When the AP preseason Top 25 college football rankings will be released

We’re officially inside one month until the 2025 college football season finally kicks off, and as the festivities draw near, one of the most important dates on the schedule is fast approaching, as the AP is set to announce the preseason top 25 college football rankings.

Now, we have a date as to when the poll will come out.

When the AP top 25 college football rankings come out

AP top 25 voters will reveal their first official preseason rankings at around 12 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, August 11. But, much like the rankings themselves, the release time isn’t an exact science, as it’s common the poll may come out a little before or a little after the set time.

How important are these preseason rankings, really? Well, it depends.

When it comes to going all the way, being the No. 1 team in the preseason poll isn’t the most important thing in the world.

In the 21st century, only two teams that debuted at No. 1 finished as national champions — USC in 2004 under the old BCS system, and Alabama in 2017, the only team in the College Football Playoff era that went wire-to-wire.

So where is a good place to be ranked if you want to win the national championship?

Rankings: ESPN top 25 | Coaches Poll prediction | Phil Steele's AP poll

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Where champions tend to be ranked in the preseason

History suggests anywhere in the top-five is in your best interest. All but one team in the CFP era that won the national title started No. 5 or better in the preseason rankings.

LSU’s historic 2019 team was the outlier, but even then, it wasn’t by much, coming in at No. 6 in the initial poll before going on to run the table as only the third 15-0 team in college football history and the second since the 1890s.

Georgia took the No. 1 spot in last preseason’s official AP football rankings, and while the Bulldogs didn’t lift the trophy, their season wasn’t a waste, either.

Georgia won the SEC Championship and, despite losing two regular season games, earned an automatic place in the first 12-team College Football Playoff, falling to eventual runner-up Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal round game.

So where else is a good place to be ranked? Let's take a look at where the College Football Playoff champions placed in their respective preseason polls.

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Eventual CFP champions' preseason AP rankings

2014: Ohio State (preseason No. 5)

2015: Alabama (preseason No. 3)

2016: Clemson (preseason No. 2)

2017: Alabama (preseason No. 1)

2018: Clemson (preseason No. 2)

2019: LSU (preseason No. 6)

2020: Alabama (preseason No. 3)

2021: Georgia (preseason No. 5)

2022: Georgia (preseason No. 3)

2023: Michigan (preseason No. 2)

2024: Ohio State (preseason No. 2)

If history is any guide, future national champions need to be ranked in the top five in the preseason poll. 

Or if you want to get really specific, taking all the preseason polls into consideration and averaging out the eventual national champions, the best place to debut in the preseason rankings in the playoff era is exactly 3.09 in the top 25.

The last two national champion teams — Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024 — both placed No. 2 in the preseason polls in the years they won college football’s ultimate prize.

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How AP preseason No. 1 teams fare

While it's common for preseason No. 1 teams to make the College Football Playoff, those schools don't often go on to win the national championship.

How have preseason AP No. 1 ranked teams finished during the College Football Playoff era?

2014: Florida State (finished No. 5)

2015: Ohio State (finished No. 4)

2016: Alabama (finished No. 2)

2017: Alabama (finished No. 1, national champion)

2018: Alabama (finished No. 2)

2019: Clemson (finished No. 2)

2020: Clemson (finished No. 3)

2021: Alabama (finished No. 2)

2022: Alabama (finished No. 5)

2023: Georgia (finished No. 4)

2024: Georgia (finished No. 6)

So if your team opens the preseason as the No. 1 team in college football, your exact landing spot at season’s end would be 3.27 in the AP rankings, taking an average of every No. 1 team’s last poll position in the playoff era.

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