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The AP Top 25 was released on Monday, and you know what that means: The college football season is right around the corner. Fans start to get the itch as soon as summer begins, but it really starts to feel real when the AP Poll comes out. There weren't a ton of surprises in the preseason poll, but there is still a lot to discuss before Week 1 rolls around. That first week, by the way, features three top 10 matchups. Here are the full preseason rankings:
1. Texas (25)
2. Penn State (23)
3. Ohio State (11)
4. Clemson (4)
5. Georgia (1)
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon (1)
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami FL
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
The Texas football team takes the top spot in the preseason AP Top 25, and that doesn't come as a big surprise. The Longhorns are loaded, and the Arch Manning era is about to begin. Two elite Big Ten programs fall behind Texas as Penn State and Ohio State round out the top three. Something to note: The last two national champions have been from the Big Ten, and they started the year ranked #2 in the AP Poll. Last year it was Ohio State, and the year before was Michigan. This year, it's the Nittany Lions.
One thing to keep in mind about the preseason AP Poll release is that these rankings mean literally nothing. The College Football Playoff rankings are the only ones that matter, and those don't come out until the season is halfway over. The AP Top 25 is fun and it's a good sign that college football is near, but it doesn't impact anything.
Another thing to remember is that these rankings will look completely different when the season comes to an end. Some of these teams will finished unranked, and some new teams will make their way in. One team that will finish below where it's at now is the Penn State football team.
Penn State will not be in the top three of the final AP Poll
James Franklin has had some very good teams since becoming the head coach of the Penn State football team, but the Nittany Lions haven't had a squad like this under Franklin. Penn State is ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll, so it's not a crazy stretch to say that the team will be ranked below that when the season ends. It's essentially just saying that the Nittany Lions aren't going to win the national championship this year. Yes, they could go to the national title game and lose and finish at No. 2, but that isn't going to happen either.
Not winning the national championship doesn't mean that the season is a failure, but for this Penn State team, it kind of does. The Nittany Lions are ranked #2 for a reason. Everything that they have lines up perfectly for the blueprint to success in this era of college football. It all starts with having an experienced quarterback, and Penn State has that in Drew Allar.
Offensively, Penn State is rock solid. The Nittany Lions obviously have the QB position locked down, and they are returning not one, but BOTH of their star running backs from a year ago. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen make for the best RB duo in the country.
The wide receiver position was the biggest issue offensively for Penn State last year, and the coaching staff did a great job bringing in good talent from the transfer portal to pick up the slack there. Kyron Hudson (USC), Trebor Peña (Syracuse) and Devonte Ross (Troy) are expected to be the main wideouts, and they are all transfers.
Penn State did lose tight end Tyler Warren to the NFL, but Khalil Dinkins is expected to be very good. The offensive line is loaded with experienced talent. The Nittany Lions are in great shape offensively.
Defensively, it's the same. The Penn State football team is returning a lot of guys who could've gone to the NFL, but they wanted to come back and win a national championship. Dani Dennis-Sutton will lead the way in the trenches, and getting pressure on the QB won't be an issue. The Nittany Lions are sound and experienced at every other position as well. This roster is in tremendous shape ahead of the 2025 season.
Everything looks great for Penn State, so why can't the Nittany Lions win it all and finish No. 1 in the AP Poll? Well, James Franklin and Drew Allar are why. Penn State is going to win the games that it is supposed to win like it always does, but when the big games roll around, it will be a different story.
Having Drew Allar back is huge, but he has struggled in big games throughout his career. Even last year, Penn State missed out on going to the national championship because of an awful turnover from Allar late in the game against Notre Dame. He was also very experienced last year. He has to be better in big games, and so does James Franklin.
Ever since James Franklin arrived at Penn State, he has had trouble in the big games. The Nittany Lions have won some important contests, but they have never gotten over the hump because when they play a team as good as or maybe a little better than them, they lose. It was usually against Ohio State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions had some great teams, but they would often lose games to the Buckeyes and Wolverines and miss the College Football Playoff.
The same thing happened last year. It was Ohio State and Oregon, but because of the expanded CFP, the Nittany Lions still went to the playoff. They beat SMU and Boise State and then folded against a Notre Dame team that matched their caliber.
Until James Franklin beats a team that is on par with his squad or better, it's hard to pick him to lead the Penn State football team to a national championship. A great test will be early in the season when the Nittany Lions welcome Oregon to Beaver Stadium, but a win in that game won't mean that Penn State is over the hump. The Nittany Lions have more experience and should be better than the Ducks. It's a home game and a night white out. Franklin NEEDS to win that game. The real test will be later in the season on the road against Ohio State. If Penn State wins that game, then we can start talking about a national title.
