience, and its players in front of a lot of new fans.
Why preseason polls matter more than they used to
Preseason rankings don't decide anything on the field. But they do shape attention. Ranked teams tend to get bigger TV windows, more national coverage, and more eyes on individual players.
In the NIL era, that attention means something for athletes. A player on a top-10 team or in a spotlight game reaches more people, and the fans who discover them have more ways than ever to follow along, from social media to buying content directly from the athletes they like.
What's next
Polls will start moving as soon as real games are played. USA TODAY Sports pointed out that the preseason No. 1 rarely ends up winning the national championship, so expect some of these picks to look very different by October.
So use the poll the way it's meant to be used: as a conversation starter. Pick a team outside the top 10 you think is underrated, find a couple of players to follow, and see how it plays out. Enjoy the preseason debate while it lasts.