Immediately following the Indiana Hoosiers national championship win over the Miami Hurricanes, several major sports sites released their “way-too-early” Top 25 rankings for the 2026 college football season. Nearly all of them were pretty terrible, leaning far too heavily on results from this past season and giving a ton of credit to schools based on the helmet or logo.

Our staff at A to Z Sports spent much of the 2025 season fixing the completely wrong AP Poll every week. It seems we already need to do the same now. To see where the industry got things wrong, we gathered Top 25 rankings from many major sites like ESPN, CBS, On3, Yahoo, and more. Below, you’ll find what the industry experts came up with — and you’ll likely see why we our team had to fix things up a bit.

Industry Consensus 2026 Top 25 College Football Rankings

1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Oregon
5. Indiana
6. Notre Dame
7. Texas Tech
8. Texas A&M
9. Miami
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. BYU
13. Michigan
14. Ole Miss
15. USC
16. Alabama
17. Penn State
18. Washington
19. SMU
20. Utah
21. Louisville
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Virginia Tech
25. Missouri

Without diving into all of the glaring issues with this list all at once — eight of our staff will be doing that here shortly after we share our own rankings — It’s plain to see that the “experts” are already ready to crown the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, and other blue bloods again over some teams who are more deserving. Indiana and Miami somehow immediately drop well out of the top four despite making the national championship game. Transfer heavy schools like Texas Tech are automatically gifted the benefit of the doubt once again. However, there are inconsistencies everywhere.

Nine of our staff at A to Z Sports came to together and all ranked our Top 25 teams for the 2026 college football season as well, then pooled the votes together in a similar fashion to the AP Poll. You can find that below, then some brief analysis on eight of the teams where our staff differed most from the industry consensus.

A to Z Sports Early Top 25 College Football Rankings

1. Ohio State, 214 points (2 first place votes)
2. Texas, 211 (5)
3. Oregon, 205 (1)
4. Indiana, 197
5. Notre Dame, 189
6. Georgia, 188 (1)
7. Miami, 165
8. Texas A&M, 164
9. Texas Tech, 158
10. Oklahoma, 140
11. LSU, 130
12. Michigan, 119
13. Alabama, 119
14. Ole Miss, 115
15. BYU, 99
16. USC, 95
17. Louisville, 63
18. Penn State, 61
19. Missouri, 61
20. Washington, 60
21. South Carolina, 39
22. Utah, 34
23. Iowa, 31
24. Tennessee, 22
25. Virginia Tech, 10
    
    Also receiving votes: Houston 9, SMU 8, Georgia Tech 6, Virginia 5, Auburn 3, Florida 3, Arizona 3, Illinois 1

Our team disagreed significantly at the top of the rankings. Only two put Ohio State as number one, but all of our staff ranked them top three. Five had Texas at the top, believing in Arch Manning like the industry consensus, but the variance was wide on the Longhorns, so they fell just short of the top at second overall.

Both Oregon and Georgia earned a first place vote, but the vast majority of our team is clearly skeptical of the Bullldogs’ depth this season given that they still haven’t figured out how to use the transfer portal.

Our staff held on to Indiana at number four (ahead of industry consensus), and nearly ranked them third — no one ranking them below fifth overall. Beyond the top five or six teams there was a clear drop off.

Overall, our team was extremely consistent when it came to valuing transfer portal acquisition teams, new staff impact, overall team talent. Many utilized predictive metrics to help with their conclusions. Yes, we were a bit split on Miami since they’re losing elite edge rusher talents, first round offensive lineman, and a good portion of their secondary. We didn’t exactly know what to do with Penn State considering all the changes on the roster and Matt Campbell coming in (who just finds a way too win). However, it was clear that our team was on the same page for the most part.

Let’s dive into where our team’s rankings differed most from the completely wrong industry consensus. Tell us where we got things right or wrong on X (formerly Twitter).

Teams A to Z Sports is higher on than industry consensus Top 25

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

“For the first time in what feels like forever, Notre Dame has a starting quarterback returning for a second season, and that could prove to be huge for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. CJ Carr showed a ton of huge moments as a redshirt freshman, and now people believe he could make the push for elite status in 2026. While Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are big losses, you can always count on Notre Dame to reload and have a strong running game. With so much talent coming back on the offensive line, wide receiver room, and secondary, this has a chance to be Notre Dame’s best team in a long, long time. A championship run looks firmly in their future, which is why our team ranked them inside the top five — I had them at two.” – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame

Miami Hurricanes

“Miami getting to the national championship showed that the Hurricanes are back on a championship-competitive level. The Hurricanes are going the transfer portal route at quarterback for the foreseeable future, it appears. Darian Mensah gives Miami a higher ceiling quarterback to take over for Carson Beck if they can officially land him. That’s good news for a team that will return its two primary offensive weapons in wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher. If Miami can replicate some of its defensive success and replace the combination of Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain, they’ll be in a great spot. The industry consensus nearly dropped them out of the top ten, and that makes no sense.” – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State

Alabama Crimson Tide

“Year three of the Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa is going to be a defining one for the Alabama Crimson Tide. For the first time since he took the position with Alabama, DeBoer will have his hand-picked quarterback starting if Keelon Russell wins the job. The trenches which were a problem area for Alabama in 2025, but have been totally rebuilt via the transfer portal. Alabama signed players like Ty Haywood and Kaden Strayhorn along the offensive line, and added pieces like Devan Thompkins to the defensive line. The reason most of the media is doubting the Tide (they have them ranked several spots below our team, barely inside the top 20) is that we don’t know what the quarterback position will look like. Also, until Alabama proves it can run the football and stop the run, as it did during the Saban era, the non-Alabama supporters will continue to be skeptical. In a pressure-packed season, I’m betting on DeBoer and the Crimson Tide to get back where they belong.” – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama

South Carolina Gamecocks

Last season, most expected South Carolina to be a top 25 team. Much of that was because few anticipated their struggles in the trenches or their injury issues that kept holding them back all season. The Gamecocks have enough talent for a top 20 finish this season with critical players returning like quarterback LaNorris Sellers, elite edge talent Dylan Stewart, and Olympic-level speedster Nyck Harbor at wide receiver. Beamer has made staff and roster changes to improve his team’s process too. However, Beamer is now on the hot seat. Most see him as a good SEC head coach, but with some imperfections. This year is crucial, and he will do everything he can to prove South Carolina can meet last season’s expectations. I think he can pull it off, but the industry consensus doesn’t even have them ranked at all. – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

Teams A to Z Sports is lower on than industry consensus Top 25

Georgia Bulldogs

“The Georgia Bulldogs are an interesting case study for 2026. They’ll get their veteran QB back in Gunner Stockton, but there are plenty of spots for competition along their offense. They’ll need to replace one starting offensive lineman, and a couple of their most talented pass catchers are headed to the NFL Draft too. The wide receiver room has been ravaged, so that’s worth keeping an eye on for 2026. For their defense, I actually think the youth of this year’s unit may help them next year. Underclassmen got notable reps in the SEC and can build on that in the next season. With some important transfers like Amaris Williams, Khalil Barnes, among others, they’ll need them to hit the ground running. It’s tough to completely doubt Kirby Smart, of course. That being said, I think the Bulldogs are much closer to the tenth best team on paper for 2026 – rather than a top three squad like they have been in years past.” – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports New Orleans Saints and LSU

Texas Tech Red Raiders

“I appear to be not quite as high on the Red Raiders as some in the media, but it’s not by too much, as I have the Red Raiders at No. 9 overall. There’s no doubt that adding Brendan Sorsby is a big get for them, and after the way the 2025 season ended — a 23-0 Orange Bowl loss to Oregon — they desperately needed more from the QB position in big spots. The Red Raiders have two of the best defenders in all of college football in Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey heading to the NFL, so that unit might not have quite the same elite level ceiling next fall, although it should still be a pretty good one. I think they’re just a small step behind some other CFP contenders from last year, Texas, and Notre Dame. However, if they go 100% on transfer acquisitions again, the offense clicks, and they can fill some enormous shoes on defense, then it’s possible they can tear through the Big 12 again on the way back to the playoff.” – Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Miami

BYU Cougars

“BYU was great in 2025 whenever they were playing anyone other than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders went 2-0 against the Cougars, beating them by a combined 63-14. As a result, they fell just short of landing in the College Football Playoffs as the 12th-ranked team, the second team out behind Notre Dame. They will hope to right that wrong next year as their young roster has another year together. I’m a bit lower on the team than the consensus, just because I don’t believe in QB Bear Bachmeier. A talented runner who still has a lot of growing to do if he’s going to be an effective passer going forward. So, until he proves me wrong, I just have a hard time seeing them higher than the preseason 16th best team in the country. Ball’s in your court, Bear. Prove me wrong.” – Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis

SMU Mustangs

“SMU was a tough team to rank in this poll. They are returning quite a bit, including quarterback Kevin Jennings, but there are some concerns overall on defense, especially against the pass, where they were in the 25th percentile in success rate with the ball in the air and ranked 132nd in the nation in plays allowed per game. This is a good team, but the questions that resonated last season with the Mustangs still loom large, and keep them barely out of the top 25 for me, unlike the industry consensus that somehow has them firmly inside the top 20.” – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida

We’ll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports every day of the year! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

College Football

Hoosiers and Curt Cignetti’s championship win gives Indiana University the most unbeatable historic feat in more than football

Indiana Hoosiers are the first modern 16-0 undefeated national champions in football and the last undefeated team in college basketball.

Travis May