The 2024 college football season is right around the corner, and with that comes the second major preseason ranking via the Associated Press Top 25. Georgia, which also came in at No. 1 in the Coaches Poll, completed its top-of-the-podium sweep by garnering 46 of 62 first-place votes from the AP.
Ohio State received some attention for the top spot with 15 first-place votes of its own. Those two teams are heavy favorites to battle it out for the national championship, but they’re also emblematic of a trend reflected by both preseason polls: two-conference dominance.
The Big Ten and the SEC combined to place eight of the top 10 teams in the AP poll, including all top-five spots. Alabama, one of those top-five programs, ranked outside of the top four for the first time since 2009.
Take heart, Crimson Tide fans. The last time Alabama placed that low in the preseason AP Top 25, it went on to post its first undefeated season and win its first national championship in the Nick Saban era. Maybe Kalen DeBoer, Saban’s replacement, can make a similar run.
Here’s the full AP Top 25, including the teams that just missed out but still received votes (first-place votes in parentheses).
Preseason AP Top 25
- Georgia (46)
- Ohio State (15)
- Oregon (1)
- Texas
- Alabama
- Ole Miss
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Michigan
- Florida State
- Missouri
- Utah
- LSU
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Kansas State
- Miami (FL)
- Texas A&M
- Arizona
- Kansas
- USC
- NC State
- Iowa
Others receiving votes: Louisville (111); Virginia Tech (77); Boise State (47); SMU (33); Iowa State (33); Liberty (32); Washington (23); West Virginia (17); Memphis (16); Nebraska (16); Wisconsin (15); UTSA (6); Tulane (5); Appalachian State (4); Kentucky (3); Auburn (2); Colorado (1)
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