It’s the middle of August, and it feels like it was last week that we were all wondering just how in the hell Indiana University cemented their spot as the reigning kings of college football. In fact, I think most of us are still wondering that very thing. The simple answer, by the way? Curt Cignetti is a next level wizard. Simple as that.
Here we are now, though, and the 2026 college football season is upon us, and for as much hand wringing folks seem to do about the state of the sport in 2026 — transfer portal, NIL money, gambling scandals, conferences whose geography makes no sense — spectatorship has never been higher. A week from Sunday makes our first week of real games, and I, for one, cannot wait!
Another sign that the season is upon us occurred earlier this week, when the first edition of the Associated Press Top 25 poll was released, and if you know me, there are two hints that get my juices flowing — college football and power ranking things!
So, without further ado, here is the Top 25 heading into the upcoming season:
Okay, a few thoughts:
There is a big Texas flavor to these rankings!
Nobody plays football quite like we do in the great state of Texas! At least that’s what we all scream from the rooftops every Friday night during high school season. Coming into 2026, we can say the same thing about the college game, as Texas has five schools representing the state in the Top 25. Texas (5th) and Texas A&M (8th) have legit national title hopes, both resting on the arms and legs of Heisman candidate quarterbacks. Texas Tech (12th) will try to replicate their playoff season of a year ago. SMU (19th) looks to get their groove back from two seasons ago, in which they were a postseason squad. Finally, the Coogs start the season with some serious juice, coming in at 23rd overall. God bless Texas!
The breakdown by conference indicates the overall trend in the game
With all of the realignment and shuffling among conferences, none of which makes sense from a geographic standpoint, we are now down to four power conferences. The presence of the transfer portal and the rise in money paid to athletes for their name, image, and likeness, have both further created a chasm between the power conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big XII). This dynamic is reflected in the conference breakdown of the 25 teams in the poll — the SEC with 9 teams, Big Ten with 8 teams, the Big XII with 4 teams, the ACC with 3 teams, and then independent Notre Dame. There’s not a single non-power team in the Top 25, and barely any even receiving multiple votes.
Every season, there is at least one highly ranked major disappointment
Here is a fun fact from Brett McMurphy of on3.com —
I’ll make my selection right here for the Top 10 team that finishes unranked. I think it’s going to be an SEC team, just because it’s the most balanced and deepest conference. I’ll go with Oklahoma, who is on the fringe of the Top 10 and has a head coach who I just don’t trust in Brent Venables.
