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For the first time in program history, the Texas Longhorns own the No. 1 spot in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings, beating out No. 2 Penn State by just five points in the closest preseason vote since 1998. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson and No. 5 Georgia round out the top five. 

Here is the complete preseason AP Top 25 poll:

Preseason AP Top 25 Poll rankings

Others receiving votes: BYU 156, Utah 144, Baylor 132, Louisville 90, Southern Cal 64, Georgia Tech 63, Missouri 33, Tulane 23, Nebraska 23, UNLV 21, Toledo 13, Auburn 10, James Madison 9, Memphis 9, Florida State 8, Duke 6, Liberty 5, Navy 5, Iowa 5, TCU 4, Pittsburgh 3, Army 2, Colorado 1, Louisiana 1.

SCHEDULE: Click or tap here for game times, TV channels and scores from every game 

Most Weeks Ranked No. 1

Here are the 10 FBS programs that have spent the most weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since 1936, according to .

Since the College Football Playoff started in 2014, only one preseason No. 1 has gone on to win the national championship — 2017 Alabama. Four No. 1 preseason teams have finished runner-up in the CFP era. 

SCOREBOARD: See scores and stats from every college football game

AP Poll ranking by conference

The SEC and Big Ten lead all conferences with four and three top-10 teams each, respectively. Here's a breakdown of the entire top 25 by conference:

Breaking down the preseason poll 

Texas earned the top spot with all of the hype in the world behind redshirt sophomore Arch Manning. After two years behind Quinn Ewers, it is now Manning's turn to take the reigns in Austin as the Longhorns look to bring back a title for the first time since 2005.

In the two spot, Penn State earns its highest preseason ranking since 1997, when the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1. James Franklin's squad returned veteran Drew Allar under center with both star runnings backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, joining Allar in the backfield. 

No. 4 Clemson is in a similar boat as Penn State, returning quarterback Cade Klubnik and all three of his leading receivers from 2024. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Oregon and No. 8 Alabama all are starting fresh at quarterback, but with proven rosters around them. 

Miami rounds out the top 10 with Georgia transfer Carson Beck at the helm for the Hurricanes. 

HEISMAN: Every Heisman winner and runner-up since 1935 | Colleges with the most Heisman winners

Some of the uncharacteristic teams to watch — at least in terms of preseason rankings — include No. 11 Arizona State and No. 12 Illinois. The Sun Devils earn their highest preseason ranking since 1998, with the Fighting Illini getting their best since 1990. Both return starters under center with Sam Leavitt in Tempe and Luke Altmyer in Champaign. 

Nonconference and early ranked matchups to watch

In a stacked Week 1 slate, all eyes will be on No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State as the defending national champions host the top-ranked Longhorns in a tone-setter matchup for both blue-chip programs. 

Here are some other games to watch featuring top 25 teams:

• Week 0: No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 22 Iowa State (Dublin, Ireland) | Saturday, Aug. 23 | 12 p.m. | ESPN
• Week 1: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State | Saturday, Aug. 30 | 12 p.m. | FOX
• Week 1: No. 8 Alabama at Florida State | Saturday, Aug. 30 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
• Week 1: No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson | Saturday, Aug. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
• Week 1: No. 13 South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.) |Sunday, Aug. 31 | 3 p.m. | ESPN
• Week 1: No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Fla.) | Sunday, Aug. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC

Outside of the top-3 showdown in Columbus, there are two other top-10 matchups to watch out for. No. 9 LSU travels to No. 4 Clemson for the battle of Death Valley, and No. 10 Miami hosts No. 6 Notre Dame on Sunday night to wrap up Week 1. 

Here's how the 2024 preseason poll turned out

Here's how the teams ranked in the 2024 preseason AP Top 25 finished last season.