The AP Top 25 Preseason Poll released at noon on Monday, Aug. 11 and it's unsurprising that the points added up in agreement with what pretty much everyone expects of Penn State football in 2025.
Media, polls, analysts, and the general public have toyed with the Nittany Lions bouncing around the top three spots in college football. Recently, the Texas Longhorn hype has taken over as the No. 1 team, just having a slight edge over Penn State. Though the AP Poll agrees with that slight tip in balance, there's a huge emphasis on the word "slight."
AP Top 25 Preseason Poll ranks Penn State football No. 2 behind Texas
The Nittany Lions are sitting in at No. 2 on the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll behind the Longhorns. Texas received just two additional first place votes than Penn State, and claimed that No. 1 spot by five points. You read that right: five points. Steve Sarkisian's team tallied 1,552 points to James Franklin's team's 1,547.
It's possible that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams on this preseason poll end up being the final two standing once the 2026 College Football Playoff rolls around. A national championship run isn't out of the picture for either team, and if it does end with a Penn State v. Texas final, those five preseason points could tip either way.
AP Top 25 preseason poll dismisses Ohio State Big Ten dominance on Coaches Poll
The CFB Preseason Coaches Poll had Ohio State and Penn State flipped. The AP Top 25, though, doesn't agree with the Buckeyes topping the Big Ten and backed the Nittany Lions as the conference's preseason leaders.
Now what might come as a surprise is the difference in first place votes. On the Coaches Poll, Penn State had eight less than Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions have more than double the votes to the Buckeyes' on the AP Poll. On top of Ohio State getting 11 first place votes to Penn State's 23, Ryan Day's team fell 75 points behind Franklin's.
When looking at the preseason college football landscape, though, the Buckeyes should be behind. The Nittany Lions are one of the most experienced teams in college football in terms of returning starters, and the quarterback comparison between the conference rivals is a big one.
Drew Allar is entering his third year as Penn State's starter whereas Ohio State doesn't actually know who it's starting quarterback is right now. If it's Julian Sayin, that's a lot of faith to put into a rookie in order to argue that the Buckeyes should be ranked higher than the Nittany Lions in the preseason. If it's Lincoln Kienholz . . . well again, that's a lot of faith to put into a first-time starting quarterback with limited playing time under his belt.
The college football season is just a couple weeks away. Only time will tell if Penn State keeps its spot over Ohio State and leads the Big Ten in conference rankings and national polls — and if it does, it might just pick up five more points along the way.