College Football Playoff tiers: Ranking the preseason Top 25 by their chances to win it all

Ohio State occupies the No. 1 position in the 2026 preseason AP Poll, a status confirmed by The New York Times and 247Sports. This ranking places the university at the center of the season’s opening narrative as teams prepare for the College Football Playoff race. Wisconsin faces a high-stakes debut against No. 4 Notre Dame, while Clemson enters the season under significant pressure regarding its performance trajectory.

Coverage from FOX Sports and The Mercury News identifies a broader trend of Big Ten and SEC dominance within the Top 25. While analysts debate the criteria used for these early projections, some commentary provided by Yahoo Sports characterizes the rankings as the worst in history and suggests the selections may serve as additional motivation for programs like Indiana under Cignetti. Public reception to these rankings remains polarized, with some local media dismissing the utility of preseason polls entirely.

As the season approaches, the focus shifts to whether these initial projections accurately forecast the competitive hierarchy or if the current AP selections will be overturned by early-season results. Coverage does not yet specify the criteria used by every voter, leaving the justification for specific team placements open to interpretation.