Fans are one week away and counting from the release of the first college football rankings more formally known as the AP Poll. With the college football rankings set to be released on Monday, August 17, per On3’s Brett McMurphy, let’s take a look at how Heavy Sports would rate the top teams ahead of the AP Poll unveiling.
The coaches already revealed their first set of college football rankings and there is plenty to dislike about the poll. Yet, the college football season has a way of sorting this out on the field once actual games are played.
As a reminder, the college football season technically starts on Saturday, August 29, with a light slate of Week 0 games, including TCU squaring off against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland.
The first “normal” Saturday on the college football schedule takes place on September 3.
Before we dive into our ratings, here’s a look at the top 10 of the college football rankings via the coaches poll: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 2 Oregon Ducks, No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 4 Texas Longhorns, No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers, No. 7 Miami Hurricanes, No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies, No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels.
Here’s a look at our preseason college football power rankings.
No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers
Things tend to go well for Indiana when Curt Cignetti’s squad underwhelms in the preseason rankings. The Hoosiers sit outside the Coaches Poll’s top five despite being the defending national champions.
Until proven otherwise, Indiana deserves this spot, but there are plenty of questions. Namely, Indiana replaces No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza with TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover.
No matter the quarterback, all Cignetti does is win. Google him.
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
There is no shortage of talent on a loaded Ohio State roster, starting with future NFL wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes will need quarterback Julian Sayin to take a step forward if Ohio State wants to win the Big Ten.
Ohio State’s biggest tests includes games at Texas, at Indiana, at USC, vs. Oregon and, of course, The Game vs. Michigan.
No. 3 Oregon Ducks
The good news is star quarterback Dante Moore played about as bad as humanly possible the last time we saw the signal-caller during Oregon’s 56-22 blowout playoff loss against Indiana. Oregon’s fate likely depends on whether Moore can play better in the games that matter most.
It is hard to imagine Oregon not making the College Football Playoff. Can the Ducks finally win a national title? Moore will have a major say in this answer.
No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs
It is possible to fly under the radar at Georgia? Kirby Smart somehow appears to be doing just that.
Gunner Stockton returns as the Dawgs QB1, but Georgia’s fate could depend on how much Smart wants to open up the offense. An underrated storyline: Georgia’s defense was not quite as imposing in 2025.
Let’s see how the Silver Britches look against SEC offenses this season.
No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame should have learned from past schedules not to pencil in any wins. Yet, it is hard not to notice that Notre Dame’s major tests are few and far between.
BYU, SMU and Miami are all formidable opponents, but the Canes may be the only team favored against the Irish. There is a lot of buzz about quarterback CJ Carr.
No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss may not have won the big trophy, but it is challenging not to be impressed by the Rebels’ deep College Football Playoff run amid the train wreck known as Lane Kiffin’s departure. With Kiffin now having a Louisiana address, Ole Miss can get back to simply focusing on football.
The Rebels received a massive boost with star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss ruled eligible to play this season. Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding is just fine with LSU getting all the attention with his former boss.
No. 7 Miami Hurricanes
Another college football season means another massive new transfer portal addition at quarterback for Miami. With Carson Beck now in the NFL, Miami is hoping that Duke transfer Darian Mensah can keep the Canes offense rolling.
By no fault of their own, Miami sits outside of the top five, but the Hurricanes have what it takes to win the national championship.
No. 8 Texas Longhorns
It appears many fans and analyst alike have selective memory when it comes to Arch Manning and Texas’ season. By nearly any metric, Manning underperformed last season, but the quarterback did improve to close the season.
While skepticism still remains about Texas, the good news is we will not have to wait long as the Longhorns face Ohio State in Week 2. Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt believes Texas receivers deserve a lot of the blame for Manning’s struggles in 2025.
“Arch is a really good player,” Klatt told Heavy Sports during an exclusive interview in April. “Last year, they didn’t have the wide receiver core nor the running game to help him out to the degree that he needed it. Certainly, that offense needed to change.
“So, for instance, Quinn Ewers was a point guard, RPO (run-pass option) style passer. Arch is not. Arch is a more down the field guy. I thought that the offense was going to morph for Texas and mimic more of what like Alabama did in 2020 with Mac Jones, and it never really materialized.
“… Texas’ offensive weapons never materialized last year, and so Arch was constantly under pressure. There was a lot of pressure on him to develop, and it didn’t work out.”
No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama continues to fall further in the annual preseason rankings since the departure of Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide have a chance to be even more dynamic with either Austin Mack or Keelon Russell as the team’s starting quarterback.
Alabama’s fate depends on how the Crimson Tide handle October with marquee matchups vs. Georgia, at Tennessee, vs. Texas A&M and at LSU.
So does Bama’s schedule get any easier? Try road games against LSU and Vanderbilt to start November.
No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies
All Texas A&M did last season is go 11-2 and star quarterback Marcel Reed returns to College Station. Texas A&M’s schedule resembles an upward escalator with each month being a little harder than before.
The Aggies end their season with November matchups against Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas.
College Football Rankings: Coaches Poll Leaves Out Big 12 in Top 10 Teams
The jury is still out on how good the top Big 12 teams can perform. Texas Tech spent the offseason filled with a lengthy battle over quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility.
Ultimately, the Red Raiders went down swinging as all eyes turn to Will Hammond. BYU appears to be the team to beat with the return of quarterback Bear Bachmeier, but it feels like the winner of the Big 12 may be a mystery squad few are discussing.
College Football Rankings: Ohio State, Notre Dame Loom Amid CFB’s AP Poll