Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The preseason Coaches Poll Top 25 is out, sparking debate over which teams are ranked too high or too low for 2026.
- Key programs face major roster turnover or scheduling challenges that challenge their rankings.
- One unranked team is emerging as a dark horse candidate to exceed expectations this fall.
With all due respect to fall camp reports and conference media days, there's one true sign that college football season is around the corner: arguing about completely hypothetical rankings.
Tuesday marked a rite of offseason passage, as USA Today released its preseason Coaches Poll Top 25. And like clockwork, fan bases all across the country got mad at each other in unison, insisting that they are the ones who are being slept on while their dastardly rivals are being gassed up by the mainstream media.
Which is why we're here to set the record straight. Which teams in the first Coaches Poll Top 25 are ranked too highly, and which are being slept on? Let's get to it.
2026 preseason Coaches Poll
- Ohio State Buckeyes — overrated
- Oregon Ducks
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Texas Longhorns
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish — underrated
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Texas A&M Aggies — overrated
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Texas Tech Red Raiders — underrated
- LSU Tigers
- USC Trojans
- BYU Cougars
- Michigan Wolverines
- Penn State Nittany Lions — overrated
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Washington Huskies
- SMU Mustangs
- Utah Utes
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Clemson Tigers
- Houston Cougars
- Missouri Tigers
Overrated: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes
Arguably no program in the country has a higher floor than Ryan Day's Ohio State, and with Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Bo Jackson and most of a battle-tested offensive line returning, it's not hard to see why the Buckeyes find themselves ranked as the surest thing in the country entering 2026.
But are we sure about that, really? Day is bringing in yet another new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, and even if you want to give him the benefit of the doubt on that side of the ball, there is massive turnover defensively — including six picks within the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. That's a whole lot of talent to replace, and not a lot of proven production filling the void. This is a rugged schedule, too, so while I have no doubt that Ohio State will once again be very good, there's enough uncertainty for me to hand the top spot to somebody else. Speaking of which ...
Underrated: No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
... am I crazy, or is there an argument that Notre Dame deserves to be the No. 1 team in the country entering Week 0? I understand how that sounds, given the fact that this team didn't even make the College Football Playoff last season (and then threw an all-time hissy fit about it). But that absence might be causing people to overlook just how much talent Marcus Freeman has assembled in South Bend.
Because make no mistake: On paper, at least, the Irish check every box. If I had to put money on a single unit delivering elite play in 2026, it might be Notre Dame's defense, which took off once DC Chris Ash settled in and brings back the most proven secondary in the country. Add to that an offense with a proven Power 4 quarterback in CJ Carr and an experience-laden offensive line, and you've got yourself a stew going. The only question here might be whether the Irish can replace departed running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, but Aneyas Williams and wideouts Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse mean the skill-position cupboard is far from bare. This team feels sturdier to me than more than one of the teams ahead of it in the preseason top five.
Overrated: No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies
A team that won 11 games and made the College Football Playoff ranks in the top-15 in returning production. So what's the problem? Well, it feels like darn near everything broke right for A&M last season, from an exceedingly favorable schedule to some great close-game luck. And the combination of natural regression and offseason overhaul has me skeptical of the Aggies as a top-10 outfit.
Not enough attention has been paid to the departure of offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who did a remarkable job keeping Marcel Reed under control until he came apart at the seams late in the year. Mike Elko replaced him with assistant Holmon Wiggins, who has never called plays at the college level. We have no idea how that will work, and when you combine that inexperience with an offensive line that Elko is attempting to rebuild on the fly via the transfer portal, it's not hard to see the potential for growing pains.
In fact, the defensive line is being rebuilt, too, and while Elko did nice work in the portal, that's a dangerous game to play. This feels like a bit of a retooling year, where you hope to win eight or nine games while laying the foundation for future title runs. There's nothing wrong with that, and Elko is a heck of a coach, but a top-10 Playoff contender feels rich for my blood — especially considering road trips to LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma, plus home games against Texas and Tennessee.
Underrated: No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders
You could understand if the whole Brendan Sorsby fiasco left a sour taste in the mouths of voters, but I can't for the life of me figure out how the Red Raiders aren't a top-10 team entering 2026. Quarterback is more of a question mark than it appeared a few months ago, but Will Hammond has given reason to believe he could at least match Behren Morton's performance from last year — heck, he outperformed Morton in the win at Utah.
And if Hammond makes good on his considerable promise, this team has everything else it needs. The run game should be dynamite, with former USC transfer Quinten Joyner (who tore his ACL last August) joining two star backs in Cameron Dickey and J'Kobi Williams in front of a line that added Louisville guard Jordan Church in the portal. And the defense, despite losing several of high-profile names to the NFL Draft, went hog-wild with star transfers and appears just about as loaded as it was last season. This is the clear class of the Big 12, and while Hammond may ultimately define their ceiling, Tech's floor is as high as anybody's.
Overrated: No. 17 Penn State Nittany Lions
I swear that this is in no way a referendum on the decision to fire James Franklin or hire Matt Campbell as his replacement. It's simply an acknowledgment of reality: Penn State underwent a roster exodus amid that coaching change, and while Campbell is bringing plenty of talent with him to Happy Valley, it feels a little naive to expect top-20 performance in year one.
The defense should be pretty solid, with plenty of remaining talent joining most of what was a strong Iowa State defense last season. The offense, though ... well, it's going to look a lot like 2025 Iowa State's offense, and 2025 Iowa State ranked 63rd in offensive SP+. QB Rocco Becht, running back Carson Hansen and receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen couldn't produce efficiently in the Big 12; what makes us think they can in the Big Ten? A forgiving schedule that dodges Ohio State and Oregon will help, but eight wins feels a lot more likely than 10.
Underrated: Unranked Florida Gators
Lord help me, I'm willing to get hurt again. Talent has never been the problem at Florida, and with a rising star in new head coach Jon Sumrall at the helm, I'm willing to bet the Gators finally unlock some of it — at least enough for me to favor them over back-end top-25 teams like Clemson and Missouri.
There's skill talent in spades on this offense, and new OC Buster Faulkner did exciting work with Haynes King at Georgia Tech. Aaron Philo is a question mark at QB, but if Faulkner can at least get this unit to something passable, that should be good enough for a defense that holds on to some awfully enticing underclassmen and did nice work in the portal. This year's schedule isn't quite as brutal as past editions, and I don't think anyone's going to want to play this Florida team once it gets its feet underneath it.
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