The 2025-26 college football season is right around the corner and with it the first batch of polls. Both the coaches and AP Top 25 rankings were recently released and they're both rather similar in their assessments of the sport's landscape.
But which conferences are going to be entering the season with the highest expectations and which are potentially being underrated?
Power conference power rankings: Confidence in SEC could be its downfall
These rankings will primarily use the AP Top 25 rankings as a basis for determining which conferences are being backed to have the stronger season this year.
1. SEC
With a whopping 10 teams in the preseason Top 25, the SEC naturally leads the way in early hype. Arch Manning and Texas topped the poll for the first time in program history ahead of the campaign with three other blue bloods tracking not far behind in the Top 10 (Georgia, Alabama and LSU).
While there's no question those four teams will likely be the ones in contention for the College Football Playoff come the end of the year, it's the rest of the field that could disappoint and prove the conference isn't as deep as it was last year. That being said, even if programs like Oklahoma and Tennessee go crashing out in the first few weeks, there are plenty of others like Missouri, Auburn and Arkansas that could surprise folks and jump into the mix.
2. Big Ten
Six teams from the Big Ten made the Top 25 to start the year which could seem like a snub to some. But the conference's fate is more murky than many want to admit once you get past the perennial contenders in Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and Michigan.
Illinois and Indiana will be the true wild cards. If they can maintain rankings throughout the season then the conference race and, therefore, the College Football Playoff race could be very interesting. That's not even considering dark horses like Washington and Nebraska who, if they take care of business early, could very well be in the mix by late October.
3. Big 12 (4 teams)
While there may not be much confidence in the Big 12, only landing four teams in the Top 25, it's not for lack of good teams. In fact, it's the opposite. Arizona State proved last year that you can be picked last in the preseason and still win the league title. For all we know, lightning could strike twice in that fashion.
The Big 12 has an opportunity to show off it's diversity and parity but that's only if it doesn't cannibalize itself like the Pac-12 used to. BYU, Baylor and Utah were the first three teams outside of the Top 25 and could easily insert themselves into the mix if there are slips from the SEC and Big Ten by midseason. But because they're so unproven, it's hard to place the conference anywhere but below that pair.
4. ACC
While the ACC does have some strong teams, it's almost a forgone conclusion that it will only have a maximum of two teams in the College Football Playoff at best this year. Clemson, Miami and SMU are the same trio that fought it out last season and they are the same three in the preseason Top 25. That's because it's almost impossible to project anyone else in the conference to be a serious contender just yet.
Louisville and Georgia Tech could potentially show flashes of brilliance this year, and there's still hope for Florida State yet, but beyond any Arizona State-esque runs from any of them the ACC appears to be at the very least a two horse race between Clemson and Miami. There just isn't any real depth.