The competition between the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences intensifies with the release of the preseason Associated Press Top 25 rankings. Ohio State and Oregon top the list at numbers 1 and 2, while Indiana, the defending champion, ranks sixth. This highlights the Big Ten’s current dominance, having claimed the last three national titles.

The SEC, meanwhile, shows its depth with five teams in the top 10 and seven within the top 13. The SEC has nine ranked teams, compared to the Big Ten’s eight. The league has also featured seven different teams in the College Football Playoff since 2024, compared to four from the Big Ten.

Our fans, and I think the SEC fans, they really like the rivalry.
— Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti

The preseason poll awarded 62 of the 69 first-place votes to Big Ten teams (Ohio State 40, Oregon 14, Indiana 8). No SEC team received a first-place vote for the first time since 2015. The excitement continues with games like Ohio State visiting Texas and Oklahoma facing Michigan on September 12. Last year, the home teams won both matchups, Oklahoma defeating Michigan 24-13 and Ohio State overcoming Texas 14-7.

The Big Ten outperformed the SEC last season, finishing 4-3 in head-to-head matches, highlighted by Indiana’s decisive 38-3 win over Alabama. However, ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings place seven Big Ten programs lower than No. 67 Kentucky, the weakest SEC team.

Despite the SEC’s current championship drought of three years, Commissioner Greg Sankey stresses the league’s strength, emphasizing its depth compared to other conferences.

Where’s Clemson?

Clemson will not start the season in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2011. They narrowly missed the rankings with voting points just shy of No. 25 Missouri. They see potential improvement with the return of offensive coordinator Chad Morris. The defense is expected to perform better under Tom Allen as they face No. 11 LSU to start the season.

New Coaches, Same Expectations

Four Top 25 teams feature new coaches, each tasked with quick turnarounds. Mississippi’s Pete Golding returns key players and has playoff experience, leading the team to the CFP semifinals after taking over late last year.

LSU’s Lane Kiffin bears the challenge of revitalizing the team, backed by a seven-year, $91 million contract after a costly buyout of former coach Brian Kelly. The Nittany Lions of Penn State, ranked 18th, face scrutiny as they rely on Iowa State imports under Matt Campbell.

Utah’s Morgan Scalley, now head coach, aims to deliver strong results with experienced players returning. His predecessor, Kyle Whittingham, has similar expectations to meet at Michigan.

No Group of 6 Teams Ranked

The current Top 25 features no teams from the non-power conferences despite recent playoff representations. Boise State, a former Mountain West team now in the new Pac-12, leads the unranked Group of Six teams with the highest votes.

Extra Points

• Ohio State, ranked No. 1, has never finished first in its eight previous leading starts.
• The Buckeyes maintain a 38-year streak in the preseason rankings, the longest active run.
• Notre Dame ties with Southern California for the fifth-most preseason top-five placings, currently ranked fourth.
• This year marks the 15th occurrence since 1950 that seven or more of the previous season’s final AP Poll teams did not return.