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

College Football Rankings: Preseason AP Poll Top 25 released

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As I wrote before....No. 2 is perfect for Oregon; given respect, but still an underdog....with two Big-10 teams leading the nation. This ranking is going to make the season memorable...whew!

1st game of the 2026 season for the Top 25 -

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49630375/ap-college-football-2026-preseason-poll-reaction

No worries. Things pick up in Week 2.

I guess we won't catch any team by surprise. We will be the "bowl game" for most teams. So we will have plenty of motivation to not be like PSU or UT last season!

As long as the entire team stays off the Sports Illustrated cover! 😜

Go Ducks!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

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.

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Mark Twain has allowed me to edit a bit of his lovely phrase when speaking of the SEC. "There are lies, damned lies, and the SEC."

The SEC spokespeople and those at ESPN are trying SO hard to explain away the declining status of the conference as a fog of understanding by the voters. Best of luck, boys. Later, there might even be arguments that a 4-loss Texas team should make the playoffs. Yep.

GO DUCKS!

6 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

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.

Not to mention missing 38 and 34 yard FGs in the 2024 loss to rival Michigan.

Yet, to this day, you can't find a tOSU fan who will even consider the idea that Flemming doesn't run onto the field and drop a 43 yard FG right down the middle with time expiring to win that 2024 game in that environment at Autzen.

Is Husky as good as their #17 rank? The deck will be shuffled many times between now and the end of November. I am hoping Husky can play spoiler often in the lead up and Give the Ducks a great win to end conference play.

5 hours ago, Log Haulin said:

Is Husky as good as their #17 rank? The deck will be shuffled many times between now and the end of November. I am hoping Husky can play spoiler often in the lead-up and give the Ducks a great win to end conference play.

Thanks, LH.

UW plays three G6 teams OOC, starting with the Apple Cup vs Wazzu in Seattle. Odds on to start 3-0.

UW is helped in 2026 by its two trips to the Eastern Time Zone being against Michigan State and Purdue. UW plays SC in LA the Saturday after Oregon visits the Trojans. And, of course, ends the season in Autzen.

The other B1G road game is a winnable game at Nebraska.

The Huskies miss Ohio State and Michigan and play Minnesota, Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana in Seattle.

The Hoosiers visit the week before the Oregon game, with Oregon playing late Friday night in East Lansing, Michigan. As Ducks fans know, UW is a tough out in Seattle.

Every team is undefeated, and it's all good for every team in the BTN Fall Camp visits. But Jedd Fisch is probably correct in noting that, in year three, he has his best and deepest roster, with an OL and DL that can stand up to play in the Big Ten.

Demond Williams is one of the top QBs in CFB. UW has to replace a terrific WR in Boston and an RB in Coleman, but there is talent on the roster and four home games vs three G6 teams, and Minnesota to start the season should have things in sync before the Week 5 game at SC.

I think UW wins at least eight games and could win ten games if it wins two out of three home games vs Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana.

A fifth conference road game in 2026 doesn't help. The game at Nebraska, with UW coming off a bye week after playing at Purdue, could be the swing game between a decent and a very good season.

The conference keeps getting better and deeper, especially after going 4-for-4 on new coach hires.

The AP Poll 12-team playoff, courtesy of the AP.

Five SEC teams, of course!

https://apnews.com/article/ap-poll-bracket-watch-8a858fab58160ca541b8203d58a4d111?user_email=c7d8647c6247db8d08c59fe44bc30380a147aa90b9e33099045cd46ddc6a485b&utm_medium=Sports_wire&utm_source=Sa

Greg McElroy thinks No. 6 is too low for the Hoosiers, and I agree.

CFB-HQ On SI

Greg McElroy Criticizes National Powerhouse’s 'Really Low...

College football preseason polls often reward projection more than the tangible. Even a perfect season and a national championship do not guarantee a team the b

18 hours ago, Mudslide said:

Mark Twain has allowed me to edit a bit of his lovely phrase when speaking of the SEC. "There are lies, damned lies, and the SEC."

There’s no question regarding the SEC’s ability to gain more Nattys. However, their inability to accept where the B1G now stands reminds me of another Twain quote: “No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.”

Nothing overly surprising to me in this poll, great to be in the thick of things!

Interesting that UW thinks year 3 of a coach means something in 2026. I thought Indiana winning it all last year in year 2 pretty much turned that model on its ear. Their 2025 and 2027 classes barely crack the top-25 with 2026 composite around #12. Their QB left…and came back.

I guess I’m a bit skeptical and agree with their 7.5 O/U.

Edited Tuesday at 07:56 PM3 days by JabbaNoBargain

Banished from Bristol?

CFB-HQ On SI

Rece Davis Has No SEC Teams in Top Five of His Preseason...

The SEC placed nine teams in the 2026 preseason Associated Press Top 25, more than any other conference. Yet on one of the poll’s most recognizable ballots, the

Six potential challengers from outside the AP Preseason Poll top 5 usual suspects include 14 USC, 16 Michigan, and 17 UW.

Indiana broke the code last season, rising from 20th in the 2025 preseason poll to winning it all, doing so without a Blue Chip Roster.

CFB guru Phil Steele is particularly high on Michigan, with a future Hall of Fame coach in charge and an O-line and D-line ranked in the top 10 of Steele's position-group rankings.

Boise State is predicted to overcome a tough schedule and take the G6 playoff spot.

Four of the six teams cited in the article are on Oregon's schedule. Whew!

Opponents in the Top 25 on the schedule, and Others Receiving Votes, in order of when games are scheduled to be played:

Week 1 - 28 Boise State / Week 2 - At 34 Oklahoma State / Week 4 - At 14 USC / Week 8 - At 33 Illinois / Week 10 - At No. 1 Ohio State / Week 11-16 Michigan / Week 13 -17 Washington.

A strong start and a tougher finish. And the eight games from UCLA in Week 6 to Washington in Week 13 will be played without a week off.

CFB-HQ On SI

Ignored Teams in College Football Preseason Rankings That...

History shows that it’s usually teams around the top five of the preseason college football rankings that go on a run and compete for the national championship.

Thanks Jon for completing so much research for us. The teams we face are quite manageable at face value. What will be difficult is the travel. OBD face the last six teams on the schedule alternating between Eugene and at least 2,000 miles east. So facing Ohio State begins with travel to Champagne, IL and coming back to Eugene to face Northwestern. Then we go to Columbus (we-ha ha ha) before coming home to face Michigan in Eugene the following week. Next "we" go to East Lansing to face Michigan State before coming home to vanquish the Fuskies.

That is a Lot of travel. We do get the benefit of facing Portland State after traveling to North Texas' new home in Stillwater, Oklahoma, then traveling to LA to vanquish the Condoms (boy it is fun nicknaming our West Coast "rivals"!).

So the schedule is tougher due to the amount of travel "we" face. This is where in Dan We Trust is essential...

I think many voters, with good reason, put anOSU in first and the Ducks in second because they play this year in oHIo. If they evenly matched and the home field is worth 3 points...

If the Ducks come out of there with a one point win, the voters will switch the top two spots...

¡Then on to the B1G Championship game! (¿Another flip-flop?)

¡Then on to the National Championship game!

Will three games decided by a total of 5 points really solve anything?

If the Ducks come out on top in such a scenario I can't imagine whining coming out of Columbus.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Jon Sousa

3 hours ago, Jon Sousa said:

I think many voters, with good reason, put anOSU in first and the Ducks in second because they play this year in oHIo. If they evenly matched and the home field is worth 3 points...

If the Ducks come out of there with a one point win, the voters will switch the top two spots...

¡Then on to the B1G Championship game! (¿Another flip-flop?)

¡Then on to the National Championship game!

Will three games decided by a total of 5 points really solve anything?

If the Ducks come out on top in such a scenario I can't imagine whining coming out of Columbus.

Great post, John.

So many terrific games scheduled for 11/7, including BYU at Utah, Miami at Notre Dame, Georgia at Ole Miss, but if Oregon and Ohio State are undefeated, this will be the most impactful and likely the most watched game of the weekend, if Fox doesn't come with a Nooner.

NBC has the Canes at the Domers at 7:30 Eastern.

I'm hoping for a Ducks vs Bucks kickoff on CBS, with a 3:30 Eastern kickoff.

Ducks win, and we'll hear some vintage Ohio whining.

But no rest for OBD. Oregon flies home to play Michigan.