The Longhorns received 25 first-place votes and 1,552 points in the rankings released Monday to edge past No. 2 Penn State in the closest preseason vote since 1998. The Nittany Lions have their best preseason ranking since they started No. 1 in 1997. Penn State received 23 first-place votes and 1,547 points.

The Texas Longhorns enter the 2025 season as the top team in the country. Led by Steve Sarkisian, the SEC newcomer looks to make waves with an expanded College Football Playoff

There have been regular AP top 25 college football rankings dating back to 1936, but the preseason poll is a newer innovation, first appearing in 1950. Then as

At the AP, my job was to administer the poll, so I knew that as a first-time voter I'd be undertaking a challenge with no perfect answer.

The AP Top 25 Rankings will be released on Monday, giving college football fans their first look at the teams expected to compete at the forefront of the sport and for a national championship.

Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz had a hilarious reaction to not being ranked in the Top 25 preseason poll when asked by Paul Finebaum.

The Associated Press Top 25 poll is out. Let the sorting out process begin. Only two first-place votes and five points separate No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Penn State.