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The AP Top 25 college football poll sparked a bevy of conversations Monday. Texas and Penn State fans sounded pleased with where their team landed. But there were some vocal fanbases — and not just limited to Ohio State. But for teams left unranked.
The Buckeyes still landed inside the top five. The reigning national champions settled for No. 3. But there were fans who called the poll “a joke” on social media.
Some called out Oklahoma for starting the season at No. 18. Even after underachieving at 6-7 last season. National title game runner-up Notre Dame fell out of the top five, coming in at No. 6.
Still, three teams left outside of the Top 25 can make their argument that they deserve to get ranked. Here's the trio of teams noticeably left out.
BYU Cougars
BYU breezed to an 11-2 finish including going 7-2 as a full-fledged Big 12 member.
The Cougars lure back intriguing talent, more so on the offensive side. Jake Retzlaff returns after totaling 3,483 yards throwing and rushing. He brings back Chase Roberts too at wide receiver, ranked as the Big 12's fourth-best returning wideout.
Leading rusher L.J. Martin is also back in Provo after scoring seven touchdowns. BYU losing its entire defensive line to graduation is one counterargument for its AP snub. Yet the linebacker crew led by Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker offset the trench losses.
Finally, BYU doesn't face the toughest of schedules. Starting with home contests against Portland State and Stanford, before facing younger squads at East Carolina and Colorado. They could be 4-0 by the time they host their conference home opener against a Rich Rodriguez-led West Virginia team.
But late road contests at Iowa State and Texas Tech look like the only daunting challenges for BYU.
USC Trojans
USC can claim the title of most irate fan base following the unveiling of the AP Top 25. Even Lincoln Riley delivering an impressive college football recruiting class for 2025 and '26 didn't help. Oklahoma landing at No. 18 despite finishing with a worse record than USC is one argument here.
Former Trojans star Su'a Cravens joined the vocal voices. He predicted his alma mater will win the Big Ten over Michigan.
Granted, USC slipped to 7-6 last season after high expectations. Many have wondered if Jayden Maiava will keep his starting QB spot with five-star Husan Longstreet waiting in the wings. But Maiava has Makai Lemon to throw toward — Pro Football Focus's top-ranked WR for the 2026 draft. Ja'Kobi Lane is earning his own pro praise too. Boise State transfer Prince Strachan adds College Football Playoff experience here also.
Doubters of USC will argue there's lots of youth on the defensive side. Yes there's lots of new faces. But Eric Gentry returns at linebacker and is earning love from Rob Ryan, his new linebacker coach.
USC still faces one of the easier roads to the Big Ten title. Ohio State and Penn State aren't on the schedule. A road trip to No. 12 Illinois is the first hurdle — but that's not until Sept. 27. Notre Dame and Oregon are two more daunting away games. But USC is positioned to go 10-2 at the highest. Which will ease the tensions under Riley's coaching seat.
Baylor Bears
Dave Aranda saved his job with the impressive late turnaround in Waco. He and the Bears should've earned a ranking.
Baylor finished 8-5 overall. But rolled off six straight regular season wins before falling to LSU in the Texas Bowl. The Bears' returning experience presents why the AP should've handed them more love.
Aranda and company bring back 13 starters from that last surge. Including the Big 12's No. 1 overall RB Bryson Washington — who's the only returning 1,000-yard rusher coming back to the conference. Even quarterback Sawyer Robertson (No. 3 overall in the Big 12 rankings per ClutchPoints) is behind center once again.
Aranda hit the college football transfer portal hard to address one of the nation's worst defenses. Luring in Ohio State transfer Calvin Simpson-Hunt to boost the secondary. Plus brought in former Oregon edge rusher Emar'rion Winston. They join five defensive returnees.
Baylor even gets Big 12 title contenders Arizona State and Kansas State coming to McLane Stadium. SMU is the only other ranked team the Bears will face — which is on Sept. 6. But Baylor looks like a team that can carry over last season's momentum.
