AP Preseason Rankings Analysis
Ohio State has appeared in 72 of the 76 preseason rankings, which began in 1950
18 August 2025
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By Larry Little
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Texas earned the top spot in this season's Associated Press Preseason Top 25, marking the first time the Longhorns have opened a season at No. 1. This is the first time since Georgia in 2008 that a program has been ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason rankings for the first time; the Bulldogs earned the preseason top spot again in 2023 and 2024. Texas is the 24th program to be ranked No. 1 in the AP's preseason rankings, led by Oklahoma (10), Alabama (9), Ohio State (9) and USC (7).
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Every program in this season's AP Preseason Top 25 has appeared in the preseason rankings previously. Below is a look at the 88 programs that have been ranked to start a season, according tot he AP preseason rankings, which began in 1950. The poll consisted of 20 teams from 1950 to 1960, 10 teams from 1961 to 1967, 20 teams from 1968 to 1988, and 25 teams since 1989.
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More historical analysis of the AP preseason rankings will be posted in the following days.
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AP Preseason Rankings Appearances​​
PRE: number of times the program has appeared in the AP preseason rankings
PCT: percentage of the 76 all-time AP preseason rankings
EPCT: percentage of the AP preseason rankings for which the program was a member of what is currently known as the Football Bowl Subdivision
AVG: average ranking when ranked
LAST: most recent season included in the AP preseason rankings
HIGH: all-time highest ranking in the AP preseason rankings
FINAL: number of seasons the program has appeared in the AP final rankings when appearing in the AP preseason rankings
FPCT: percentage of AP final rankings when appearing in the AP preseason rankings