The 2026 preseason college football AP Poll dropped on Monday, and there wasn’t much in the way of “shockers” on this list. The Big 12 Conference ended up exactly where I expected it to. I sent out my Monday morning newsletter with a prediction that Texas Tech would end up between 10-15, BYU between 14-17 and a combination of Utah, Houston and/or Arizona between 17-25. The Red Raiders. You can subscribe to my free newsletter here, where I share one take I don’t put on the website.
Anyway, that’s how it fell. Texas Tech was No. 12, BYU was No. 14, Utah was No. 21 and Houston was No. 23. Outside of the Top 25, Arizona came in at No. 30, with TCU at No. 31.
So with the preseason AP Poll out, here are the top Big 12 takeaways.
The Pollsters Still Like Texas Tech
It’s not a surprise that Texas Tech came in as the top-ranked Big 12 team. Now with Brendan Sorsby, the pollsters probably would’ve had this team in the Top 10. But with Sorsby out and Will Hammond coming off an injury, Tech got bumped down to No. 12. But it shows great respect for Tech. How many other Top 15 teams could have lost their starting quarterback and only dropped a couple of spots? I’d imagine not too many.
The Pollsters Will be Wrong About the Big 12
This is just too easy of a prediction. Last year, the preseason AP Poll had 12 teams that ended the season unranked. And three of those 12 were from the Big 12: Arizona State was preseason No. 11, Kansas State was No. 17 and Iowa State was No. 22. Last season, only one Big 12 team ranked in the preseason, Texas Tech at No. 23, finished the season ranked. BYU, Utah and Baylor were the first three teams outside the preseason Top 25 in 2025.
Who will those teams be this year in the Big 12 Conference? Many Big 12 fans will raise their hands and say its their team. And maybe it will be your team, but one thing I know is at least one or two of the Big 12 teams ranked won’t be come December. And vice versa, a couple of teams we won’t see coming will finish in the Top 25.
SEC and Big Ten Heavy, But is that Correct?
It should come as no surprise that the SEC and Big Ten led the way with nine and eight teams ranked, respectively, while the Big 12 had four teams ranked, and the ACC had three, with one independent in Notre Dame. However, my prediction is that the leagues won’t end the season with 16 of the Top 25.
Look to 2025. In the preseason poll, the SEC had 10 of the Top 25, the Big Ten had six, the Big 12 had four and the ACC had three. In the final 2025 rankings, the SEC finished with seven in the Top 25, the Big Ten had six, the Big 12 had five and the ACC had two. The Big 12 was the only conference to finish with more teams ranked in the Top 25 in the final rankings than they had in the preseason.
How about that?
Associated Press Preseason Top 25
The top 25 teams in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 college football poll, released Monday (first-place votes in parentheses).
| School | Pts. | ’25 Rec. |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ohio State (40) | 1,672 | 12-2 |
| 2. Oregon (14) | 1,597 | 13-2 |
| 3. Georgia | 1,513 | 12-2 |
| 4. Notre Dame (6) | 1,510 | 10-2 |
| 5. Texas | 1,483 | 10-3 |
| 6. Indiana (8) | 1,440 | 16-0 |
| 7. Miami (1) | 1,379 | 13-3 |
| 8. Texas A&M | 1,131 | 11-2 |
| 9. Ole Miss | 1,102 | 13-2 |
| 10. Oklahoma | 1,047 | 10-3 |
| 11. LSU | 988 | 7-6 |
| 12. Texas Tech | 983 | 12-2 |
| 13. Alabama | 904 | 11-4 |
| 14. BYU | 839 | 12-2 |
| 14. Southern Cal | 839 | 9-4 |
| 16. Michigan | 718 | 9-4 |
| 17. Washington | 501 | 9-4 |
| 18. Penn State | 482 | 7-6 |
| 19. SMU | 434 | 9-4 |
| 20. Tennessee | 394 | 8-5 |
| 21. Utah | 304 | 11-2 |
| 22. Iowa | 260 | 9-4 |
| 23. Houston | 252 | 10-3 |
| 24. Louisville | 194 | 9-4 |
| 25. Missouri | 117 | 8-5 |
