RADIO
Mike's 2025 college football rankings reaction to the AP Poll. His analysis and insight for the preseason top 25 CFB teams.
AP Preseason Top 25 Poll
The first AP college football top 25 poll of the 2025 season dropped today. These differ from the USA Today Coaches Poll since this poll is voted on by writers and not coaches. As with the Coaches Poll, 25 points are awarded for a first-place vote, and one point is awarded for 25th.
First, we’ll start with the others receiving votes section. Total points are listed next to each team: BYU 156, Utah 144, Baylor 132, Louisville 90, USC 64, Georgia Tech 63, Missouri 33, Tulane 23, Nebraska 23, UNLV 21, Toledo 13, Auburn 10, James Madison 9, Memphis 9, Florida State 8, Duke 6, Liberty 5, Navy 5, TCU 4, Pittsburgh 3, Army 2, Louisiana 1, Colorado 1
I do find it remarkably interesting that Toledo is the fourth-highest ranked Group of 5 team. Most of the buzz from the Go5 playground is around Tulane and Memphis (and if you listen to me, UTSA).
25. Boise State (191)
As with the coaches, the AP chose Boise as the token Group of 5 team because of a great run in 2024. The bad part is that they lost the player who likely should have won the Heisman in RB Ashton Jeanty. Boise returns the rest of the offense and brought in Malik Sherrod from Fresno State to replace Jeanty. Boise will likely be good again, but how good? They relied on Jeanty a lot last year.
24. Tennessee (192)
I’m not going to play dumb and pretend I don’t know why Tennessee is this low, but I’m also not going to sit here and say the pollsters are right. Tennessee fans put up with a lot of mediocrity from Nico Iamaleava last season because he was their ride-or-die. Joey Aguilar, while not as talented, will be deserving of the love Tennessee fans give.
The loss of Dylan Sampson is going to hurt, but a strong case can be made that this defense is better than last year. The offense will have better leadership. I’m not ready to bury Tennessee just yet, even though the AP is.
23. Texas Tech (274)
The Red Raiders have a Heisman candidate in QB Behren Morton. Replacing Tahj Brooks with USC’s Quinten Joyner is a little bit of a downgrade, but the Red Raiders still have a good defense. I believe that Joey McGuire can coach. This is a dangerous team.
22. Iowa State (309)
No one believes in the Cyclones without Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, but QB Rocco Becht is only getting better, and the RB room is the best in the conference. As long as the transfer receivers (Chase Sowell from East Carolina and Xavier Townsend from Central Florida) hold up, this team is a threat to win the Big 12 (16).
21. Mississippi (370)
New QB Austin Simmons has been in this system for two full seasons behind Jaxson Dart. That kind of continuity (and the continuity on defense) should be huge for the Rebels. The addition of WR De’Zhaun Stribling from Texas Tech and Harrison Wallace III from Penn State could make Mississippi at least as good as last year if Simmons is anywhere near Dart at QB. On top of that, there is buzz that this might be the best version of the Land Shark defense.
After all of the talking that Lane Kiffin did during the playoff last year, I expect this team to come out and play like they deserve to be there in 2025.
20. Indiana (423)
The biggest discrepancy in my poll and the AP and Coaches Polls is Indiana and Baylor. Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza is every bit as good as Kurtis Rourke, and the rest of the offense is intact. Indiana didn’t just get lucky last year. The Ohio State and Notre Dame losses were closer than the final scores indicated.
19. Texas A&M (434)
It is interesting to see the drop in A&M in both preseason polls this year. The Aggies haven’t come close to living up to the preseason hype in recent years. The answer from the polls is to quit hyping them. This may not be the year to ignore the Aggies. Marcel Reed and Le’Veon Moss are good enough to carry this offense.
18. Oklahoma (463)
The coaches don’t believe in Oklahoma, but it’s nice to know that some AP voters still do. The addition of John Mateer from Washington State is a nice grab, but I still believe that Cal’s Jaydn Ott was the best RB in the portal. There is no way that Oklahoma can be as bad as last year, right? RIGHT? Please say I’m right. I can’t handle another season like 2024.
17. Kansas State (512)
Avery Johnson is Will Howard. If you have never watched Howard at Kansas State, you don’t know how similar they are. Johnson will need a Howard-like progression from sophomore to junior year if K-State is to live up to this ranking.
16. SMU (565)
As with the USA Today Coaches Poll, I feel that this is a generous ranking. If the gaggle of freshman receivers that the Ponies brought in can replace Roderick Daniels, then maybe this isn’t a stretch. In a tougher ACC, I don’t see one position where SMU kept up with last year, aside from QB. TE enters the conversation if RJ Maryland can build on last year’s success before he got hurt.
15. Florida (626)
Yes, DJ Lagway made too many mistakes last year. He was a true freshman! What do you want from him? Lagway has looked good this summer, and Jadan Baugh is going to be a star. I wouldn’t be shocked if Florida won the SEC. They have that much talent. That also means Billy Napier has a short leash if this team underachieves.
14. Michigan (662)
I know that Michigan fans don’t want to hear this, but Bryce Underwood is going to make mistakes. Maybe a lot of them. The good news is that he will still be less frustrating than Alex Orji and Davis Warren. However, expecting a true freshman to lead a team to the cusp of the CFP is a bit much. Michigan will likely win an exciting game or three, but I think they finish closer to 25th than 10th.
13. South Carolina (667)
It seems that the bowl loss to Illinois soured many on the Gamecocks. Not me. Utah State transfer Rahsul Faison is nearly as good as Rocket Sanders. QB LaNorris Sellers and the receivers benefit from a full year of training together. It’s easy to forget that Sellers wasn’t the starting QB in Week 1 last year. Now Sellers has had first-team reps all offseason. The Gamecocks might be better than last year.
12. Illinois (713)
I love the story of Luke Altmyer for Illinois, but the team that enters the 2025 season isn’t the same as the one that beat South Carolina in the bowl game last year. The defense is really good, but losing WRs Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin is a big deal. West Virginia transfer Hudson Clement will help, but probably not enough for me to buy the Illini as a CFP team.
11. Arizona State (791)
Yes, Arizona State was robbed against Texas in the CFP, but having the Sun Devils this high without Cam Skattebo is crazy to me. Skattebo was the heart of that team last year. Sure, the Fun Devils can match his production, but who is going to take over his leadership role? Sam Leavitt or Jordyn Tyson could. They will need to for Arizona State to make a similar run in 2025.
10. Miami (FL) (889)
Replacing what Cam Ward did for this team last year is next to impossible, but choosing an experienced veteran like Carson Beck to lead the new receiving corps isn’t the worst idea. Miami still has a strong run game and a strong defense. Beck is being asked to do what he did at Georgia: keep the ship from capsizing. If he can do that, Miami might live up to this ranking. Can Beck’s elbow survive another season?
9, LSU (1,174)
Fans can draw a lot of parallels between 2018-19 LSU and 2024-25 LSU. Garrett Nussmeier had a solid first year as a starter. Joe Burrow was solid in 2018. Expecting this team to become an elite offense, despite all of the similarities, is too much for me. Much has been made of James Franklin in big games, but what about Brian Kelly? He’s not much better. LSU will need to have a shot at winning the SEC.
Before you get after me, I actually have LSU ranked higher than this. The portal additions at WR (Barion Brown from Kentucky and Nic Anderson from Oklahoma) combined with Aaron Anderson form arguably the best WR room in the SEC. The talent is there for LSU to go on a run.
8. Alabama (1,179)
Kalen DeBoer’s success at Washington was built around a veteran QB and a bunch of really good receivers. Alabama, despite all of its talent and a generational one in WR Ryan Williams, still doesn’t have the type of core that DeBoer won with at Washington. The defense is elite, but don’t be shocked if Ty Simpson holds this team back in his first year as a starter.
7. Oregon (1,236)
Dan Lanning has a penchant for getting the best out of his players, but the Ducks barely finished in the top 8 last year with a more talented roster. Oregon will lean more on a revamped (and far more talented) defense than the offense. Can the paradigm shift for Oregon create a different path to the top?
QB Dante Moore will benefit from a year learning behind Dillon Gabriel, but all three of the leading receivers for Oregon from 2024 are gone. So is RB Jordan James. Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes helps, but this offense is going to have problems being as efficient as they were in 2024.
6. Notre Dame (1,325)
The Irish may have the best returning RB in the country in Jeremiyah Love. My issue is with CJ Carr running the offense. It’s easy to forget how important both Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard were to Notre Dame’s success in 2023 and 2024. Is Carr that guy? Can he provide that in his first year as a starter?
5. Georgia (1,331)
The Bulldogs did receive one first-place vote, and it’s easy to see why. QB Gunner Stockton had limited success in relief of Carson Beck, but it was against elite competition (SEC Championship and the CFP). USC transfer Zachariah Branch is slated to replace Arian Smith. Illinois RB Josh McCray will replace Travis Etienne. It’s elite recruits replacing elite recruits. Rinse and repeat.
4. Clemson (1,398)
The Tigers got four first-place votes. I’ve been openly critical of Dabo Swinney’s apathy toward the transfer portal. This is the year where we get to see if he was right. QB Cade Klubnik is a senior starter for the team that recruited him. That’s unheard of in college football now. Most of the offense and defense are homegrown. I’m curious to see if that strategy can work in the era of unchecked free agency.
3. Ohio State (1,472)
11 AP voters have the Buckeyes repeating. Jeremiah Smith might be the most talented player in college, but Ohio State still hasn’t decided on a QB. Either Julian Sayin isn’t as-advertised or Lincoln Kienholz is better than anyone realized.
This feels a lot like 2023 Ohio State to me. They couldn’t decide on a QB early in the season, Kyle McCord ended up winning the job, then transferring, then OSU poached Will Howard and won the title. Look out for the Buckeyes in 2026!
2. Penn State (1,547)
Penn State was only two first-place votes behind Texas. To me, people are ignoring Drew Allar’s performance in the CFB last year and James Franklin’s inability to win the big game. Hey, I did too. I also have Penn State at No. 2. Is this the year that Franklin finally breaks through? This team is talented enough to win it all. Is the coach?
1. Texas (1,552)
Texas led the way with 25 first-place votes, to the surprise of absolutely no one. What is the surprise is that Texas has never been the AP top-ranked team in the preseason. The AP Poll has been around for 89 years!
This is the best defense Texas has had in half a century, and Arch Manning is the second coming of Jesus H. Christ. He’s better than every Manning who has ever donned a helmet at any level. Just ask Texas fans. They’ll tell you. So will Uncle Peyton and Uncle Eli.
