Historic Trend Says One of These Teams Will Win the College Football Playoff originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 college football season is just weeks away, and on Monday, the preseason AP Top 25 Poll was unveiled.
Advertisement
All 12 teams that reached last season’s College Football Playoff cracked this year’s Top 25. The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes landed at No. 3, while the runner-up Notre Dame Fighting Irish came in at No. 6.
While preseason rankings are often dismissed because voters haven’t seen a single snap of live action, there’s one historical stat that gives them real significance. According to On3’s Brett McMurphy, 19 of the past 21 national champions were ranked inside the preseason AP poll’s top seven.
As a result, these are the teams bettors should target to win the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship after Monday’s reveal:
1. Texas Longhorns
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Clemson Tigers
5. Georgia Bulldogs
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7. Oregon Ducks
Advertisement
The only two seasons in the last 21 in which a team outside the preseason AP Poll’s top seven won the national championship were 2010, when the Auburn Tigers started at No. 22, and 2013, when the Florida State Seminoles started at No. 11.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) walks off the field.© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Remaining Preseason AP Top 25
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
9. LSU Tigers
10. Miami Hurricanes
11. Arizona State Sun Devils
12. Illinois Fighting Illini
13. South Carolina Gamecocks
14. Michigan Wolverines
15. Florida Gators
16. SMU Mustangs
17. Kansas State Wildcats
18. Oklahoma Sooners
19. Texas A&M Aggies
20. Indiana Hoosiers
21. Ole Miss Rebels
22. Iowa State Cyclones
23. Texas Tech Red Raiders
24. Tennessee Volunteers
25. Boise State Broncos
Advertisement
Related: Josh Pate Doesn’t Hesitate in Naming the Best Quarterback in College Football
Related: Paul Finebaum Predicts College Football Upset to Open the Season
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
