Every August, a preseason AP Top 25 appears before a single game is played – and every January, it looks at least a little embarrassing. This year’s opens with Ohio State at No. 1, Oregon and Georgia behind it, and the 16-0 defending champion Indiana all the way down at No. 6. So two questions come standard with kickoff week: how is this poll actually made, and how seriously should anyone take the preseason version?
The mechanics are simple: roughly 66 sportswriters and broadcasters each submit a 1-25 ballot, points descend from 25 to 1 per slot, and the totals make the ranking. The August edition is the same process minus the one ingredient that matters – games – which is why preseason No. 1s keep losing the crown to teams ranked well below them.
Here’s the full machinery, the recent track record, and what the poll does and doesn’t decide.
The Mechanics: 66 Ballots, Descending Points
Each voter’s No. 1 earns 25 points, No. 2 earns 24, down to a single point for 25th. Sum the ballots and you have the poll – which is why “first-place votes” get reported separately, and why last season ended with the rarest of results: Indiana sweeping all 66 of them after a 16-0 run.
The Preseason Poll Is a Reputation Ranking
With no games to judge, August voters rank rosters, recruiting and history – and the recent record shows how fragile that is. None of the last several preseason No. 1s finished there: Alabama gave way to Georgia twice, Georgia to Ohio State, and Texas to an Indiana team that began 2025 far from the top. The poll isn’t wrong so much as early – it corrects weekly the moment results exist, starting with Week 0 this Saturday.
What It Doesn’t Do: Pick the Playoff
Since the CFP era began, the AP poll carries zero formal weight in selecting the postseason field. That job belongs to the 13-member selection committee, whose independent rankings begin in early November – the system explained in how the College Football Playoff works. The AP poll’s real power is softer: TV treatment, narrative momentum, and the benefit of the doubt when a ranked team stumbles.
Quick Answers
Who is No. 1 in the 2026 preseason AP poll?
Ohio State, followed by Oregon and Georgia – with defending champion Indiana at No. 6.
How are AP votes counted?
Roughly 66 media ballots, 25 points for first place down to 1 for 25th, totaled into the ranking.
Does the AP poll decide the playoff?
No – the CFP selection committee ranks teams independently, and only its rankings build the bracket.
The Bottom Line
The AP Top 25: ~66 media voters, descending points, updated weekly – with a preseason edition that ranks reputations, not results, and a recent history of preseason No. 1s losing the crown. Ohio State starts 2026 on top; the correcting begins Saturday.