The Houston Cougars are back in the preseason rankings for the first time in four years.
It is only the third preseason ranking for the Cougars since 1992.
The Cougars are coming off a 10-win season that was capped by a Texas Bowl victory over LSU. Led by quarterback Conner Weigman and receiver Amare Thomas, UH enters this season among the top Big 12 contenders.
Big 12 teams joining UH in the preseason poll include defending conference champion Texas Tech at No. 12, followed by No. 15 BYU and No. 21 Utah.
Ohio State was the preseason No. 1, receiving 38 of a possible 72 first-place votes from a panel of AFCA-member FBS head coaches. Oregon was second, followed by Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame.
Defending national champion Indiana was sixth, followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Mississippi to round out the top 10.
The six top teams in the poll all received first-place votes.
UH opens the season Sept. 5 against Oregon State at TDECU Stadium.