DALLAS — The AP released its annual preseason football poll Monday, giving a first glimpse into who its voters expect will be this year’s top performers in college football.
Texas (No. 1), SMU (No. 16), Oklahoma (No. 18), Texas A&M (No. 19) and Texas Tech (No. 23) all earned spots in the top 25, while Baylor and TCU also received votes.
The first regular-season poll won’t be released until Sept. 2. Here are five takeaways from the initial rankings this year:
Texas ranked preseason No. 1 for first time
For the first time ever, Texas will open a college football season ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to the AP poll.
The Longhorns edged out Penn State by just five points for No. 1, the closest preseason vote since 1998.
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Expectations are high for the Longhorns, who have returned to prominence in the last few seasons, winning 25 of their past 30 games and reaching two straight College Football Playoff semifinals.
With Arch Manning as the undisputed starter, many wonder if this may be the year Texas finally returns to — or even wins — the national championship game.
Texas will face a huge test early, facing defending national champion Ohio State in Week 1 in a rematch of last season’s CFP semifinal, in which the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns, 28-14, in the Cotton Bowl.
With Ohio State ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll, expect some shakeup of the rankings in the first regular-season poll one way or another.
SMU ends 40-year drought
SMU had not appeared in an AP preseason poll since 1985 — until now.
The Mustangs earned the No. 16 ranking in the nation entering this season — the second-highest in the state of Texas and third-highest in the ACC.
Coming off an unprecedented run to the College Football Playoff, SMU burst onto the national scene last year. While their underwhelming performance against Penn State in their CFP first-round game was quite the disappointment, the Mustangs maintained some respect after what they were able to accomplish in 2024. SMU went undefeated in conference play before reaching the ACC title game in their first year in the conference.
SMU also brings back quarterback Kevin Jennings after a breakout season and star tight end RJ Maryland, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in October of last year.
With non-conference matchups against Baylor and TCU — and regular-season matchups against Clemson, Miami and Louisville — SMU will be able to earn some resume-building wins.
Texas Tech’s big spend captures nation’s attention
It’s championship or bust this year for the Red Raiders, who reportedly spent $12 million to bring in 21 new transfers and $25 million to construct their roster.
That earned Texas Tech its first AP poll spot since 2018 and its highest ranking since 2013, as the Red Raiders slotted in at No. 23.
Tech hasn’t been ranked in a preseason poll since 2008, and it hasn’t been ranked for more than one week in a single season since 2013.
But last year’s College Football Playoff selection process showed the Big 12 is wide open, and Tech has certainly established itself as one of the contenders, even after an 8-5 finish last season.
Big 12 remains an enigma
The Big 12 is arguably the most wide open conference in America, and the AP preseason poll reflected that.
No Big 12 team earned a spot in the top 10, but Arizona State (No. 11), Kansas State (No. 17), Iowa State (No. 22) and Texas Tech (No. 23) will all begin the season ranked. BYU, Utah and Baylor were the first three teams out, while TCU and Colorado also received votes.
This AP poll reflects last season’s final standings where seven different teams were no more than a game out of reaching the Big 12 title game.
But parity in the conference wasn’t enough to earn the Big 12 more than a single bid to the College Football Playoff. Could this year be different?
