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.
The Ohio State Buckeyes took home the hardware at the end of last season, but that does not guarantee them a spot atop the AP list, as incoming players, new starters, and talent drafted by the NFL impact the forecast for some of the game’s elite programs.
Who might top this year’s list, and where could some of the most talented teams on paper land?
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST (approximately)
The Buckeyes are a team that can withstand losing 14 players in the NFL Draft and, because of their recruiting and ability to churn out future stars, still be a top-tier team in the upcoming season. That is the scenario facing head coach Ryan Day and his program.
The return of wide receiver studs Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, and key defensive cogs like Caleb Downs at safety and Sonny Styles at linebacker, help form a core for the rest of the team build on.
The biggest question mark for the defending champions, besides who replaces the defensive stars gone via the draft, is who will be their quarterback. Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are each vying for the position, but as late as August 6, Day announced that “the competition continues.”
That is hardly ideal this late in the preseason, which could understandably affect the AP voters and their willingness to select a team that does not have a clear signal caller determined by the start of August.
Especially when the two quarterbacks in question have attempted just 23 passes in 90 snaps in their collegiate careers.
Their greatest competition for the top spot, the University of Texas and Penn State, do not have that problem.
Texas is in its Arch Manning Era, and with the flashes its fans saw from the third-generation player, not to mention the expectation that comes with his last name, there is plenty of excitement surrounding the Longhorns this year.
The sophomore completed 67.8 percent of his passes last season, threw for nine touchdowns and two interceptions, and rushed 25 times for 108 yards and four more scores. If he delivers on his potential, he is a clear candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in next May’s NFL Draft.
The same can be said of Penn State’s Drew Allar, the Nittany Lions’ senior signal caller who threw for over 3,300 yards last season, with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He was a big reason the team made its first College Football Playoffs appearance in 2024 and as significant a reason for some preseason pundits calling Penn State one of the two or three best teams in the nation entering the upcoming season.
All three have strengths and weaknesses elsewhere on the field, with the impact of the defensive losses and coordinator change in Ohio State being the most talked-about this off-season.
Texas’s offensive line is questionable against other stronger, more aggressive defenses, and Penn State’s lack of depth at key positions could also rear its head in 2025.
The Coach’s Poll has Texas as the No. 1 team in the nation and, with fewer questions and a buzz-worthy QB under center, they feel like the team destined to see their name first on the list come Monday afternoon.