Way-Too-Early 2026 College Football Top 25: Ohio State and Georgia Look Like Favorites

The Preseason Power Rankings Begin

Publishing a preseason college football top 25 in late June is an exercise in informed speculation – the sport’s combination of spring practice data, recruiting class rankings, returning production metrics, and transfer portal activity provides enough inputs to construct a reasonable picture. The 2026 preseason conversation starts with a familiar top of the board.

Ohio State sits atop the early rankings for reasons that have become almost routine: elite recruiting classes, significant returning production at key positions, and a coaching staff that has demonstrated a consistent ability to translate talent into wins on the biggest stages. The Buckeyes have been a CFP semifinal or better in three of the last four seasons, and their 2026 roster gives them the ceiling of any team in the country.

The SEC’s Top Challengers

Georgia and Texas round out the top tier, both entering 2026 with the kind of roster depth that translates into late-season resilience. Georgia’s program under Kirby Smart has built a model of sustained excellence – the system and development pipeline produce NFL-caliber talent with remarkable consistency. Oregon at two completes the top four, having established themselves as a legitimate national power through a combination of NIL investment and coaching stability.

Notre Dame as the Wild Card

Notre Dame at number five reflects both their recruiting haul – the June commitments of Khary Adams and Joey O’Brien upgrade their secondary significantly – and the uncertainty that comes with a program that plays an independent schedule. The Irish’s path to the CFP runs through a schedule with fewer automatic comparison points, which means every game carries outsized narrative weight. If Notre Dame plays clean football in September, the national title conversation will find them quickly.