The 2026 Preseason AP Poll Is Out - 1st Impressions - Mine and I Hope Yours

The 2026 Preseason AP Poll has been released. From now until the Playoff Committee's first reveal on Tuesday, November 3rd, these will be the rankings in common use.

Will the 2026 season be a circus? It does start with a B1G Top: Ohio State is ranked first and Oregon 2nd.

Ohio State has been ranked 1st before, but this is rare air for Our Beloved Ducks. You'll note that the Bucks received 41 1st-place votes; Oregon received 14. Make room on the Bulletin Board!

Ohio State returns a whole lot of firepower on offense, including the best WR in college football, a Heisman finalist QB, and four starters on the O-line. But did you see those guys playing like Matadors against Indiana and Miami? OLE!

Ohio State is always stocked with talent, but a bevy of Buckeyes on the 2025 team are now playing in the NFL. And the schedule goes from 'manageable' to one of the most difficult in all of college football.

This question is for the Bucks and the Ducks: is there a kicker in the house?

Ohio State made an excellent late-game drive to set up a chippy field-goal attempt that would have taken the conference champ game into OT. No Good.

Ohio State had a good 1st half drive against Miami in the Cotton Bowl that was stalled, and the kicker biffed an easy attempt.

Make no mistake, Ohio State will be a very tough out for any opponent, but for the Buckeyes to receive 27 more first-place votes than Oregon? Coming at you, Brute, on 11/7.

The top three vote-getters, Ohio State, Oregon, and Georgia, mirror the Coaches Poll ranking. Notre Dame moves up from five to No. 4, and Texas drops from 4th to 5th.

Six SEC teams are in the Top-12 Playoff zone, along with Ohio State, Oregon, No. 6 Indiana, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 7 Miami, and 12 Texas Tech.

Number 11-ranked LSU, up two spots from its Coaches Poll ranking, would be knocked out of the Playoff by No. 12-ranked Texas Tech, moving up to the PO 11th seed, with the highest-ranked G6 team, 34th-ranked Boise State, being the PO's 12th seed.

This would be delicious. 😁 I'm certain that Lane Kiffin and the always reasonable and respectful LSU fans would gratefully accept an invite to the Mayonnaise Bowl. And a 12-team PO field would be all good.

Nine SEC teams are ranked in the Top 25, eight B1G teams, four B12 teams, three ACC teams, and Notre Dame. The AP voters put their stamp on college football having an upper tier of the Big Ten, the SEC, Notre Dame, and then eight other conferences.

Clemson, ranked 23rd in the Coaches Poll, is ranked 26th in the AP Poll. Illinois is ranked 33rd, Minnesota 38th, and Week 2 opponent Oklahoma State is ranked 34th.

There is a B1G drop from Indiana, ranked No. 6, to No. 14 USC, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Penn State, and No. 22 Iowa.

Five SEC teams are ranked between Indiana and USC.

The AP voters have put their stamp on the SEC being the deepest conference in college football. The SEC will receive too much conference strength-of-schedule love, perpetuating the deeper-conference myth.

The last two times No. 13 Alabama played No. 16 Michigan, the Tide lost. In 2024, No. 14 USC defeated No. 11 LSU and No. 8 Texas A&M.

As John Adams noted, facts are inconvenient things. In 2024 and 2025, the Big Ten went 10-2 versus the SEC. What better evidence is there of the B1G closing in on and arguably surpassing the SEC since the NIL college football paradigm shift, exacerbated by unregulated free agency?

Your Forum Honors, I humbly submit 'Exhibit B': Saint Nick left town.

No one should be surprised the next time an SEC team wins a Natty. There are many good football programs in the SEC, and money is not an issue at LSU, Texas, and other programs. But to ignore the evidence based on bombastic claims from That Other Commissioner Down South, well ...

So be it. I'll take our guy who speaks softly and carries a B1G stick.

On3