4 Takeaways from the preseason AP Poll top 25 release

The AP Poll Top 25 was released on Monday, and Ohio State came in ranked at No. 3 in the nation behind only Texas and Penn State, robbing the Buckeyes of a season opener No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup between the Buckeyes and the Longhorns.

1. Ohio State might not be guaranteed the No. 1 Rankings if they beat Texas

Of the 65 voters, Ohio State received eleven first-place votes from Blair Kerkhoff, Bob Asmussen, Bob Ballou, Damien Sordelett, David Briggs, Ian Kress, Javon Edmonds, Jerry Humphrey, Kevin Carter, Tom Murphy, and Trevor Hass.

Although some were not impressed with last year's national champions, as College Poll Tracker identified the six pollsters who voted for Ohio State to be ranked outside the top 5, including Brett McMurphy, Josh Furlong, Koki Riley, Robert Cessna, Jamal St., and Kirk Bohls.

Regardless, Ohio State will have the opportunity on August 30th to supplant Texas by defeating them in Columbus on August 30th. However, it was a tight race between Texas and Penn State to be ranked No. 1. While Texas received 25 votes to be first, Penn State received 23, and only eight of the voters had Penn State outside of the top three.

If Ohio State beats Texas, but it is not convincingly, could we see the voters move Penn State up to No. 1 and keep the Buckeye behind them at No. 2? I would guess not, but the likelihood of it happening might not be as certain as some believe.

2. SEC bias is more out of control now than it has ever been before

Although the SEC has not won a national championship for two years now, and the Big Ten went 5-1 against them in the postseason last year, teams like LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee remain far too highly ranked. Additionally, Missouri and Auburn have no business receiving votes.

The AP Poll just set a new record with 10 teams from one conference ranked in the preseason top 25. The last time the AP Poll had 10 teams from one conference ranked in the top 25 was 2015, when the SEC had 10 teams ranked, but it was not in the preseason poll.

The only other time 10 teams from one conference were ranked in the AP Poll was the SEC on September 8, 2015. That was following week 1. The SEC would go on to have five teams ranked in the final AP Poll, and the Big Ten would lead the country with six.

Last year, the SEC had nine teams ranked in the 2024 preseason top 25 and only 7 in the final ranking. To increase the number from last year to this year, after a subpar year for the conference, by only getting three teams in the playoffs, these numbers make no sense and show just how many issues there are with bias towards the SEC.

3. Ohio State's schedule will look lighter than it is

Ohio State will play 4 four teams in the preseason top 25: #1 Texas, #2 Penn State, #12 Illinois, and #14 Michigan. Unfortunately, these teams might not be as highly ranked when they are played.

Penn State will face Oregon and at Iowa prior to playing Ohio State. Even if they lose both those games, which is unlikely, they should still be ranked, but not as high as 2nd.

Illinois will be a gamble. The Fighting Illini will face the Buckeyes in week seven, but they will have to face Duke and Indiana on the road and USC before the Buckeyes travel to Champaign. If they go undefeated, Illinois could be a top 10 opponent. But if they drop even one of those three games, the AP Poll voters will most likely punish them hard, and Illinois could be a fringe top 20 team.

If Michigan is anything like they were last year, it won't be ranked in the top 15 for very long. Plus, Michigan will most likely start true freshman Bryce Underwood, and Sherrone Moore is already rumored to miss two of their first four games. What if he misses more? The combination of Moore missing multiple games and starting a true freshman at quarterback suggests their ranking won't be that high in November.

4. Ohio State continues to show that they are the most consistent program in college football history

Ohio State has now been ranked in the AP Poll for 58 consecutive seasons (1968-2025). Even in 2011, when the Buckeyes went 6-7,

But the consistency doesn't stop there. Ohio State is the first college football program ranked in the AP Poll a total of 1,000 times, nearly 100 more than any other program.

With the official AP Poll starting all the way back in 1936, that means Ohio State has been ranked in 79.9% of all AP Polls.