Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll released

By Chris Marler

The first official Top 25 has been released for the upcoming season. Despite being a little under three weeks from any actual games, the first installment of this season’s Coaches Poll Top 25 was released early Monday. 

Despite not playing a game since winning the national championship, Ohio State was dethroned from their top spot. That place belongs to the Texas Longhorns. That also means those two storied programs will face off in a No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown to start the year in Columbus. It will be the highest ranked opening weekend matchup in the history of the sport. 

The SEC once again leads the way with the most ranked teams of any conference in the Power 4 with nine. That was followed by the Big Ten with six, the Big 12 with five, and the ACC with the three. Boise State (No. 25) and Notre Dame (No. 5) were the only non-Power 4 teams to receive a Top 25 spot. 

Here’s the entire Top 25 Coaches Poll with SEC teams in bold. 

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