The AP Top 25, the Coaches Poll, and the playoff committee's once it starts ranking in November. Who moved, and by how much.
Rankings
2026 AP Poll: Preseason
1NEWOhio State Buckeyes (40)0-0
2NEWOregon Ducks (14)0-0
3NEWGeorgia Bulldogs0-0
4NEWNotre Dame Fighting Irish (6)0-0
5NEWTexas Longhorns0-0
6NEWIndiana Hoosiers (8)0-0
7NEWMiami Hurricanes (1)0-0
8NEWTexas A&M Aggies0-0
9NEWOle Miss Rebels0-0
10NEWOklahoma Sooners0-0
11NEWLSU Tigers0-0
12NEWTexas Tech Red Raiders0-0
13NEWAlabama Crimson Tide0-0
14NEWBYU Cougars0-0
14NEWUSC Trojans0-0
16NEWMichigan Wolverines0-0
17NEWWashington Huskies0-0
18NEWPenn State Nittany Lions0-0
19NEWSMU Mustangs0-0
20NEWTennessee Volunteers0-0
21NEWUtah Utes0-0
22NEWIowa Hawkeyes0-0
23NEWHouston Cougars0-0
24NEWLouisville Cardinals0-0
25NEWMissouri Tigers0-0
Polls are votes, not our numbers — we publish them because they're how the season gets talked about. What we actually project is on the matchups board.
Three rankings, three different jobs
The AP Top 25 is voted by writers, the Coaches Poll by the people on the sideline, and the College Football Playoff committee's list — which starts in November — is the only one that decides anything. The first two are opinion with a long memory. A team that starts the year at number 3 tends to fall a few spots at a time, not straight out.
That memory is exactly why a model and a poll disagree. Ours re-rates every team off what has actually happened, week to week, with no preseason anchor and no reputation to protect — so it will put an unranked team over a ranked one without hesitating. The gap between the two lists is usually where the week's live games are, and every one of them is priced on the matchups board.
A ranking also moves the line. By kickoff the market has priced the reputation along with the team, which is why "they're ranked" is not an edge on its own — the number already knows. What's worth reading is where a projection and the consensus part company, and whether that call has been landing.
How our number has done, 2026
Every college game we price gets graded against the result — 23 calls settled so far this season. The record sits here whether it's good or not.
Moneyline4-3sample still small
Spread3-4sample still small
Total0-3sample still small
Team total3-3sample still small
Research signals from a statistical model, not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed. 21+, please play responsibly (1-800-GAMBLER).
Common questions
What's the difference between the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll?
Different voters. The AP Top 25 is voted by sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the sport; the AFCA Coaches Poll is voted by active head coaches. Coaches see fewer games than the writers do and tend to move teams more slowly, so the two lists usually agree at the top and diverge from about 15 down.
When do the College Football Playoff rankings start?
Early November, and they run weekly until Selection Day. The CFP committee ranks independently of both polls and is the only one that decides the bracket — the AP and Coaches polls carry no official weight at all.
Why do computer rankings disagree with the AP poll?
They're measuring different things. A poll is a human judgment that carries memory — a preseason number 3 slides slowly even after a bad month, because voters move teams a few spots at a time. A model has no memory and no loyalty: it re-rates every team off what happened on the field, so it will happily put an unranked team above a ranked one when the results say so. That gap is usually where the interesting games are.
How often do the polls update?
Weekly through the season, normally Sunday afternoon for the AP and Coaches polls once Saturday's results are in. This page picks each one up within hours of release, and shows the movement against the previous week rather than just the current number.
Does being ranked make a team more likely to cover?
No — and that's the useful part. A ranking moves the line as much as it moves the odds, so the market has already priced the reputation by kickoff. What we publish is a projection for every game against that line, graded afterwards, so you can see where our number and the consensus part company. Research, not advice.
