Coaches Poll Top 25 Released for 2025 Preseason College Football Rankings

Texas opened as the No. 1 team in the preseason Coaches Poll ahead of the 2025 regular season.

The Longhorns posted a 13-3 record last year and lost to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Buckeyes, Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame round out the top five.

2025 Preseason Coaches Poll

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

T21. Texas A&M

T21. Iowa State

23. BYU

24. Texas Tech

25. Boise State

While there are some strong contenders sitting near the top of the Coaches Poll, one clear championship favorite fails to stand out. For the most part, that's down to a level of uncertainty at quaterback.

Will Howard transferred in to Ohio State after spending four years at Kansas State. Taking over the offense now is Julian Sayin, who was a 5-star prospect in the 2024 class but has attempted just 12 passes in college.

It's a similar story at Oregon, where Dante Moore is succeeding one of the most tenured and prolific QBs in FBS history. Dillon Gabriel leaves massive shoes to fill.

As much as Carson Beck left a lot of Georgia fans wanting more, it remains to be seen whether Gunner Stockton is an upgrade for the Bulldogs.

After two years of dipping into the transfer portal to find his starting quarterback, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is counting on a redshirt freshman (CJ Carr) who's yet to throw a pass in a college game.

And then there's the biggest wild card. Soon enough, the college football world will learn whether the years of hype surrounding Arch Manning are worth it.

The third-year sophomore went 41-of-60 for 583 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions over a pair of games while filling in for an injured Quinn Ewers. Still, so much about Manning is theoretical because he was glued to the bench once Ewers returned.

Maybe this is a year when quarterback continuity goes a long way. If that proves to be the case, then LSU, Clemson or Penn State could be the last team standing when the dust clears.

All three bring back their starter from a season ago. Beyond what they can achieve on the field, the trio of Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik and Drew Allar will all be jostling to make themselves the top QB on the board in the 2026 NFL draft, too.

None of the three will be under more pressure to deliver because a lot of fans in University Park, Pennsylvania, will be asking if James Franklin can ever get the Nittany Lions over the top if it doesn't happen in 2025.

Allar was a 5-star recruit and the No. 3 overall player in 247Sports' ranking for the 2022 class. He's by far the best QB of the Franklin era.

The Ohio native made positive strides under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. His completion percentage rose from 59.9 to 66.5, and he averaged 8.4 yards per attempt compared to 6.8 in 2024.

Still, Allar registered fewer than 200 passing yards in each of Penn State's three postseason contests, and the same was true in a 20-13 defeat to Ohio State. His interception late in the Orange Bowl helped set up Notre Dame's winning field goal.

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