Ohio State just snagged the No. 1 spot in the first AP Top 25 poll of the college football season, marking their first time leading the preseason rankings since 2015. They hauled in a hefty 40 first-place votes out of 69 ballots, sitting atop the sport’s hierarchy as Week 0 looms just 12 days away. The Buckeyes carry a massive target on their back, loaded with championship expectations right into one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
The Big Ten’s Power Grab and the SEC’s Shocking Silence
The top five is a heavyweight slugfest with Oregon at No. 2, Georgia at No. 3, Notre Dame at No. 4, and Texas rounding out the list at No. 5. Oregon grabbed 14 first-place votes, and Notre Dame had six. What’s absolutely wild is how the Big Ten title contenders dominated the first-place vote count, combining for a massive 62 votes, far ahead of Notre Dame’s six and Miami’s single vote at No. 7. The SEC, despite having a nation-leading nine teams in the AP Poll, didn’t get a single first-place vote. Zero. This is after Georgia won back-to-back national titles ending the 2023 campaign, and the conference hasn’t been back to the CFP National Championship Game since. That’s a huge shift in perception for the supposed “power center” of college football.
History’s Warning and Who’s Lurking
Don’t pop the champagne just yet, though. Being No. 1 in August means absolutely nothing. Recent history throws a cold bucket of water on any preseason hype, with Alabama in 2017 and USC in 2004 as the only preseason top-ranked teams to finish the year with a national title this century. Remember last fall when Texas was preseason No. 1 for the first time ever? They stumbled in their opener against Ohio State and finished a respectable but not championship-worthy 10-3. Right behind the top five, defending national champion Indiana sits at No. 6, also ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, and they’re bringing 8 first-place votes to the table. Also, keep an eye on Boise State, who barely missed the poll at No. 28, receiving the most votes outside the top 25. They’ve got tough early tests against Oregon and Memphis before conference play kicks off. Clemson and Florida also just missed the cut with 112 and 51 total points respectively.
With Week 0 just around the corner, this first snapshot of the national pecking order sets the stage for a wild season. The debate now officially shifts to which of these contenders has the grit and talent to actually stay at the top once the games begin and the chase for the national championship truly takes shape.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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