Shocking Surprises Shake Up Preseason AP Top 25—Who Made the Cut and Who Didn’t?

College football fans, the countdown is on! With the 2025 regular season just a stone’s throw away, the AP preseason Top 25 dropped like a bombshell Monday afternoon—and boy, do we have a feast ahead. Now, here’s a wild thought: How many of these college gridiron stars will light up the NFL stage, and how many will become footnotes—talented, sure, but somehow failing to crack the pro code? As we gear up for Ohio State vs. Texas at The Horseshoe, a clash featuring No. 3 versus No. 1 teams, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Texas leads the pack, followed by Penn State and the Buckeyes, setting us up for a heck of a season opener covered by the heavyweights ESPN and FOX. Whether these powerhouses will fulfill the hype or join the ranks of spectacular college players who never quite made the NFL cut is the question that keeps me up at night. Ready to dive into the full rankings and some juicy surprises? Don’t blink—2025 is going to be unforgettable. LEARN MORE.

The 2025 Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll is out on Monday afternoon.

The 2025 college football regular season is just a couple of weeks away. We’ll have our first games of the season in less than a month. Week 1 of the 2025 regular season is highlighted by Ohio State vs. Texas, which will take place at The Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio. ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be in town for the game, as will FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff.”

It should be a really fun start to the year.

In anticipation of the 2025 college football season, the Associated Press released on Monday it’s complete preseason Top 25 rankings.

Unsurprisingly, Texas comes in at No. 1, followed by Penn State at No. 2 and Ohio State at No. 3, meaning we’ll get a No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup to start the 2025 college football season in Week 1.

Here’s the complete Top 25:

1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Georgia
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Florida
16. SMU
17. Kansas State
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Indiana
21. Ole Miss
22. Iowa State
23. Texas Tech
24. Tennessee
25. Boise State

The following teams received votes but did not get enough to make it: BYU 156, Utah 144, Baylor 132, Louisville 90, Southern Cal 64, Georgia Tech 63, Missouri 33, Tulane 23, Nebraska 23, UNLV 21, Toledo 13, Auburn 10, James Madison 9, Memphis 9, Florida St. 8, Duke 6, Liberty 5, Navy 5, Iowa 5, TCU 4, Pittsburgh 3, Army 2, Colorado 1, Louisiana-Lafayette 1.