The preseason college football conversation is already taking shape, and it starts with the same familiar heavyweights. Ohio State, Texas and Oregon are all positioned near the top of the first wave of projections, with the Big Ten and SEC once again driving most of the buzz as media days wrap up and fall camps get going.
In this preseason prediction, Ohio State lands at No. 1, followed by Texas at No. 2 and Oregon at No. 3.
Notre Dame checks in at No. 4, while Indiana comes in at No. 5.
Georgia is slotted sixth, with Texas A&M at No. 7, Miami at No.
8, Texas Tech at No. 9 and Ole Miss rounding out the top 10.
The rest of the top 25 runs through Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State, BYU, Utah, Washington, Louisville, Missouri, Iowa, Clemson and Florida.
The Big Ten picture in this forecast is especially interesting. Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana are projected to sit at the top of the league, while USC and Michigan are farther back in the mix, closer to No. 15 than the top tier. That gap says plenty about how the conference is being viewed before the season even begins.
Texas, meanwhile, is the SEC team drawing the brightest spotlight. The Longhorns are expected to lead the conference, and quarterback Arch manning gives them the kind of headline-grabbing star power that can push a team all the way to No. 1 in preseason polling.
But the SEC doesn’t stop there. Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Alabama and Oklahoma are all part of the crowded race, and LSU coach Lane Kiffin and the Tigers are also a team to keep an eye on.
Ohio State earns the top spot here because of Ryan Day’s track record and the returning talent on the roster. Oregon is right there behind the Buckeyes, thanks to Dan Lanning, quarterback Dante Moore and a defensive line that is all coming back. The Ducks also enter the season with two new coordinators, which stands out as one of the biggest unknowns around the program.
Those questions should get answered quickly. Oregon has road trips to USC and Ohio State in the regular season, two games that will tell a lot about where the Ducks really stand.
The betting market is also high on Oregon. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Ducks at +750 to win the 2026 national championship, third-best in the country behind Ohio State at +550 and Notre Dame at +650. Oregon’s College Football Playoff odds sit at -320, and its odds to reach the CFP quarterfinals are -185, which is second only to Notre Dame.
In the Big Ten futures market, FanDuel has Ohio State as the favorite at +180, with Oregon next at +260, Indiana at +310 and USC at +1,300.
The preseason Coaches Poll is set to be released on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and the preseason AP Top 25 Poll will follow on Aug. 17.
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