Texas dominated the preseason poll with 27 of 57 first place votes, marking the Longhorns' fifth all-time appearance at No. 1 in the poll and the fifth straight year an SEC team claimed the top spot in the preseason poll.

Defending national champion Ohio State finished second in the poll with 11 first place votes and 53 points behind Texas. The Buckeyes have appeared in the poll 148 times since 2014, second most behind only Alabama's 151 appearances.

Penn State finished third in the poll with 11 first place votes. The No. 3 ranking marks the highest-ever preseason ranking for the Nittany Lions.

After being ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll in each of the last two years, Georgia starts this season at No. 4, marking the lowest preseason ranking for the Bulldogs since being ranked No. 5 in the 2021 preseason poll.

The No. 8 ranking for Alabama is the lowest preseason ranking for the Crimson Tide in the history of the poll. Alabama is the only team to appear in the poll each week since the poll's inception in 2014, a span of 151 weeks.

No. 12 Illinois is in the poll for just the second time ever. The only other appearance came when the Fighting Illini claimed the No. 13 ranking on October 30, 2022.

The SEC leads all conferences with 7 teams followed by the Big Ten with 5, ACC with 2, Big 12 with one and FBS Independents with one.

The eventual national champion has been ranked in the top six of the preseason poll nine times since 2015. Alabama in 2017 is the only national champion to start the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll.

ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2025 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 2 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 7. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems to compile the rankings and the Cody Kellner Points Index to publish the individual votes.

ABOUT THE FWAA: Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork.