The Associated Press released its first Top 25 college football poll in 1936. Since then, the poll has been a credible source in determining the best teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Ohio State and Oregon enter the 2026 season at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the AP preseason poll, giving the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in the preseason rankings for the first time in 65 years. (No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Ohio State topped the poll in 1961.)
Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in program history, while the Buckeyes are preseason No. 1 for the ninth time and first since 2015.
Ohio State failed to win the national championship each of the previous eight times it was preseason No. 1. In fact, since 1950, only 11 teams have gone on to win the national title after ranking No. 1 in the AP preseason poll.
Here is a look at those 11 squads:
2017 Alabama (13-1)
Led by sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Crimson Tide won their first 11 games before losing to in-state rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl. After being slotted at No. 4 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, Alabama defeated top-ranked Clemson in the national semifinals and then outlasted SEC champion Georgia in an overtime thriller for the national title. Backup freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was named national championship game MVP in relief of Hurts who was benched at halftime.
2004 USC (13-0)
The 2004 USC Trojans occupied the No. 1 spot in the polls all season. Led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart and explosive running back Reggie Bush, the Trojans won the BCS national championship and finished as the AP's top team for the second straight season, marking USC's first unanimous national title since 1972. Pete Carroll's Trojans were later forced to vacate their Pac-10 championship and BCS national championship following an NCAA investigation. However, the AP still recognizes USC as the winner of the 2004 national title.
1999 Florida State (12-0)
Bobby Bowden's Seminoles ended the 1999 campaign as the consensus national champions, winning the ACC title and defeating freshman Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Vick and Virginia Tech in the BCS national championship game. Peter Warrick scored a team-high 13 touchdowns (eight receiving, three rushing, one passing and a punt return) for Florida State that season before being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the fourth pick in the 2000 NFL draft.
1993 Florida State (12-1)
Before Bowden's Seminoles ran the table in 1999, they had their first consensus national championship season in 1993. Led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward, the first player in program history to win the award, Florida State won its second straight ACC title and went on to defeat Nebraska for the national championship. Ward became the first player since Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett in 1976 to win the Heisman and the national title in the same season.
1985 Oklahoma (11-1)
Oklahoma suffered two losses in 1985. One came against the Miami Hurricanes and the other was in the form of a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Troy Aikman. Coach Barry Switzer and the Sooners weathered the storm with freshman signal-caller Jamelle Holieway and won the Big Eight Conference championship and the national title. Oklahoma was led by a stout defense that included All-America sophomore Brian Bosworth, who won his first of two Dick Butkus Awards, which is presented annually to college football's top linebacker.
1978 Alabama (11-1)
The 1978 campaign saw a heavyweight matchup between two perennial powers on New Year's Day. Bear Bryant's Alabama squad held on for a 14-7 win against Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions in a Sugar Bowl classic. The Crimson Tide split the national championship that season, finishing No. 1 in the AP poll, while USC topped the UPI Coaches poll. Alabama's lone defeat came against the Trojans on Sept. 23.
1975 Oklahoma (11-1)
Oklahoma went undefeated through its first eight games in 1975, but its run came to a surprising halt against Kansas at home. Switzer's Sooners fell to the Jayhawks 23-3, snapping their 28-game winning streak. Oklahoma rebounded with three straight victories against ranked opponents, defeating No. 18 Missouri, No. 2 Nebraska for the Big Eight title and No. 5 Michigan in the Orange Bowl. The season-ending uptick was enough to send the Sooners back into the top spot in the polls and to their fifth national championship.
1974 Oklahoma (11-0)
The previous campaign was another banner year for Switzer and the Sooners. Their wishbone offense led the nation in scoring (43 points per game) and their suffocating defense held four opponents out of the end zone. Oklahoma finished 1974 as the only unbeaten team in the nation and won its first of back-to-back national titles.
1956 Oklahoma (10-0)
Of the 10 opponents Oklahoma faced in 1956, six of them failed to score. Coach Bud Wilkinson's club repeated as consensus national champions and Sooners senior running back Tommy McDonald and senior offensive lineman Jerry Tubba finished third and fourth, respectively, in the race for the Heisman Trophy behind winner Paul Hornung (Notre Dame) and runner-up Johnny Majors (Tennessee).
1952 Michigan State (9-0)
Led by coach Biggie Munn, Michigan State outscored its opponents 312-84 en route to finishing with a perfect record and being named the consensus 1952 national champion. The season was part of a 28-game winning streak for the Spartans that began in October 1950 and continued until October 1953.
1951 Tennessee (10-1)
Tennessee won its first nine games in 1951 by a combined margin of 338-61. With coach Robert Neyland on the sideline and Heisman Trophy runner-up Hank Lauricella lighting up opposing defenses, the Volunteers won their second consecutive national championship. Their lone loss came against No. 3 Maryland in the Sugar Bowl (final polls were released before bowl games).
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