The first USA Today Coaches Poll of the 2026 season is officially here, and while Ohio State owns the No. 1 ranking, the bigger story might be the overwhelming presence of the SEC and Big Ten.
Ohio State begins at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame to round out the top five. Indiana sits at No. 6, followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
Here is the complete preseason Top 25:
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- Miami
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Ole Miss
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- LSU
- USC
- BYU
- Michigan
- Penn State
- Tennessee
- Washington
- SMU
- Utah
- Iowa
- Clemson
- Houston
- Missouri
But look beyond the individual rankings and the conference breakdown tells an even bigger story.
The SEC leads every conference with nine ranked teams, followed closely by the Big Ten with eight. That means 17 of the Top 25 teams come from just two conferences.
The Big 12 has four ranked programs, while the ACC has only three. Notre Dame represents the lone independent.
Conference breakdown:
- SEC: 9
- Big Ten: 8
- Big 12: 4
- ACC: 3
- Independent: 1
The SEC’s depth is especially noticeable. Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Missouri all begin the season ranked. Meanwhile, the Big Ten counters with Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State, Washington and Iowa.
That’s 68% of the entire poll belonging to the SEC and Big Ten.
Preseason rankings will inevitably look ridiculous by November, but entering 2026, the coaches have made their opinion pretty obvious.
College football might technically have four power conferences.
The preseason Coaches Poll suggests there are two that stand above everyone else.
