Stunning Shake-Up in Latest AP Top 25: Underdog Crashes Top 5 While Traditional Power Slides

College football’s first official pecking order of 2026 arrives when the Associated Press unveils its preseason Top 25 at Noon ET on Monday, sparking the annual debate that ushers in every new season. Ohio State is poised to start at No. 1 for the second time in three years after already topping the US LBM Coaches Poll earlier this month. Ryan Day’s Buckeyes return 15 starters and open with a high-profile Week 2 trip to Texas, so a top ranking would set up a potential 1-vs-4 showdown in Austin that could reshape the playoff race before Labor Day. Oregon and Georgia, both armed with veteran quarterbacks and reloaded defensive fronts, are widely projected to round out the top three. Texas and Notre Dame—each led by transfer signal-callers who excelled in spring practice—are expected to complete a top five that could all plausibly stake a claim to the No. 1 spot before October. The most intriguing name just outside that group is reigning national champion Indiana. After shocking the sport last January, Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers landed sixth in the Coaches Poll and should land in the same neighborhood on Monday. Keeping pace with Big Ten East heavyweights Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan will determine whether Indiana’s Cinderella story continues into the 12-team playoff. Expect another Big Ten–SEC logjam: those two leagues accounted for 18 of 25 spots in the Coaches Poll, a ratio unlikely to shrink in the AP vote. That dominance underscores why non-conference blockbusters—from Georgia–Clemson to Alabama–Oklahoma—carry even more weight now that committee résumés include an unprecedented number of head-to-head data points. Beyond the familiar powers, three programs have a chance to crack the preseason poll for the first time in a decade or more: SMU, fresh off its ACC debut; Houston, which boasts the Big 12’s top returning passer; and Missouri, riding momentum from last season’s 10-win breakthrough. Their inclusion would signal a broader middle class capable of upsetting the blue bloods and complicating the new 12-team bracket. Fans can watch the poll’s reveal live on the AP Top 25 hub or follow instant analysis on social media, where beat writers will dissect every rise and snub in real time. If history holds, fewer than 10 of Monday’s ranked teams will finish the season in the same slot—proof that August hype is merely a compass, not a guarantee. Still, for 25 fan bases, seeing their school’s name scroll across the screen is the clearest sign yet that meaningful football is finally back.