For the first time, Texas will open a college football season ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25.
The Longhorns hardly have a mandate in the poll released Monday: They edged out Penn State by just five points in the closest preseason vote since 1998.
Texas received 25 first-place votes and 1,552 points to give the Southeastern Conference the preseason No. 1 team for a record fifth straight year. The Nittany Lions got 23 first-place votes and 1,547 points for their highest preseason ranking since they were No. 1 to open the 1997 season.
The Longhorns face a major test right away. Their Aug. 30 opener at defending champion and third-ranked Ohio State is a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal, a 28-14 Buckeyes win in the Cotton Bowl.
The Buckeyes received 11 first-place votes from the panel of 65 media members who cover college football. No. 4 Clemson got four first-place votes and No. 5 Georgia got one.
Notre Dame, Oregon (which got the final first-place vote), Alabama, LSU and Miami round out the top 10.
The SEC leads all conferences with 10 teams in the preseason Top 25, most ever by a conference and one more than a year ago. The SEC has four teams in the top 10 for the second straight year.
The Big Ten, which has won the last two national championships, has two of the top three teams in the poll for the third straight year and six in the Top 25 for the third year in a row.
Four Big 12 teams are ranked, with defending conference champion Arizona State the highest at No. 11. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three, led by Clemson.
Top-ranked Texas
“Arch Mania” is at a fever pitch in Texas with Arch Manning now the undisputed starting quarterback.
The Longhorns have been on an upward trajectory since they were 5-7 in 2021, Steve Sarkisian’s first season. They have won 25 of their last 30 games and reached two straight CFP semifinals. Last year, they were ranked No. 1 four of five weeks from mid-September to mid-October, and they reached the SEC championship game in their first season in the conference.
“But this is a new year, new faces, new team, and obviously expectations are high for our program,” Sarkisian said at SEC media days. “I’m not naive to that. I don’t put my head in the sand, and expectations are very high. But I also say we’re the University of Texas, and the standard is the standard here, and that’s competing for championships year in and year out.”
Twelve Texas players were taken in the NFL draft, including three-first-round picks, but elite recruiting and additions from the transfer portal should alleviate concerns about losses on the offensive line and at receiver. The defense brings back plenty of talent.
Still, Texas received just 38.5% of the first-place votes (25 of 65), the smallest share for a No. 1 team in the preseason poll since Georgia got 33.9% (22 of 65) in 2008.
The Longhorns have ended a season No. 1 in the AP poll three times (1963, 1969, 2005) but until now had never started a season higher than No. 2 (1962, 1965, 1970, 2005, 2009).
Big Ten lurking
The second-ranked Nittany Lions are not only six points from being No. 1, they are 75 points ahead of the Buckeyes in what might be considered a slight to the national champs.
Penn State will have Drew Allar back under center for what many consider a light schedule ahead of a late September visit from Oregon before a Nov. 1 showdown at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes, in the preseason top five for the ninth straight year and 12th of the last 13, will have a new look with only five starters back on offense and three on defense.
“This team has its own identity,” coach Ryan Day said. “It wants to have its own identity, but it also wants to be the first Ohio State team to win back-to-back national championships.”
The opener against Texas will give the Buckeyes a good measure of themselves. Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz will be the third new starting quarterback in three years. Whoever gets the job will throw to one of the nation’s top players in Jeremiah Smith.
Day will also have another chance to figure out archrival and preseason No. 14 Michigan, which has beaten the Buckeyes four straight years.
Poll nuggets
— Texas will try to become the 12th team to start and finish No. 1 since the AP preseason poll debuted in 1950. The last team to do it was Alabama in 2017.
— Notre Dame is in the preseason top 10 for the third time in four years. The Fighting Irish will have a new quarterback, CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey. The two played a combined eight snaps last season as Notre Dame went all the way to the CFP title game won by Ohio State.
— With Boise State at No. 25, all 12 teams in the 2024 College Football Playoff are ranked in the preseason. The Mountain West’s Broncos are the first team from a Group of Five conference to crack the preseason Top 25 since Tulane was No. 24 in 2023.
— No. 16 SMU, which returns quarterback Kevin Jennings from its CFP team, is in the preseason Top 25 for the first time in 40 years. The 1985 team was No. 3 and finished 6-5 and unranked.
AP PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL POLL
1 TEXAS
2 PENN STATE
3 OHIO STATE
4 CLEMSON
5 GEORGIA
6 NOTRE DAME
7 OREGON
8 ALABAMA
9 LSU
10 MIAMI
11 ARIZONA STATE
12 ILLINOIS
13 SOUTH CAROLINA
14 MICHIGAN
15 FLORIDA
16 SMU
17 KANSAS STATE
18 OKLAHOMA
19 TEXAS A&M
20 INDIANA
21 OLE MISS
22 IOWA STATE
23 TEXAS TECH
24 TENNESSEE
25 BOISE STATE
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BYU, UTAH, BAYLOR, LOUISVILLE, USC, GEORGIA TECH, MISSOURI, TULANE, NEBRASKA, UNLV, TOLEDO, AUBURN, JAMES MADISON, MEMPHIS, FLORIDA STATE, DUKE, LIBERTY, NAVY, IOWA, TCU, PITT, ARMY, COLORADO, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
DEION SANDERS KEEPS COLORADO’S STARTING QB A WELL-GUARDED SECRET AHEAD OF SEASON OPENER
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has a QB situation that he’s in no rush to reveal.
Option No. 1: Go with 17-year-old phenom Julian “JuJu” Lewis, a pure passer who can fling it all over the field, much like the Colorado coach’s son, Shedeur.
Option No. 2: Lean on the experience of Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, a dual threat who can make big plays with his speed.
Option No. 3: Both, in a creative rotation.
The starter for the Buffaloes might even remain a mystery until 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 29, which is their kickoff in the season opener against Georgia Tech. Regardless of who’s under center, this will be a new-look offense with Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter now in the NFL.
“Both these guys can play,” Sanders said of the QBs as he enters his third season in Boulder. “We can play well with either one of them.”
Friendly rivalry
Salter and Lewis have kept this heated QB competition from driving a wedge between them. They’ve developed quite a bond, even introducing one another to their family members.
“We’ve talked more about life than football, which I think has actually helped us build a better relationship off the field,” explained Lewis, who doesn’t turn 18 until next month. “Just trying to keep it friendly, just keep it team related.”
One person who helps facilitate that is backup Ryan Staub, who started the final game of the 2023 season for Colorado when Shedeur Sanders was injured. Sure, Lewis may be the new kid and Salter the veteran, but Staub knows the ropes around the program.
“I’d say my role is just to be the best teammate that I can be and help these guys grow,” said Staub, who has appeared in seven games over the past two seasons. “Help the room grow as a whole. I think the team moves as our (QB) room does.”
The mentors
Salter and Lewis have an NFL-experienced offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur and an NFL-trained mentor in Byron Leftwich.
It’s paying dividends.
“Coach Leftwich, he most definitely has helped us,” Salter said.
Salter joined the Buffaloes after after a productive career at Liberty. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Salter was responsible for 66 touchdowns over the past two seasons — 47 passing and 19 rushing.
“Kaidon is a guy with multiple talents. He could throw football and he could run the heck out of the football,” Sanders said. “The kid is going to cause havoc.”
In Lewis, there’s talent galore — a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. Lewis spent three seasons at Carrollton High School in Georgia, throwing for 11,010 yards.
Lewis arrived in Boulder right after his high school season ended a year ago, just to get a head start on the transition to college.
“I love everything about the kid, and he’s going to soar,” Sanders said of his young QB, who’s listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds. “When it’s his turn, trust me, you’re going to know and he’s going to soar.”
Whoever emerges has big cleats to fill. Shedeur Sanders set numerous single-season records last year, including yards passing, completion percentage and passing TDs.
Both are embracing the challenge of stepping in for him.
“It’s not like they’re enemies,” Deion Sanders said. “They’re dear friends, and they’re trying to make each other better.”
Run game
One thing that will help both QBs is a more effective run game. Last season, the Buffaloes had the worst rushing offense among FBS teams, averaging 65.2 yards per game. Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk was added to the staff in an effort to propel the rushing attack.
“I feel like we’re better suited this year to have a better running game,” Shurmur said. “We’ll see how it reveals itself.”
The offensive line, led by left tackle Jordan Seaton, is eager to step up to the challenge. Seaton thinks both QBs have unique skillsets that will be effective.
“Salt, he likes to use his legs,” Seaton said. “Sometimes he gets in those sticky situations and he’s going to make a play happen with his feet.”
His scouting report on Lewis?
“He’s more of a pocket guy but he will run if he needs to,” explained Seaton, who trimmed down to 310 pounds this season to be even more mobile. “But he’s going to stay in the pocket for what he needs and he’s going to get the ball where he wants.”
Both Lewis and Salter throw passes that receiver Joseph Williams described as “not too hard, not too soft. The ball just sticks to you. It’s super-hard to drop their passes because of how good they are.”
As for when Sanders might reach a decision, well, there’s no sense of urgency. But he does see the same thing out of both no matter which QB he selects.
“I see us winning,” Sanders said. “Cream of the crop is going to rise.”
PICK SIX: COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT ENTERING 2025
With rising expectations in competitive conferences, money flowing directly to players and unforgiving fan bases, the pressure has never been higher across college football. Six coaches who could very well be on the hot seat — from warm to scorching — entering the 2025 season:
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
The clock is ticking for Brent Venables, who heads into his fourth season in Norman yet to meet the expectations that come with this storied program. His sole winning season is sandwiched between 6-7 records in 2022 and 2024. He’s yet to lead the program to a bowl win, going 0-3, and the Cheez-It, Alamo and Armed Forces bowls aren’t where Sooners fans want to end the year.
Oklahoma finished with a 2-6 conference record in its inaugural season in the SEC a year ago while fellow newbie and rival Texas topped the conference. Entering year two in the SEC, Venables could use a standout year.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Hugh Freeze is feeling the heat after opening with two seven-loss seasons. Recruiting efforts have been admirable, but in-game decisions in high-pressure moments have raised concerns. Auburn hasn’t hesitated to part ways with coaches in recent years, and Freeze could be next on the chopping block if he doesn’t produce fast results. Getting Georgia and Alabama at home might help … right?
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
What to do with Sam Pittman? He is a folksy, charming guy and he has three winning seasons out of five for the Razorbacks that included bowl wins. But he is 30-31 overall and Arkansas has not emerged as any kind of a consistent threat in the SEC.
Expectations were high for Pittman after a 9-4 season in 2021 but the Hogs look like a mostly middling program. The schedule this year includes visits to Ole Miss, Tennessee and, on back-to-back weekends, LSU and Texas.
Billy Napier, Florida
Billy Napier’s tenure in Florida started with 6-7 and 5-7 records before last year’s 8-5 finish that included a 4-4 mark in the SEC. Does gradual improvement meet the high standards of a historically dominant program?
A dominant season by quarterback DJ Lagway and a few marquee wins could help Napier’s job security. The Gators won’t have to wait long to see how they stack up: A four-game stretch that starts in Week 3 features LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M, with only the Longhorns visiting the Swamp of the group.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
After two full seasons at the helm, Luke Fickell could use a breakout season. Wisconsin went 5-7 last year after a 7-6 finish in his first full season, easily an afterthought in a Big Ten Conference that grabbed two national titles. Inconsistent quarterback play, injuries and a difficult schedule have troubled the Badgers.
Fickell’s strong run at Cincinnati seems a long time ago now. Up next is a schedule that includes visits to Alabama, Michigan and Oregon. At least Ohio State is at Camp Randall Stadium.
Lincoln Riley, USC
Lincoln Riley’s first year with the Trojans felt somewhat magical for a while, an 11-3 effort stymied by a pair of losses to Utah and one-point bowl loss to Tulane. What’s followed has warmed things up for Riley: an 8-5 record in 2023 and a 7-6 mark last year. Much of Riley’s fate could be in the hands of quarterback Jayden Maiava but the Trojans would love to see new assistant and former NFL veteran Rob Ryan field a shutdown defense.
Honorable mention
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer saw his team put up a 9-4 mark in his first season in Tuscaloosa; the Crimson Tide will need to be better than that — as in, make the College Football Playoff … Oklahoma State went 12-2 in 2021 but Mike Gundy’s teams have been inconsistent for a while now and last year’s 3-9 collapse raised questions about the veteran coach … Mike Norvell has had two good seasons sandwiched by two bad ones, including last year’s 2-10 mark. Surely everyone in Tallahassee heard former coach Jimbo Fisher tell a podcast last week he was ready to come back to the right situation in college football?
REPORTS: AUBURN WR MALCOLM SIMMONS HAS CHARGE DROPPED IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE
A domestic violence charge filed against Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons was dismissed by the Lee County (Ala.) Circuit Court on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Simmons was arrested July 16 on a charge of domestic assault with strangulation or suffocation.
Simmons applied for youthful offender status Aug. 8.
The Alexander City, Alabama, native had been participating in all team activities since fall practice began July 30.
The sophomore wideout caught 40 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2024.
Auburn opens its 2025 campaign at Baylor on Aug. 29.
REPORTS: ALABAMA TO NAME TY SIMPSON STARTING QUARTERBACK
Ty Simpson will be the next starting quarterback at Alabama, the Tuscaloosa News and On3 reported Monday.
Simpson, a rising redshirt junior, was in a competition with sophomore Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell.
Simpson was the primary backup to Jalen Milroe in 2024, the Crimson Tide’s first year under coach Kalen DeBoer following the Nick Saban era.
Simpson got into six games, completed 14 of 25 pass attempts for 167 yards and added 44 rushing yards with one touchdown.
He also played an important role when Alabama visited South Florida in 2023. Milroe was benched after he struggled the previous week in a loss to Texas. Tyler Buchner got the start but was ineffective, leading third-stringer Simpson to come in and contribute a rushing touchdown to a 17-3 victory.
Now, Simpson will be the man behind center when Alabama — ranked No. 8 in the preseason Associated Press poll, released earlier Monday — opens this season at Florida State on Aug. 30.
A five-star recruit coming out of high school in Tennessee in 2022, Simpson has appeared in 16 games over three seasons in Tuscaloosa and has completed 29 of 50 passes for 381 yards, without a touchdown or an interception. He’s gained 130 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground.
REPORT: KURT WARNER’S SON, E.J., TO START AT FRESNO STATE
Quarterback E.J. Warner, a starter for three seasons at his two previous colleges, will be behind center for Fresno State’s season opener, ESPN reported on Monday.
The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, E.J. Warner started for two seasons at Temple and in 2024 at Rice before entering the transfer portal prior to his senior year.
Warner won a competition for first string with redshirt sophomore Jayden Mandal and sophomore Carson Conklin, a transfer from Sacramento State, according to the ESPN report. Mandal made his first career start in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Northern Illinois on Dec. 23. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 39 yards and one interception.
Listed at 6-foot and 203 pounds, Warner completed 796 of 1,327 passes (60 percent) for 8,814 yards, 58 touchdowns and 37 interceptions at Temple (2022-23) and Rice.
His 2,710 yards passing in 2024 ranks fifth all-time at Rice, where he completed 272 of 439 attempts for 17 touchdowns and 13 picks in 11 games. He set single-season records in 2023 at Temple with 23 TDs and 445 attempts while passing for at least 3,000 yards (3,076) for the second straight season.
Warner is playing for new head coach Matt Entz, who served as the assistant head coach the past two seasons at Southern California after winning two FCS national championships as head coach at North Dakota State.
The Bulldogs open their season Aug. 23 at Kansas, with the home opener on Aug. 30 against Georgia Southern.
BRADY: BELICHICK’S CHALLENGE AT UNC IS WORKING WITH 17- AND 18-YEAR-OLDS
Tom Brady knows better than most what it’s like to play for Bill Belichick, which informs his confidence in his former coach’s first foray into the college ranks as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Brady, who won six of his seven Super Bowl championships as quarterback of Belichick’s New England Patriots, declared he’s part of the large group intrigued to see how Belichick coaches college players in Chapel Hill, N.C. — a.k.a. “Chapel Bill.”
“What they’re gonna get is, obviously, the most prepared, the most hard-working coach that I’d ever been around,” Brady said during the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast,” which was released on Monday.
“If you go to that school, you will be prepared to play at the next level. He’s gonna teach you the right fundamentals, the right techniques. He’s gonna have a high expectation for you and you’re gonna develop a lot. That’s what I know.”
North Carolina signed Belichick, 73, to a five-year deal through the 2029 season to replace Mack Brown. He will earn $10 million a year, plus up to $3.5 million in performance incentives. The first three years of the contract are guaranteed.
Belichick won six Super Bowls in 24 seasons with the Patriots while compiling an 302-165 regular-season record as head coach for the Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and Patriots (2000-23).
“I think the challenge for him is he’s dealing with a lot of, probably, under-developed players, because he’s dealt with guys that are four, five, six years further along than what he’s normally had to deal with. So I think there’s probably a learning curve for him,” Brady said on the podcast.
“And this is just me hypothesizing — I don’t have much knowledge of it — but I’m sure it’s different coaching a 17- or 18-year-old than even a 22- or 23-year-old. So, there’s probably just less physically developed and he’s a very deep thinker of the sport.”
Since last spring, North Carolina’s players have been working in what has been called an NFL-style program to prepare for the season opener on Sept. 1 at home against TCU.
“I think what makes Coach Belichick so unbelievable, tactically, (is) he can break down an opponent. He watches so much film. He is so smart with how he approaches defensive schemes and offensive schemes,” Brady said.
“How much can these young kids retain? That may be an interesting challenge as well because, in some ways, they’re not professionals. They don’t have as much time as we had as professional athletes to go in there and study film and practice and meet and all that. They don’t have that amount of time at the college level.”
Brady, 48, played for the Patriots from 2000-19 and won Super Bowls in the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons before capturing another league championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. A three-time NFL MVP, Brady retired after the 2022 season with three first-team All-Pro and 15 Pro Bowl selections.
MARIO CRISTOBAL, NO. 10 MIAMI EMBRACE ‘OPPORTUNITY’ OF OPENER VS. NO. 6 NOTRE DAME
Mario Cristobal is sticking to his vow to keep Miami focused on the first game of the season.
The alternative for Cristobal would be to have his Hurricanes resist the urge to put too much emphasis on the team coming to Miami Gardens for the opener.
A win over preseason No. 6-ranked Notre Dame would go a long way toward putting the No. 10 Hurricanes on the map in 2025.
“It’s such a big, such an incredible opportunity for our program that that’s going to take care of itself come game week,” Cristobal said in an interview with ACC Network’s Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain.
“We know. And I think it’s great when you have it on the schedule because you can say what you want as a coach, say, ‘Hey, let’s focus on this and whatnot,’ but everybody knows the opportunities that await us. The only way to perform to your best levels is to prepare as hard and as best as you possibly can.”
Miami is replacing key pieces on offense, including Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Enter Carson Beck, the Georgia transfer who has played in more than his share of games defined by monumental opportunities.
Over the last two seasons at Georgia, Beck was 24-3 as the starter for a perennial national title contender. His tenure with the Bulldogs ended with a right UCL injury in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7. But Beck said he’s operating without limitations and eager to prove he can still win the big one.
Cristobal said last month at ACC Kickoff he’s asking Beck not to be a super hero, but simply the “best version of himself.”
“That’s what I got away from at times last year was trying to be Superman trying to save the day,” Beck said. “That’s not what’s needed. What’s needed is just play, right? The more efficient I am, the more efficient our offense is, the more positive plays we have, the more we’re going to score. I just want to play football and have fun, and that’s what I think I’m looking forward to most.”
