College football coaches released their preseason Top 25 poll this week, and there were some interesting omissions that may be regretted once the regular season gets underway. It's always worth checking the "receiving votes" section of the poll to see which programs just missed the cut and may surprise fans with a marquee win that propels them into the rankings.
Defending champion Indiana begins outside the top five as Ohio State tops the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll 🔢 pic.twitter.com/2uJYVP3uzo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 4, 2026
This year there were 30 teams that received at least one vote but failed to land among the 25 best to begin the 2026-27 campaign. Let's focus in on a handful that have the best chance of crashing the rankings with a strong start in the first weeks.
Florida Gators
New head coach Jon Sumrall brings a renewed optimism to Gainesville after the lacking four-season tenure of Billy Napier. The Gators utilized the transfer portal to bring in new offensive pieces like quarterback Aaron Philo, wideout Eric Singleton Jr. and center Harrison Moore. Pair them with returning running back Jadan Baugh, who put up 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025, and Florida should boast a much more effective attack as long as Philo is ready to take the reins.
Sumrall is going to be able to ease himself into his tenure with two of the program's first three contests featuring non-power conference foes. The Gators will host Florida Atlantic and Campbell before traveling to Auburn for their first real test. A 3-0 start will keep them on the fringe of the rankings, but should they welcome Ole Miss into The Swamp in Week 4 with a marquee victory, there's no way they go into Week 5 without a number next to their name.
TCU Horned Frogs
The Horned Frogs were making a push to play spoiler in the Big 12 last season, and had they remained healthy, a conference title could've been on the table too. TCU now enters 2026 with a strengthened secondary featuring sophomore cornerback Gil Jackson and an offense poised to surprise some folks led by former Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig. Head coach Sonny Dykes rarely has many down years, and he has the opportunity to build upon the success of 2025.
TCU's schedule is rather favorable too. Dykes and Co. face Bill Belichick and North Carolina in Dublin to kick the season off, and should the Frogs put up a big number on the Emerald Isle and follow it up with bigger victories over Grambling State and Arkansas State, there's bound to be one team that disappointed to open the year which TCU can replace.
Louisville Cardinals
Head coach Jeff Brohm enters 2026 with high expectations for his team and a narrative to defy. Missing out on the ACC championship in 2025 after a tantalizing but inconsistent year was disappointing. He's glad to return arguably the nation's best rushing duo in Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown to run the offense through. Brohm can also defend leads gained by the Browns with an elite pass-rushing unit led by defensive edge Clev Lubin (8.5 sacks in 2025).
The Cardinals also made great selections in the transfer portal with former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and Vanderbilt wide receiver Tre Richardson. Granted, the schedule is anything but easy, and a Week 1 blockbuster with Ole Miss could set the tone moving forward. Many will predict Louisville to start 0-1, but college football is beautifully contradictory. Should Brohm's boys pull off the upset on neutral turf in Nashville, they'll shoot up into the teens rather than enter the top 25 towards the bottom.
Virginia Tech Hokies
All eyes will be on former Penn State head coach James Franklin in a new home with lower expectations and yet plenty of familiar faces. Franklin managed to get a good chunk of his Nittany Lion compatriots to follow him to Blacksburg, including quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. The allure of Franklin's redemption story seemed to lure other transfers like Duke wideout Que'Sean Brown and five-star tight end Luke Reynolds. Virginia Tech's island of misfit toys could be the most overlooked squad in the ACC this season.
The Hokies begin the year against VMI, Old Dominion and Maryland, which naturally won't impress many folks even if they go 3-0. The doubters are right to hold off on hyping Franklin in his new project, but with the pressure off, he could finally hit his stride while being underestimated. Boston College, Pittsburgh and California follow on the schedule, and by the time Virginia Tech departs Berkeley — if they can do so still undefeated — the country should start to take notice.
Arizona State Sun Devils
The 2024 conference championship and College Football Playoff appearance in head coach Kenny Dillingham's second season at the helm provided a lot of hope, but he's entering year four after a down 2025 season. Motivation has never been higher, though, and he seems to have worked his transfer portal magic again.
Arizona State's quarterback competition has been fierce between Michigan transfer Mikey Keene and Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley. Dillingham brought in high-powered weapons for them to work with too in elite pass catchers Omarion Miller (Colorado) and Reed Harris (Boston College). We all saw what that program did with Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson; could Dillingham follow that duo up with even better studs? Starting the year with a win over Morgan State should be easy, but carrying momentum into Texas A&M on the road and then conference foe Kansas overseas in England would make ASU an undeniable contender.
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