Texas No. 1 in preseason poll by tiny margin over No. 2 Penn State

Texas edged Penn State for the No. 1 ranking and earned the top spot in the preseason Top 25 poll for the first time in program history.
The Longhorns received 25 first-place votes in the AP poll compared to 23 for Penn State, which was last ranked this high entering the season in 1997. That year the Nittany Lions opened at No. 1 and lost for the first time on Nov. 8 to eventual national champion Michigan.
Texas opens the season on Aug. 30 against defending national champion Ohio State. The Buckeyes check in at No. 3 in the preseason poll and received 11 first-place votes to rate ahead of No. 4 Clemson and No. 5 Georgia.
National runner-up Notre Dame received zero first-place votes. The Fighting Irish ranked sixth and Oregon, Alabama, LSU and Miami round out the top 10.
Defending Big 12 champion Arizona State is 11th and Kansas State is No. 17, five spots ahead of Iowa State. The No. 22 Cyclones and KSU kick off the season Aug. 23 in Dublin, Ireland.
Illinois grabbed the No. 12 spot in the rankings after a strong finish with nearly every key player from the 2024 roster returning and South Carolina, which lost to the Fighting Illini in the Cheez-It Bowl to end last season, is one spot behind.
Michigan is 14th, giving the Big Ten five teams in the top 14. That doesn’t include Indiana.
The Hoosiers started the 2024 season 10-0 and reached the College Football Playoff in Curt Cignetti’s first year in Bloomington. They finished last season 11-2 and are No. 20 in the preseason poll, slotting between No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 21 Ole Miss.
Texas helped set a record by becoming the fifth SEC team in five seasons to claim the No. 1 spot in the AP preseason poll. Florida is ranked 15th, giving the SEC seven teams in the top 15 and a total of 11 in the Top 25.
1. Texas (25)
2. Penn State (23)
3. Ohio State (11)
4. Clemson (4)
5. Georgia (1)
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon (1)
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Florida
16. SMU
17. Kansas State
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Indiana
21. Mississippi
22. Iowa State
23. Texas Tech
24. Tennessee
25. Boise State