Texas leads Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings for 2025 season, with Ohio State close behind in a composite of 12 major college football publications.
The Longhorns secured the top spot with six No. 1 votes, while Ohio State received four first-place selections. Penn State and Georgia each earned one first-place vote.
Texas and Ohio State will meet at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30 in what projects as a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. The Buckeyes enter as defending national champions after their 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the first 12-team College Football Playoff championship.
The composite rankings combined evaluations from Sporting News, 247Sports.com, Action Network, Athlon, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Yahoo Sports and On3.com.
Penn State ranks third, followed by Georgia at No. 4 and Oregon at No. 5.
The rankings used an inverse scoring system, with 25 points awarded for each No. 1 vote and one point for a No. 25 selection.
Schools Receiving Votes Outside Top 25
Boise State (16 points)
Georgia Tech (11)
Texas Tech (10)
Navy (10)
Nebraska (9)
Auburn (8)
Baylor (7)
UNLV (5)
Oklahoma (5)
North Carolina (5)
Kansas (2)
Iowa (2)
Notable Rankings by Publication
Texas appeared in the top 2 on 10 of 12 ballots, with Yahoo Sports ranking them fifth as their lowest position.
Ohio State ranked in the top 4 on nine ballots but fell to sixth on The Athletic’s list.
Georgia showed the most variance among top teams, placing anywhere from first (Yahoo Sports) to seventh (Sports Illustrated, The Athletic).
Penn State maintained consistent top-5 placement, including The Athletic’s No. 1 ranking.
Oregon rounded out the top 5 with steady rankings between third and eighth, except for USA Today’s No. 11 placement.
