Big Ten claims top two spots in AP preseason poll for first time in 65 years
The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll reveals a historic shift in college football power, with the Big Ten Conference securing the number one and number two positions for the first time since 1961.
Ohio State and Oregon have been ranked first and second respectively in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll, marking the first time in 65 years that the Big Ten Conference holds the top two spots. The poll, released by 69 media members, also ranked Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas in the top five, with defending national champion Indiana starting at No. 6.
Ohio State received 40 first-place votes, while Oregon received 14. The Buckeyes will go into the season ranked No. 1 for the ninth time, tying with Alabama for the second-most preseason No. 1 rankings in history behind Oklahoma’s 10. Oregon has achieved its highest preseason ranking in program history, having previously opened No. 3 four times.
The last time the Big Ten held the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the preseason poll was 1961, when Iowa and Ohio State topped the rankings. Iowa finished that season unranked after losing four of its last five games, while Ohio State ended the year No. 2 behind unbeaten Alabama. This marks the first year a conference has held the top two spots since Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight were ranked one and two in 1987.
The Big Ten has won three straight College Football Playoff championships, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana securing the titles. The conference is now aiming for an unprecedented fourth straight national title. This is the fourth consecutive year the Big Ten has had two of the top three teams in the preseason rankings.
Defending national champion Indiana starts at No. 6, a drop attributed to the quarterback change from Fernando Mendoza to Josh Hoover. Indiana is the seventh returning national champion in 40 years to be ranked outside the top five in the preseason. The Hoosiers became the first team in the modern era to go 16-0 and return significant talent, but the shift at quarterback appears to have influenced voter sentiment.
The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with nine teams in the Top 25, marking the third straight year it has had at least that many. Five of the top 10 teams are from the SEC for the first time since 2013. Four Big 12 teams are ranked, with conference champion Texas Tech the highest at No. 12. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three ranked teams, with Miami joined by No. 19 SMU and No. 24 Louisville.
Ohio State faces a challenging early schedule, visiting Texas on Sept. 12. Five of their nine conference games are against preseason ranked teams, including a home match against Oregon and a trip to Indiana. The Buckeyes' offense features Heisman finalist Julian Sayin, who was the most accurate passer last season, alongside Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson. The team will try to become the 12th to start and finish No. 1 since the poll debuted in 1950.
Notre Dame received six first-place votes and is ranked higher than any time since 2006. Georgia, the two-time defending SEC champion, is in the top five for the ninth straight year. Texas A&M is ranked No. 8, and Ole Miss is No. 9. Lane Kiffin’s first LSU team is ranked No. 11. James Madison and Tulane are the only two teams from last season’s College Football Playoff that are unranked.
